If you’ve ever heard Jethro Tull’s song Heavy Horses, the title of this blog post may be familiar….It is the main chorus from the song – and a very appropriate song for this week. I might play it (all 8 minutes of it) on my radio show next week.
In lieu of going to my Equine Assisted Therapy this week (my therapist is on holiday for 2 weeks), I went to the Dorset Heavy Horse Farm Park on Thursday. At 2 hours drive away (and 2 hours back), it was a long drive but definitely worth it.
My ticket only cost £16, and on entry I paid an extra £1 for some feed so I could hand feed the horses and the other animals there.
The horses though were the main attraction and I was not disappointed. Leaving the main entrance area you walk out in to the yard where there are a number of heavy horses in their stables, which you can go around, feeding and interacting as you go.
I had so much feed that I was able to go round several times and I loved being able to interact with all the horses. I think my favourites were Moritz, who is a Noriker – a breed from Austria; Sultan and Iona, both Percheron horses, were lovely – they seem quite calm and docile but highly intelligent.
I felt a particular connection with Iona, almost like she was taking on a sort of ‘mother’ role with me. Uno, the Suffolk Punch, was also quite a character – but all the horses, in truth, were lovely. Harvey, one of the Shetlands, would come running up to me each time I walked past him – He was excited to see me!
Beyond the yard, there is plenty to do for people of all ages (it’s not just for kids….anyone with an interest in horses is welcomed); The farm yard has plenty of other animals – donkeys, Shetland ponys, alpacas, goats, ducks, owls, golden pheasants, pigs, and sheep.
What made the day really worth it was the programme of activities going on throughout the day. The daily schedule on the website lists an Adult Timetable and Children’s Timetable – so you can choose what you do throughout the day.
I followed the adult timetable closely throughout the day; Starting with the stable yard tour which introduced all the horses and their stories; The guide from the centre was very knowledgebale and interesting to listen to – He ran most of the activities which followed.
After this there was a demonstration on how to harness up a heavy horse – that horse was then used for carriage rides throughout the rest of the morning. I took this time to go and wander around the rest of the site.
For lunch I went in to their rustic Country & Western style Smokey Joe’s Café, where I had a toastie and a hot chocolate. Then I went back to the stable yard where a ‘Meet the Heavy Horses’ presentation was done – Very similar to the morning tour, except this time, the horses were taken out of their stables while there was seating put out so we could sit and watch.
Towards lunchtime the queue for the carriage rides died down a bit – the changeable weather probably meant it wasn’t as busy as otherwise the school holidays might mean. This meant that I felt comfortable joining the queue for a ride on the carriage, pulled by one of the heavy horses. (Another couple, visiting without children, did the same).
I also learnt a bit about Gypsy / Romany culture, history and language; To say that it was really interesting is an understatement. A lot of words common in English language today come from Romany language, which is really just Hindustani in origin – as India where the community came from, about 1000 years ago (bringing their class system with them). Words such as “gibberish”, “lad”, “chav”, “posh” – and many more – all come from the Romany language.
Then, before going home, I decided to go back to the café for a cream tea – which was delicious!
Next week, on Wednesday I am going to go and visit more horses. I love horses now! I seem to get on well with them.
FH.
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