Meet Mairi the Clydesdale
Mairi has now joined the payroll of the Farm. This favourite is
a little different, she stands 1.83 metres to the
shoulder and weighs in at just under a tonne, yet is only 10 years
of age. She is of course Mairi the resident Clydesdale, who was
gifted, unbroken, to the museum.
Since arriving at the museum Mairi has
progressed well, building her confidence from being first put into
long reigns in readiness for her being broken to harness. It
was always the plan to have her demonstrating working activities on
the farm.Now she has come of age and is starting to earn her
keep.
Horse power at Harvest Festival
We saw the historic working horse engine in
operation for the very first time since the museum opened, this was
at our Harvest Festival event in September 2009.
Mairi was attached to it, to
demonstrate how the horse engine operated and how it powered
the stationary threshing mill in the barn. A gear wheel turned by
the horse rotates a drive shaft which operates the stationary mill.
The engine itself dates back to the 1860s.
Also demonstrated that day was the ¾ size
mobile threshing mill which was powered by a Massey Fergusson
35 tractor. It brought the working farm to life and a
reminder of the era when the heavy horse gave way to the
tractor.
The stationary mill at the working farm has
been freed off and we intend to demonstrate this at next year's
event using our home grown oats.
Paid in carrots
Our new employee does not work for free, as
payment for a hard days work she gets her favourite treat in her
feed, half a bag of carrots!
The Clydesdale Breed
The Clydesdale horse is a native breed which comes from
Lanarkshire. The breed dates back to the 18th century when
native horses of Lanarkshire were bred with Flemish stallions in an
effort to produce greater weights and substance.
At its peak in the first decade of 20th century,
Scotland had around 140,000 farm horses plus an unknown number in
towns and cities, most of which were Clydesdales in whole or part.
Clydesdales were conscripted by the army to serve in World War
I. The conditions prevailing in Britain during the World War
II however necessitated the agricultural industry producing ever
greater quantities and this could only be achieved by extensive use
of the tractor. Sadly, horses were replaced by mechanical power .
During the 1960s and 1970s the Clydesdale was recognised by
the Rare Breed Survival Trust as
“vulnerable”. Over the years and with the increase in breed
numbers, it is now categorised as “at risk”.
Qualities of the Clydesdale
Male or female, a Clydesdale should look handsome, weighty and
powerful.
- Hoofs must be wide and springy.
- Hair covering hoofs should be silky.
- Forelegs must be planted closely
together.
- Hindlegs must be planted closely
together.
- Head should have a nice open forehead,
broad between the eyes, a flat profile, wide muzzle, large
nostrils, a bright intelligent eye, big ears and an arched
long neck.
- The back should be short and strong.
- Colours most common are bay and brown with white markings but
blacks, greys and roans and chestnuts are occasionally
seen.
Clydesdales today
The popularity of the Clydesdale in the 1990s is growing
continually. Although there are only approximately 700 registered
brood mares in the United Kingdom and about 100 registered
stallions, more and more people are using Clydesdales not just for
showing and driving, but for farm work, horse logging and even
riding.
People with a love of the Clydesdale are not only rediscovering
the uses of the breed, but with the skills needed for working these
animals, including harness making and shoeing, traditions which
began more than a hundred years are being kept alive.