*"The Power of the Draught - From Hayfield to Beyond!" *
Posted by Emma, Grey Draught Mare (Hayfield, Scotland)
Well, my dear fellow equine enthusiasts, another year has galloped past! Time certainly flies when you're busy with the endless rounds of pulling, pulling, pulling. And me? I'm just a humble draught horse, but even I have my own little story to tell about 1237!
As always, let's begin with our beloved Hayfield, my very own corner of the world. It's still as green and picturesque as ever, with rolling hills and fields thick with the sweet scent of clover. But this year feels... different. There's an undercurrent of something brewing.
My stablemates are always keen on gossip - you know, that kind of hushed-whisper talk you find between horses when they're grazing in the meadow. And even they feel the change. This is mostly because we’ve been very busy with the extra task of carrying food and supplies for those knights that have been riding back and forth for a while now.
Now, before I delve into all the dramatic gossip and stories (because, let's face it, that's what keeps things interesting) - I'm a proper lady! (and a mare with proper manners) and always think it's important to set the scene for you lovely people. Let's start at the top shall we - the King! I mean, how can we talk about a year in Hayfield without mentioning him, the one and only King Alexander II ? He rules the land and everything about this year is influenced by his choices!
I can't say the King has ever been in Hayfield (to be honest, I don't know many horses that can actually say that) but he is much talked about in our stables! He's quite famous in Scotland! You see, the King is the one who makes sure there is food and work for all the hard-working horses like us. He also needs to keep everyone safe because, in these times, it's not all rainbows and sunshine! Scotland is very much a battle-hardened land!
Let's move onto what else is happening with horses in our part of the world.
The Scottish Horse: *Scotland has it's own horse breed, the *"Highland Pony" which is quite small, with long coats that are used in all types of terrain! And this year has certainly been a good one for our friends on the moors - those hardy ponies - carrying messages, helping out shepherds and their families, working the land, and of course carrying important items like sacks of mail or the occasional sword! It’s important to me to give them a mention, because they play such a crucial part in our lives here! And I think that’s a real connection we have with these ponies! We are both at home amongst these highlands, we’re both hard-working, loyal, and tough when we need to be!
The English "Black Death" (And what it means to the Horses) : You know what we’ve heard all the way from England (because they’ve been talking about nothing else over there!), It's what everyone has been calling "the "Black Death"!" That name sends a shiver through every single horse! We've all heard tales of sickness sweeping across countries, the sick dying quickly and people fleeing their homes... it's nothing short of terrifying. The Black Death is scary, we can’t deny that. But as for our part of Scotland - we haven’t seen too much of it, not yet. The stories from England and even Wales have given us the information we need - we know it’s important to stay vigilant! For now, we're enjoying a moment of respite in our lives but it’s important we keep an eye on the news from the South!
And now for my own tales!
You're all likely familiar with how it feels to be a draught horse - we work hard! But you’ve heard of this kind of work – it’s a strong, noble job! I carry, I pull, I lift, I carry loads that seem to have no end! But the reward is real - I mean we're talking fields full of hay, lovely grains, delicious barley. I get to munch on a carrot, get my mane and tail brushed – and of course, I always make sure I’m always ready for any kind of event that might need me!
But I did say “dramatic” right? Because you won't believe what has happened this year!
Right at the beginning, as we moved into the new year and the spring grass was growing taller than a Clydesdale, some knights rode into Hayfield - very strong and proud-looking knights (all riding very impressive, sleek warhorses, too!), and with the knights came some messengers!
They arrived on a very blustery day, the wind was whipping about our necks, sending chills down my spine (as well as everyone else's! It was all very intense! ) We all gathered near the stables to watch. They had come all the way from Stirling to get some hay to feed the horses that were getting ready for the war, just south of the Border! It was going to be an intense journey – you know they were going to be traveling to battle, so the knights needed their horses at their best!
I had heard rumors of this war, but it felt like something was coming towards our way – that's the way things feel with big, major events – the energy in the air around our Hayfield seemed different. All of us knew something was happening – the Knights were moving. And it all felt different, somehow. I’m not sure how to explain it to my readers – we were all a little “on edge”!
After the first knights passed through with their requisition for hay, a huge wagon arrived carrying all the saddles, equipment, weapons (that much was quite easy to spot as they were in the middle of the wagon) - even the warhorses were all adorned with huge, impressive war saddles. What we were all noticing was - they were very special saddles - it was as though these saddles were meant for more than just being comfortable - for riding and battle - they were crafted for victory. The knight (a burly gentleman, quite intimidating but quite fair I must say) spoke with my stable master and told him to bring a team of our best draughts (guess who he picked first?!) and take a load of our good, quality Hayfield hay - to the war camp down in Carlisle in England! The message was given, a simple "get ready, go quickly", the cart (with an additional, fresh team) left the next day. That meant a lot of work! It took us four days, to reach Carlisle, carrying the precious hay to the waiting, thirsty horses of the men at war!
*And it's a big deal, everyone! And we were right in the middle of it! *
And while we're on the topic of our Knights... The knights - that’s our Knights - who ride horses of steel and strength, that’s our people - fighting and looking after our country (because it’s true, there’s really no more lovely place in the whole world)!
And that brings me to the part everyone really wants to know. And here it is! There’s a story to tell! It's time to talk about the big thing! It’s something big! We're in the midst of another war - just as the warhorses headed towards England – it came up again - war! And in a major war! I’ve been busy, busy, busy - so let’s rewind, for those who haven’t been keeping up.
You might be surprised to hear it’s with England because if you look on the map, Scotland and England - are neighbors, they share a Border – they even use the same horses sometimes, but now we’re in a big war! This isn’t unusual though, Scotland and England seem to go in and out of war with one another like two naughty, scrapping ponies - who, even if they fight all the time - are still the very best of friends at the end of the day! We've all seen this many times throughout our lives here - they have their “periods” but things often work out in the end! It’s as predictable as the changing of seasons!
This war - that I’m told - it is named the War of the Barons but everyone is calling it “The War!” It was caused by what the humans called, King Henry’s, problems. They say he had problems with his Barons! It all sounds so confusing when you’re trying to put it together as a horse but I can tell you that this “King Henry”, his name sounds dangerous (to be honest - the king we have at this moment, Alexander II, is quite much-loved by most of our folk! He seems much kinder!), has been behaving in an unlikeable manner towards all people - not just the barons! So in order to get rid of King Henry, they called on help from outside, even asking the help of King Louis from the very distant place - France! Who knew - it’s much, much bigger than I realized! This battle is between different countries and, yes, they have invited Louis of France into Scotland, a land as far as our eyes can see and far beyond! The French have some good horses, I’m told. I have a good mind to travel that far one day to check them out, if I’m ever to be so lucky! But you know how it is – my feet are always on the ground!
It's very odd indeed, the way the Knights, the people, they ride, travel and fight with the Frenchmen. But to us - it feels important that our own people work together, we have a good relationship with these Frenchmen (and of course, their magnificent steeds), so everything will be okay. This whole situation - this “war”, as it's called - the knights all came back safe, the fighting was a long way from here, all the way down South! And I knew, when all was said and done - this wouldn’t be a bad experience - that was the feel that went around Hayfield – because of the King!
Our stables and all the good things we receive, all of this comes from King Alexander II. All the knights who left on horseback are loyal to him. And we all want him to do well. It doesn’t take an expert in horses to tell that he's strong and he cares for everyone!
And you've got to say that he's a good leader - his choices have a great impact on our country, for better or worse - even right here, all the way in the North - there is an impact! That is the true power of the kings, to affect the lives of their people – even down to the horses!
In the end, when the War was won - (we’ve won! This is exciting news for everyone! The French have returned, they say it’s good news!), when the knights came home safe, everyone came home safely, they came home to Hayfield, everything was back to normal. Our normal. Our stable hands have done a marvelous job keeping everyone safe and well-fed – we're not too bothered by the war at all! Well, you know what we're really bothered about - a new bale of Hay and a clean stable!
I'll be back next year to share more about Hayfield and life as a draughthorse! Until then, happy trails and safe riding, everyone! *
