Title: "Gentle Giants: The Festival of Heavy Horses at Devon County Show"

They weigh as much as a car and are rarer than a giant panda, but they are among the most gentle horses you will ever encounter. Ahead of the Devon County Show, Becky Dickinson went to meet Diana Mail, founder of one of the highlights of the three-day event which is sure to draw the crowds – the Festival of Heavy Horses.

They are the gentle giants of the equine world. Mighty, muscular beasts with thickset chests and feathered feet the size of buckets. Heavy horses, as they’re collectively known, typically weigh more than a tonne; roughly equivalent to a Ford Fiesta. Let’s just say you wouldn’t want to get run over by one.

‘Don’t worry, she’s just interested in you,’ says Diana Mail, as a formidable mare nuzzles me insistently. I’m confronted by a beautiful gleaming bay, with a chiselled, velvety nose and large, intelligent eyes.

We are in the 40-acre smallholding of Diana’s home near Great Torrington; home to four heavy horses, three dogs, a flock of sheep, an (alarmingly) enormous cow, believed to be the biggest in Europe, two miniature donkeys, numerous ducks, chickens, pheasants, peacocks and a rainbow of other assorted birds, including a pet turkey who doesn’t need to worry about Christmas.

Diana at home in Great Torrington with her horses. The daughter of a dairy farmer, Diana grew up with horses. But it wasn’t until she met her husband, Nigel, 22 years ago, that she fell in love with the supersized variety. ‘Nigel said if we’re going to get a horse we might as well get a ‘proper’ one,’ she recalls. At one time, the couple owned eight heavy horses. Now they have four Shires: Treacle, Chicken, Tilly and The Wild Child. Despite their gentle nature, you don’t want to get under their feet. Diana has broken her right foot more times than she cares to remember.

The term ‘heavy horse’ encompasses five different breeds: Shires, Clydesdales, Suffolks, Percherons and North American Belgians. Prized for their calm temperament as well as their size, their origins can be traced back to medieval times, when they were used to carry knights into battle. By the 16th century, heavy horses were used all over Britain, and in their heyday, were the main source of power in agriculture, industry and transportation.

By the early 1900s there were nearly three million working heavy horses around the country, mainly Shires, Clydesdales and Suffolks. Then, with the outbreak of the First World War, the animals were drafted into warfare.

Between 1915-1918 in the UK alone, one million horses, including heavy horses, were conscripted from farms, businesses and stables. Owners rarely had a say in their fate. Countless animals were killed, with immense emotional toll, as portrayed in Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse.

Diana with one of her Shires. Following the war, the heavy horse population continued to decline, thanks to the rise of the combustion engine, which replaced horsepower with tractors, lorries and machinery. Today, you’re more likely to see one of these majestic beasts in a period drama than you are in the Devon countryside. Although they are still used by the Amish community in North America.

While a handful of heavy horses are used for logging in hard-to-access places, and for ploughing ecologically sensitive areas, they are now mainly owned by breeders and enthusiasts. Their increasing scarcity means that Suffolk Punches are now endangered, while Clydesdales and Shires are on the at-risk register, with Shires now rarer than the giant panda. ‘It’s really sad because they’ve been such a huge part of our past,’ reflects Diana, who is determined to help preserve them for the future.

Every morning, come rain, wind or snow, she is in the yard at 7am. She’ll feed and clean them, then if the weather is amenable, let them into the paddock. In the evening, she’ll feed them again, change their rugs and brush them down, before putting them away for the night. With the rest of the animals to look after too, it’s akin to a full-time job – only without the pay and holiday entitlement. But Diana wouldn’t have it any other way. ‘They’re part of the family. They’ve given me the best years, so I’m going to give them the best years.’

Her mission is to share these striking breeds with a wider audience. She raised £25,000 for charity with her first, beloved gelding, Beamish, and has been closely involved with The Children’s Hospice South West, giving poorly children the chance to meet and stroke the animals.

She has also taken part in agricultural shows around the country, with great success. The house is crammed with trophies, rosettes, photographs and memorabilia. It’s not just a case of trotting around an arena. Getting the animals show ready is a mission in itself. It takes two hours to plait a single horse, using colourful ribbons, known as ‘flights,’ and to brush their coats to a shine. Then there’s the cleaning and polishing of harnesses and equipment.

For Diana it’s all worth it, to see the horses rise to the occasion. ‘They love showing off, they definitely have a sense that they’re going into the show ring. They’re so eye-catching, people will just stand in awe.’

While Diana’s mares are now retired and enjoying their dotage, Diana, a grandmother, has no thoughts of retiring. In 2023, she introduced the Festival of the Heavy Horses to the Devon County Show – an idea she came up with and masterminded herself.

It proved so popular that the event is about to be held for a third year. The three-day pageant will give visitors the chance to see the animals in action, bedecked in their traditional leather and brass finery, with ringing bells and colourful, plaited manes and tails.

Nineteen heavy horses will be taking part, including those belonging to the Show’s president, the Princess Royal. And there will be a range of disciplines on display, including the pulling of drays and stud carts. ‘It’s going to be spectacular,’ promises Diana. ‘The chains, the bells, harnesses, the hooves all thundering past, it’s just the most amazing sound.’ The public will also have the chance to get up close to the horses and to have their photo taken in the selfie stand, set up by the Festival’s sponsor WHISTLEFISH.

This year’s spectacle will be opened by the actor, Martin Clunes, a fellow heavy horse enthusiast, and Clydesdale owner. Diana first met him at a fundraising event at his property in Dorset. She still remembers their initial encounter: ‘I was doing my horses up and there was a lorry next to us with Clydesdales. The lady with them said she didn’t know how to do them up so I offered to do it for her, as I had some spare flights.’

It turned out the horses belonged to the Doc Martin actor and Diana recalls his reaction when he saw them all spruced up. ‘He said: ‘oh Ronnie, oh Brucie, what have they done to you?’ I was worried he wouldn’t approve, but he gave me a big hug and said ‘thank you so much for doing it.’ Diana and Martin remained in contact and Diana is delighted he will be opening this year’s Festival of the Heavy Horses.

She is also hugely grateful to Lyn Thompson, the owner of WHISTLEFISH, and other heavy horse turnout friends for helping make it possible. ‘I just love sharing these horses with the general public. They are such a big part of our history, I want them to be a huge part of our future, too.’

The Festival of Horses takes place at Devon County Show on Thursday 15th, Friday 16th and Saturday 17th May 2025.