2019 Supreme Champion Shire, Tullymore Sir Joseph Banks, with Cai Thomas.

The National Shire Show which includes the Southern Highlands Heavy Horse Show is back for another year.

The 2019 Show, at the Moss Vale Showgrounds, was a stand-out with over 50 heavy horses strutting their stuff in the rings. Over 350 people braved the chilling conditions to come and see these magnificent horses working, walking and even taking part in dressage. The public were also able to visit the stable areas and see the horses getting ready for their events.

This year the event organisers are shortening the Show to one day in recognition of current circumstances.However, the program is still full of the great events from last year and they will be encouraging the public to come down to the stabling yards and see these gentle giants up close and personal!

The President of the Shire Horse Breeders Association, Cai Thomas, said ‘We believe strongly in this Show and we don’t want to let exhibitors, members or the public down. However, we can’t ignore the impact the fires and drought have had on the Southern Highlands and other communities.We know many of the exhibitors are currently hand feeding their horses. A one-day show allows them to minimise the time away from their farms but still allows them to bring their horses to Moss Vale.”

The shortened program will still include standard led and ridden classes as well as dressage, harness and fun activities like the pumpkin snatch. The Concours d’Elegance will be held over lunch so, if you love gorgeous outfits, this is a must-see.

The event also wants to acknowledge the fantastic work of the RFS and volunteers, so they are donating all the gate takings to the RFS.

When: 23rd February 2020

Where: Moss Vale Showgrounds

The program is available to view here.
 

Source: Event press release

Heavyweight Champions

As the 2020 National Shire Show approaches, we thought we would share with you an article that featured in a previous issue of Equestrian Life that covered last year’s event. Enjoy!

2019 Champion Harness Horse & Champion Turnout, McMurchie Kendall and Liz Lewis.

By Adele Severs

The heavy lifters and gentle giants of the horse world converged on the NSW Southern Highlands this year for the most successful celebration of all breeds of draught horses ever assembled in Moss Vale.

For the first time, the Shire Horse Breeders Australia opened up their feature event to all other heavy horses. Previously known as the National Shire Show, the 2019 event on 30-31 March was expanded to become the National Shire and Southern Highlands Heavy Horse Show to showcase the workhorses of many early 19th and 20th century farms.

An additional judge was brought over from the UK this year, allowing the show to open its gates to all draught breeds from the Shire, through to Clydesdales, Percherons, Suffolk Punch, and an array of draught crossbreeds. As such, there were record entries and plenty of spectators… despite the cold weather!

“It’s definitely become a fixture on the horse show scene and is a must for all heavy horse owners and enthusiasts,” explains Shire Horse Breeders Association president and show president, Cai Thomas. “The new format worked well – people came through the gates and we had three rings running on the Sunday: one with horses in harness, one with agricultural classes, and then a third ring with ridden horses.”

Cai, who began breeding Shires and Clydesdales seven years ago, also enjoyed success himself at the show with his two-year-old Shire Tullymore Sir Joseph Banks, who was awarded Supreme Champion Shire. “We bought Joseph as a three-month-old foal as an outcross stallion for the stud,” explains Cai. “He’s also proven to be a handy show horse!” Already standing at 17.1 hands, he may still have a bit of growing to do. “You never really know when they’ll stop growing, but my guess is he’ll end up around 18 hands.”

Show committee member Nathaniel Arthur-Ellis also enjoyed success in the ring, winning Supreme Champion Clydesdale with McMurchie Lucinda. Nathaniel is newer to the heavy horse scene, having started breeding Shires in late 2017, followed by Clydesdales. Lucinda is a recent purchase, with Nathaniel explaining she was bred by Colin and Karen Brown of McMurchie Clydesdale Stud. “I first saw Lucinda at Sydney Royal. I said to Colin that I’d really like to buy her; he said she wasn’t for sale. I’ve been asking for the past year whether he’d be open to selling, and he eventually told me to come to the stud and see her again.” The rest is history.

For Nathaniel, the thrill of the win was matched by the enjoyment of helping to run the event. “I’d like to thank the rest of the committee and the president for their amazing work, and also the other exhibitors – whether they went away with ribbons or not – it was great to have the turnout we had. It was the best the show has ever had in its history and we just really had a great time as a collective community!”

2019 Supreme Champion Clydesdale, McMurchie Lucinda, with Nathaniel Arthur-Ellis.

Well-known Shire breeder Peter McKeon has been involved in the industry for 20 years and is passionate about the horses. “I’ve always loved heavy horses,” says Peter. “My father had them when he was a young man and I’ve built on from that. I showed cattle for a few years, then bought a few Shires and became the biggest Shire breeder in the country – I had 30 registered at one stage! Now I’m older and more sensible, and I’ve reduced my numbers a bit.”

A number of Shires bred by Peter were in action at the show with other owners. Peter is a progressive breeder who used a lot of imported frozen semen in the early days of breeding Shires, something he’s also done more recently with the Percherons — and it was with this breed that he found success at this year’s show. His stunning, black seven-year-old mare, Southern Cross Josephine, was crowned Supreme Champion Percheron.

Peter explains that although Percherons are a French breed, Josephine is from North American Percheron bloodlines. The Americans imported Percherons from France during the 1860s, when the War of Independence saw them shy away from the British breeds. Unlike in France where most of the Percherons are grey, the American lineage in predominately black — as is Josephine. The Americans love the black horses as are they are easy to match in teams, while Peter also makes the important point that they are easier to take to a show: “You don’t have to wash them as much!”

The event showcased horses performing traditional harness and agricultural work, but also had many saddle classes. As Peter explains, to keep the heavy breeds viable in the 21st century it’s all about making the most of their versatility. “They have a good brain and are very trainable horses,” he says. Fellow Shire enthusiast and a former breeder who had a big influence on the Australian bloodlines, Bill Lambert, echoes this sentiment. “I do think the riding of Shires is a good thing. It is continuing to promote the breed and bring good money to the breeders as quality horses are sought after. Shires are very popular to ride in Germany and they have good attendances at shows. They look fantastic!” says Bill.

The major winners of the ridden classes were Phoebe Jenkins and Cedars Amazing Grace, who won the Champion Ridden Heavy Horse, and John White with Southern Cross Wesley, who was the Champion Dressage Horse.

Champion Ridden Heavy Horse in 2019, Cedars Amazing Grace, and Phoebe Jenkins.

10-year-old Shire Southern Cross Wesley, who is ridden by 18-year-old university student Meeri Lee, was the biggest horse at the show this year, standing at 18.3 hands. John, who got into horses during his retirement because he was “getting under his wife’s feet”, explains that Wes was his first heavy horse and he has now owned him for seven years. A true all rounder, Wes is broken to harness and at Moss Vale he also turned a hoof to barrel racing in between tests and ridden classes. John explains that having horses such as Wes under saddle demonstrates their versatility and agrees that it helps to preserve the breed in an era where fewer people require harness horses. “I’m pleased the committee offered ridden classes and dressage tests; it was well received by the public who really enjoyed seeing these horses under saddle,” says John.

Under Meeri’s guidance, Wes has really started to make his mark in the dressage ring and since Moss Vale has won both open Preliminary tests at a recent event at SIEC run by Sydney Dressage Inc. He is now qualified to compete at the NSW State Dressage Championships later in the year!

While many of the show’s attendees are avid breeders or have been in involved in the industry a long time, owner of the Supreme Champion Draught Horse, Ann Marie Stewart, has a slightly different story to tell. Once an equine midwife on a racehorse stud, Anne Marie often took on young foals whose “nanny mare” mothers were needed to take care of orphaned thoroughbred foals. Anne Marie’s Supreme Champion Draught, 12-year-old Ruby Tuesday by thoroughbred Quest for Fame out of a Clydesdale mare, was one such foal she not only helped birth, but also hand-reared. “I reared Ruby Tuesday from six weeks old, so we have a very special bond,” says Anne Marie. “She’s my best friend. I ride around the farms in the afternoon and check on everything, and my sister also drives her. She’s a pleasure horse. I spend all my time with her, and I was just overwhelmed to win!”

New to the showing world, Anne Marie had only done a couple of local shows before heading to Moss Vale. “I got my first float a couple of years ago, so now I have wheels I thought I might as well get out there and do something else on the weekend! Thanks to the organisers for putting the show on, it was absolutely amazing. The heavy horse people area so lovely and kind; everyone is helpful and full of praise, they’re just a really nice bunch of people.”

While the show demonstrates the versatility of the breed across a range of disciplines, it also includes classes where the horses are worked as they would have been in a bygone era. Aleks Berzins has been involved with heavy horses all his life; his grandfather had them working on the farm, and imported breeding stock from England. These lines continue today with Aleks, who breeds Australian Draught Horses from the family farm in the Southern Highlands. He has 40-odd horses and uses them to work the land as his grandfather once did — from seeding the pasture to cutting the hay. “It’s an easy way of keeping them all in work for show season!” he explains. This year, Aleks took four horses to Moss Vale and it was no surprise that he won Champion Working Horse. The winning horse, Grace, is a seven-year-old Suffolk Punch mare — a breed, alongside Belgian Draughts, that has heavily influenced the family’s draught bloodlines.

As with all shows, the turnout classes see some immaculate horses in action — and this show was no exception. Former eventer Liz Lewis took out Champion Turnout and Harness with her four-year-old Clydesdale mare McMurchie Kendall. Liz purchased the mare less than a year ago from Colin and Karen Brown after spotting her at Sydney Royal. She started her under saddle and did a few dressage days with her first, before going on to harness work. “It’s early days for her harness work, but she shows a lot of potential.” The turnout and harness class has points for vehicle harness and general appearance, and then the horse’s action and workout.

2019 Champion Working Horse, Grace, with owner Aleks Berzins and judge Matthew Thompson.

Although Liz started out in eventing, she has now fallen in love with heavy horses — Clydesdales in particular. “I find them really versatile. I was really surprised when I started riding Clydesdales to find out how trainable they are!” Liz also loves the family-friendly nature of these shows, as it has allowed her husband to enter competitions with her and be just as competitive — as opposed to when she was eventing and he was left carrying buckets! They have now been competing with Clydesdales for seven years and haven’t looked back.

One of the other key awards from the show was the Best Horseman/Horsewomen class, where judges take into account performances across the entire show to see how exhibitors handle their horses. This award went to 16-year-old Jessica Mackander, who showed her four-year-old Clydesdale Oscarville Jackson. “He was being a bit naughty in the morning,” laughs Jessica, “but during the afternoon he pulled through really well. We’ve only been doing this for a bit over a year, so it’s unexpected!”

Jessica explains that Jackson was the family’s first horse. When they moved to the country, her dad would drive past the Clydesdale stud every day on the way to work. He eventually called the owner, Paul Cooper, to enquire about buying a horse as pet. The family ended up with Jackson, as he’d been kicked as a foal and the resulting blemish on his leg meant he couldn’t be shown in the breed classes.

Fortunately for Jessica, this didn’t matter for the working classes and they now have a lot of fun together in the show ring. “I’ve been learning as Jackson has been learning, and it’s been really fun. I genuinely think Jackson enjoys it. He gets a spring in his step in these working classes!”

The 2019 National Shire and Southern Highlands Heavy Horse Show was a huge success, and although once bi-annual, it is now an annual event and will be back in 2020! A great lead up to Sydney Royal Easter Show, it’s a must for all heavy horse enthusiasts and horse lovers who simply want to see these magnificent animals in action. Congratulations to the committee, and also to the Shire enthusiasts involved with the show over the past decade that have all contributed to making it what it is today.

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