Clydesdales

[altivo]

Here's the Clydesdale video I promised yesterday:

So much more elegant and graceful than anything that eats gasoline or diesel fuel.

Comments

[schnee]

Very nice, yes. :)

[frith]

Lady's cart class?! There are gender divisions for trotting a clydesdale around a ring? Perhaps we should have segregated highways, one for ladies the other for gents, seeing as there must be such a huge and noticeable difference in driving ability.

I haven't seen my neighbours drive their horses down my road at all this year. What with all the cars racing by at highway speeds, I can see why not.

[altivo]

I believe the gender division, which happens only in the riding and single cart classes, is made because style and appearance are often taken into consideration in the judging. Also, a woman's driving horse is expected to be more obedient and well-mannered, while in the men's class some shenannigans may be tolerated. While we don't see much in the way of costuming in this video, oftentimes a ladies' single cart presentation involves period dress such as long, full skirts, gloves, and fancy hats. The judges typically call for only moderate gaits, but do require precise turns, stops, and backing.

A woman who wants to make a larger mark can do so by entering classes that do not have gender division, such as team driving, obstacle courses, or dressage. The ladies' single cart was originally created as a category set aside for those who drove their own horse and buggy, but preferred to retain proper Victorian/Edwardian dignity.

It just happened that when I was able to film, they were doing ladies' cart. They do breeds separately, so there were at least three classes: Belgian, Percheron, Clydesdale. I don't think there were any Shire entries.

I confess to enjoying the fancy dress classes when they have them. Period or fantasy costuming for the rider and sometimes the horse. Shows with large numbers of entries divide those by gender as well, but a smaller show may group them all together into a single class so you get Indian scout, Civil War cavalry, Medieval knight, and Victorian side-saddle lady in a long dress all together in the ring. ;D

[frith]

So if they renamed that event the Precision and Period Cart Class, men in tophats and tails could compete as well. 8^)

[altivo]

Yes, but I wouldn't expect to get any entries. Horse shows are steeped in traditions that go back centuries, and making changes can be extremely difficult. Keep in mind too, that these days most of the competitors are from fairly wealthy backgrounds (who else can afford to keep horses AND chariots?) The fact that these drivers wore casual dress is already a sign of things starting to loosen up. Ten years ago that would have been shocking. ;D

Since this fair is primarily a draft breed show, things are relaxed quite a bit. But the single horse "Meadowbrook" cart is a long-standing tradition. They have to make them extra large for the drafts, and I imagine the price of a custom-made one rivals what you'd pay for a small car. I would like to have one for my horses, but used and in standard size they run easily $1200-1500. Then there's the harness on top of that. Notice that these entries all used fancy collar and hames rather than the breast collar type harness that would typically be used for a small cart or one-horse buggy. I'm sure that's because of the high cost of harness to fit these big horses. The horses no doubt compete in regular draft classes, like the team hitch as well, so their draft harness is doing double duty here.

You're right about driving on the roads. Ten years ago we saw an occasional wagon or buggy here, and when we first got our horses we drove them on the roads. I wouldn't think of it now, and in fact won't even ride Tess along the side. Too many vehicles moving too fast and with absolutely no respect for horses. In fact, some of them deliberately try to frighten horses just for amusement.