Heavy horses, once a common sight in the New Zealand countryside, had become a rarity but numbers are on the increase thanks to a resurgence of interest in breeding and working the animals, says Gareth Pryce of Cambridge.

He's one of the new breed of heavy horse enthusiasts, and with wife Jacquie owns and operates Blackwood Clydesdale stud at Karapiro. Gareth works as an IT professional in Cambridge and Jacqui is a veterinarian.
Not only do they breed, ride, work and show Clydesdales, they are learning some of the ancient arts associated with the horses. Gareth has become a wheelwright and Jacquie a harness maker.

Both were at November's Equidays at Mystery Creek with other members of the Waikato Heavy Horse Association, demonstrating ploughing, sledge-pulling, and generally educating the public about and raising the profile of the large horses.

The breeding of some heavy horses had dropped to single figures but that's doubled or trebled in recent years and new stallions are being imported because the New Zealand breeding stock has become too closely related, says Gareth.

Gareth, whose love of heavy horses began when he helped his uncle deliver milk from a horse drawn wagon at Taradale, says heavy horses are the most versatile of the horse family. 'You can ride them or work them pulling a wagon or plough and they have the most gentle natures.”

Association president Fred Pilling of Te Kowhai, Hamilton, was at Equidays ploughing with his team Janet and Bonnie. He's among those who are keen to encourage a younger generation to become involved with heavy horses, helping to preserve not only the breed, but the arts and traditions associated with them.

From the age of 12 Fred has been involved with work horses and for the past 30 years been a supporter of the Waikato Heavy Horse Association. He is a qualified tool maker by trade and has been in the engineering trade for 55 years.

Fred show and works Clydesdale horses and keeps purebred Clydesdales, Shires and Clydesdale Shire cross horses.

Ploughing with horses is another of Fred's interests and he travels all over New Zealand to compete. At home Fred uses a horse to feed out every day.

Another association member Derrick Thorton took people for rides at Equidays on a sledge pulled by Howie and Nell.

Derrick has spent his whole life with horses, riding to Orini School from the age of five and later qualifying as a Master Farrier. After years of farming and shoeing horses, Derrick bought 32 acres at Maungatautari with semi-retirement in mind. This has never happened, as he still works as a farrier and his Clydesdale numbers have increased. Today he enjoys breaking in Clydesdales, ploughing, and showing and the horses.

To find out more about the Waikato Heavy Horse Association go to www.heavyhorse.org.nz