Vintage Working Day Caerwys Aug.2011

Petal, 4 yr. old percheron mare was there in decorated cart gears. We long reined her around the ploughing field, passing noisy old tractors and our friends Tim and Dafydd were ploughing with their teams, Dafydd has a matching pair of Comtois and she stood by them as she did by Mark's tent of horse brasses. She saw lots of things she had never seen before and we are very grateful to the society for inviting us to attend.

After lunch we put her in the tip cart we recently acquired, she just walked around the field very quietly. We heard someone comment how very well turned out she was, so we were thrilled our washing and brass cleaning had not been in vain.

Petal ploughed at the Flintshire match in April of this year with Jewel who a couple of months later had to be put down due to old age. She is buried beside Blossom, the first horse she ploughed with in 1999, behind the bay here at Bryn Ffynnon.

North Wales Shire Horse Society's Working Day '09

On a blustery day, first bank holiday in May, we held our working day here at Bryn Ffynnon Fm. In the wind and heavy showers Dafydd ploughed with his pair of Comtois, Tim and Maggie pulled logs and long reined, Steve and Kathy brought their cob and their young shire, and Brian brought one grey shire and showed people how to get him ready for a show. If I've missed anyone please forgive me. Wynn showed the audience in the shed how to harness up, helped by Netta and David Greenough, a new christian friend from Llandudno. This photo of our old friend's family from Waterloo Farm, Sealand who enjoyed seeing the horses, dogs and machinery.

After which we held a fun dog show judged by our old friend, George and organised by Valley Dog Training Club. They certainly came from far and wide and it really made a fun day for all, not to mention raising funds for Claire House. MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED AND TO ALL WHO SUPPORTED US AGAIN.

Anyway, to this year's beautiful filly foal, FIFI. She was safely brought into the world under the watchful eye of Anna and Andrew as Netta and Wynn were actually away for a couple of nights!!!
She was born on May 22nd and our good veterinary neighbour Julia came to check every thing was ok. Now at ten weeks she has grown so much she has her head over the gate, and is very strong. Mare and foal were away at stud for five weeks so we are keeping our fingers crossed for next year. They went to Tim Breeze's grey chunky stallion nicknamed Fred!!

We did not go to the Flintshire Farmer's ploughing match this year as John had been really peculiar in his back in February and was a bit lame and Jewel did not look her best after this winter. As I write this now in August she looks fantastic for her age, she is 23, so we have had her 20 yrs.

We did not go to the Woodfest this year as the weather was atrocious.

Memorable days with horses in 2009

2009 was to be a good year for us here at Bryn Ffynnon as Queen was to foal again this year. She had her first foal in 2007, Moonblaze, Moonie for short. He was gelded at the beginning of May, and the difference it made in handling him was immense. Wynn got him quiet to groom, harness, lunge and long rein in no time at all, he has a lovely mouth and by the end of July we were long reining him up the lane with the chains flapping on his sides as he strode out. We met cars, vans and a cyclist and he wasn't spooked at all--touch wood!!

Anyway, to this year's beautiful filly foal, FIFI. She was safely brought into the world under the watchful eye of Anna and Andrew as Netta and Wynn were actually away for a couple of nights!!!

All Wales Centenary Match Old Radnor Sept. 2008

What can I say!!!! We arrived in the dark in the middle of nowhere, it was a really super field for the horses and Dafydd and Damion helped put a fence up alongside our wagon for them. They were so calm and after watering them we proceded to get ourselves settled in the wagon!

The church, where we were having the Blessing of the Plough the next night, was floodlit on a hill in the distance.

The Friday morning was so beautiful and John had kept himself spotless overnight. I was plaiting their tails when Brian's wagon arrived and Wynn did their manes and then went to peg out. It was general purpose the first day so Wynn was quite confidant and we actually came sixth, but the second day it was high cut which he had not ever done before so we were seventh. There were only seven teams this year, John Fletcher from Cardigan, Peter Brassett from the Beamish Museum, County Durham. Someone from near Abergavenny, and the team from Gloustershire had a big old Ardennes and a shire. Then there were the three of us from the north!! This lovely photo was taken by Roger from the Evangelical Church in Aberystwyth,

he thought it wonderful holding Jewel while we finished with John. The second day I took Jewel back to the box and when I was half way up the ploughing Wynn said John recognised me and gave a little nicker.AHHHHHHHHH!!

The very old church was packed and the Builth Male Voice choir sang. It was a lovely service and we met the man whose plough was blessed, the next day.

Billy and Dave helped me harness up on the Sat. as they had come with Roger who was judging that day. On the Friday the Rev. Ifan Davies came over to see us ploughing as he was helping on the book stall. He and his wife, Anne have offered to sponsor us to go down to a vintage machinery working day on a farm the other side of Rhayader towards Builth next Bank Holiday Saturday in August, so we will go down the day before to get the horses used to the place, and then on the way back we will stay at the steam rally again at Onslow Park.

We got home at midnight, tired but very happy.

Denbigh Ploughing match at Henllan August30th 2008

It was a lovely sunny day for the Denbigh match, there were only three teams, Dafydd came first in both ploughing and best working pair, we came second in ploughing and first in best turned out.
Tim was third and he had a prize for his coloured cob.
We had an especially nice day because Gareth and Alex were with us. Alex had a game with Sam in their wagon with his cars and diggers, and Dafydd kept him amused with pieces of straw while we were waiting for the prize giving.
I drove Jewel and John after the initial furrows and found they worked much better with out me by their heads. Roll on the all Wales match!

The Inaugral Match of the N. Wales Horse Ploughing Soc.

On August 9th 2008 at Trefnant, the North Wales Horse Ploughing Society, held their first ploughing match. There were the five teams that belong to the society and Mr. Roy Prescott came from Ormskirk. Brian won, Roy was second, Dafydd third and Wynn fourth. Tim had a bit of a job settling his cobs and Steve and Kathy had Zak and Seamus ploughing for the first time with Peter on the plough, but they did not quite finish. Better luck next time we have all said we would help them, and the plough is now Steves', so good luck next year.
We had a particularly lovely day as Anna, Andrew and Daisy were on the field, and as usual Anna took some good photos of everyone.
It had rained a lot the days before the match but after a drizzly start and feeling as though we were carrying the field around on our boots, it cleared up nicely. There were quite a number of spectators and there were some super vintage tools and implements. Many thanks to Mary Low our secretary for the wonderful goodie bags she put together and for all her work in making it such a good first match, and to Selwyn and his brother for their kindness in letting us use the field. Last but not least Mr. Bob Edwards who was the instigator of this society. We would love to have more members now we are "off the ground."