CELEBRATING and showcasing the role heavy horses played in Australian agriculture with a range of traditional activities such as ploughing and hay carting ensures the annual St Heliers Heavy Horse Field Days event, held on May 21 and 22, is garnering a solid following.
The 20th annual two-day event held at St Heliers Correctional Centre grounds near Muswellbrook moved from August back to May to coincide with the Upper Hunter Horse Festival.
President John Sercombe, North Richmond, said the calendar change was made after nine years of running in August and proved a hit.
The weather was brilliant for showing horses and vehicles and the public attended in good numbers with about 1500 people, he said.
Horse numbers were up again this year with about 70 horses registering to enter for led, ploughing, log snigging, horse drawn vehicles, ridden and working classes.
The supreme champion horse of the show was the magnificent Clydesdale stallion Tullymore William, owned by Samarah Park Clydesdales and Shaun and Yvette Maloney, Swan Bay.
They also won supreme youngstock led exhibit and Clydesdale colt under three years with Samarah Park Sovereign.
Mr Maurice Irvine, Tullymore, Merriwa, who was instrumental starting the field days in 1996, officially opened the event.
Some 50 entries made the grand parade on Saturday with best on parade awarded to Heather Oxenham, Benwerrin Park, Boroowa.
She won the Clydesdale breed gelding led class and single horse heavy vehicle class with Benwerrin Park Prestige, and filly under three years with Benwerrin Park Sydney. Mrs Oxenham also won the Herbert family trophy.
Sasha Reedy, Wallabadah, won the Ross Williams trophy for juniors and her father John Reedy won the judges award.
“The grounds looked amazing and we are most grateful to the St Heliers Correctional Centre for allowing us to use their wonderful facilities,” Mr Sercombe said.
The longstanding committee comprising Ruth Allsop, Robyn Barco, Mick Carey, Michael Hedges, Phil Lane, Colin Lavender, Pam and Tony Parry, Lindsay Vonbun, secretary Kylie Vernon and Mr Sercombe are looking for new faces to lead the charge.
“We would like to see some new people with new ideas come in a take the reins,” he said.
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