The giant horses amazed us. It had not occurred, one could actually ride a Shire horse.
Holme Valley Heavy Horses originated from a visit to the Cumbrian Heavy Horse Centre more than ten years ago. Our family’s relationship with horses goes back generations. The giant horses still amazed us. It had not occurred, one could actually ride Shire horses.
From then on, all our time, energy and savings went into learning everything we could about heavy horses, from everyone we could. Although we had kept our own horses and ponies for many years, we discovered owning a heavy horses was very different.
Over time we acquired Shire horses, Clydesdales, as well as ponies and Cobs. With the support of Hinchliffe’s Farm, near Netherton in West Yorkshire, we set up a Heavy Horse Heritage Centre on Hinchliffe’s Farm premises, provided daily tourist rides on an authentic Oaktrail Wagonette, offered heavy horse experiences and provided carriages for weddings and special occasions. It was incredible how many people flocked to see the horses. From the very young, to the elderly, everyone seemed to enjoy the horses.
The horses provided companionship for us and visitors alike. None more so, than Cockney John, a regular visitor who was suffering from terminal cancer at the time. John who became a dear friend, firmly believed Major, our film star shire, had extended his life by almost a year. In John’s name, we are happy to make our horses available to anyone who might benefit therapeutically.
Our Expert Horseman in BBC Look North Feature by Cathy Killick on Logging Using Heavy Horses.
Our head groom, called Michael, worked hard to gain experience, eventually becoming as an expert horseman. After earning a strong reputation Michael’s expertise in heavy horses was in demand. Michael has been interviewed on the topic of heavy horses by BBC radio and featured on BBC Look North. Michael has handled heavy horses on set in TV dramas The Mill, The Village, Our Zoo and Jericho. Furthermore, Michael and Major, one of our film star shires, have appeared together in scenes for hit TV shows Peaky Blinders (Examiner, 2012) and Death comes to Pemberley.
Thank you, for sharing a little of our story – Pam Brooke