We are a family run business based in Ashcott, Somerset. We have a love for horses especially shire's. We offer carriage hire for any occasion using our pair of 18 hand shires Camalter Prince William (Prince) and Brickell Kathleen (Katy). We also have Camalter Billy (Billy) who is three years old and Camalter Albert (Bert) who is Billys full brother and is two.
PRINCE
KATY
BILLY
BERT
A brief history of the Shire Horse:
Shire horses were first used by William the Conqueror in 1066 to carry the armoured knights as they were strong enough to take the weight of the armour and heavy weapons into battle, until the invention of cannons and guns were to be the end of the war horses days.
After more selective breeding by Robert Bakewell and others they then went into draught work, heavy haulage, farming and numerus other jobs.
It's hard to imagine how we would manage without the cars and lorries of today but we did, horses did it all. It was not all a bed of roses for humans or horses but life went on with Shires being mans power plant which drove everything the steam and combustion engine then took over.
Heavy horses are quite rare now with some breeds being on the at risk list and if it was not for a few people who kept promoting the heavies in the early part of the 20th century then I feel they would be another thing lost for ever.
The shire horses are now mainly kept for showing but there is still a hardcore of people who use them for commercial driving, farming, forestry work and the brewery dray.