In which Owen tells us more about his days as a horse breaker...
Last month I started to tell you all about my days as a horse breaker. This month I will finish that story.
First, though, my gardening tips for the month:
Check your runner beans over. Are any damaged from bad weather? There is still time to plant replacements in a sheltered position.
If you are growing outdoor cucumbers like 'Marketmore' just remember to pick the cucumbers before they get over large and slice very thinly before serving to enhance the flavour.
If your tomatoes now have their first trusses of developing fruit you can start feeding them every two weeks with Tomorite.
Watch out for pigeons and other pests! Cover vulnerable developing veg like cabbages and cauliflowers with fine mesh to keep them safe from damage.
The next time I took part in horse breaking was at Perse Hall Farm, Bunwell, at that time farmed by the Easton family. I helped the late Percy Day break a Suffolk Punch filly. She proved very easy and we soon had her at plough every day. I still worked for Easton's when I moved to Banyards Hall Bunwell where I helped the late Walter (Stormer) Hill break a small batch of purebred Suffolks. If it was Autumn the newly broken youngster would be taken to a sugar beet field and used to cart the beet off the field. If it was Spring it would be placed in a horse hoe with yours truly leading it along the rows of sugar beet. This was very tiring work and the youngster had to be put back in the stable and a second one brought out. It was surprising how quickly they adapted to this work though and were soon used every day. Soon after this mechanisation completely took over. All the horses went bar one which the cowman used to cart fodder as he didn't have a tractor driving licence.
All farm horses were given names. These are some of the horses I worked with: Duke, Prince, Britain, Boxer, Major and Jockey. For the mares: Blossom, Bunny, Queenie, Blanche and Mary. As they grew older and they were in the meadow they would answer to their name if the horseman appeared at the gate and shouted.
All horsemen had a language they used to speak to their horses. "Wheesh" meant prepare to turn right. "Cup-bee" meant prepare to turn left. These words were used mainly when either harrowing or ploughing as the horses reached the field's headland. It was surprising how quickly the horses got used to these words and turned without the reins being pulled.
If the horseman wanted to look at a horse's foot he would grasp the leg by the footlock and say loudly "touch foot" and the horse would immediately lift the foot to allow it to be inspected. Farms used both Suffolk Punches and Shire horses. I've heard tell of one horseman saying he preferred Suffolks because they had 'clean' legs. Shires have 'feathers' of hair above their hooves as you can see from the photos and, after a heavy day's ploughing, the horseman would have to stand in a pit of water and tease the mud from the hair. This was a very cold and unpleasant job.
Horses may not be as efficient as modern machinery but they all had real characters and I enjoyed working with them. It is a long gone era sadly but at least I can share my memories with all of you.
First published in Wymondham Magazine, July 2021
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