We had ponies and rode around the family farm as kids. Heavies have always been an interest, so it didn’t take much to get us hooked. One day when I was about 12, we went to watch a heavy horse match, loved it and met up with a lady called Ann Williams, who told us we should have a go ourselves. She taught Dad and he got himself a pair of Shires, then I had a go.
Before long, my two younger brothers, Daniel and David, and I each had a pair and we all still plough. Now I have nine heavies and a little Welsh section A for the kids. We also do the heavy horse turnout classes throughout the summer, but the horses don’t mix jobs; I have separate heavies for ploughing.
We started from scratch. Ann didn’t have a lorry, so Dad would take her and her horses in his 7.5-tonne, then when he wanted to take his own pair as well, he had to get a bigger lorry. When we were all taking our pairs to competitions as a family, we’d take the 44-tonne artic, with three pairs of Shires.
Now I just have a 26-tonne and a trailer. Horses are my hobby; I run a timber haulage business with my own lorry, and these big trucks are easy enough to drive if you do it for a living.
This story is from the October 12, 2023 edition of Horse & Hound.
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This story is from the October 12, 2023 edition of Horse & Hound.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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