Heavy Horse Breeds

AFI is sad to inform our horse insurance customers of the fact that Britain's heavy horse breeds' numbers are seriously declining. Members from the Rare Breeds Survival Trust say that the number of Shire, Clysdale and Suffolk punch horses has dwindled severely. These heavy horses are renowned for their gentle nature and their intelligence. It seems to be getting harder to get people in the UK to breed these stunning horses.

The Trust is spending money on monitoring the quality of the Suffolk punch breed to make sure it can help maintain the breed's purity. They are also spending funds on a semen bank to help increase breeding. It makes it easier to transport semen around the UK than trying to transport the horses themselves. The semen will also be used in the future for conservation breeding.

The heavy breeds were traditionally used for farm work; pulling carts and ploughing fields. After World War II there wasn't as much need for them due to farmers using tractors for these activities. Now the numbers are critically low. The Suffolk Horse Society is promoting breeding by giving grants to owners who breed heavy horses. They are also giving grants to people running training courses to teach people the skills needed to get these horses back working in agriculture again.

There has been a definite increase in the breeds as a result of these incentives, which is good news for the heavy horses. You can find Shire horses across the world in countries such as Italy, Germany, Australia and the United States. It seems they are becoming increasingly popular abroad. However, it has been a big challenge to encourage more breeders in the UK .Organisations like the Rare Breeds Survival Trust are doing their best to keep the heavy horses - a UK equestrian icon - thriving, and to keep their numbers increasing.

Shire horses are starting to be used more for showing, cross country driving and riding. Whatever activities you plan to undertake with your horse, it would be wise to first check out the limits of your public liability cover within your horse insurance. There has been a fair amount of recent debate around this regarding what constitutes private use, so do make sure that you contact your equine insurer in order to clarify any details.

If you have a success story relating to the breeding of heavy horses here in the UK, why not share it with the members of AFI's Horse Community? Please post your comments below. Thank you and enjoy the blogs!