Crowds wowed by spectacle of heavy horses

Success for McMillans

Stiffcompetitionforthesupremeentryof the heavy horse turnout section wowed a packed grandstand of spectators during theclosingday’scompetitionintheRoyal Highland Show at Ingliston.

Rarely do so many people get the opportunity to witness the spectacle of the large teams of driving horses in Scotland.

Taking centre stage as adjudicator was international judge Max Marriott, from Benalla, in Victoria, Australia.

Drawn from one of the largest classes overthefour-daycompetition, hetookhis winning pair right through the card to stand as overall entry.

This was John ‘Speedy’ McMillan and family’s duo of Jack and Wallace, from Greenan Mill, Rothesay, driven by son Jock McMillan, with a commercial dray.

Plumping for the crowd favourite, Mr Marriottfoundhisreservetopentryfrom David Mouland’s awe-inspiring team of six Canadian Belgian horses.

They had travelled north to Scotland’s flagship agricultural show from Fordingbridge in Hampshire.

David’s regular team of 18.3hh Phantom and Billy 19hh, which take the wheel, 18.2hh Dirk and 18.1hh Supreme werethisyearjoinedtomakeasix-strong yoke by Russell and Cody.

It was the fourth time in the last five years David has scooped the championship at the Highland on behalf of the Mouland team – having won over the years with a pair, unicorn and teams of both four and six – and only their sixth season since they were imported to the UK from Manitoba.

“During the winter of 2009 one of our Clydesdales became ill with a brain tumour, losing his life on Christmas eve,” said David.

Feeling very low, they travelled to Canada that January to source some big Clydesdales to match those they had left, having had no luck in England.

“In Canada our contact helped us find threeClydesdales, butwhilstouttherewe decided to meet-up with another friend, Tom Lane, in Manitoba.

“Tom has Canadian Belgians, a breed we had always liked. Whilst there, we drove a team of his young Belgians in the snow at -10C and fell in love but felt that weoughttosticktotheClydesdales,” said David.

As fate would have it, the purchase of these three Clydesdales did not work out.

After much deliberation, he returned to Canada and brought his ‘team’ home.

Their considerable success began in earnest from early 2010.

Also in the championship line-up was the Perthshire partnership of Ron Brewster and Helen Carr, with their fourth successive Royal Highland win.