Having never imagined she would be riding heavy horses, let alone competing in the ridden heavy horse class at HOYS for the last two years, Morag Snow now can’t imagine the yard without them.

Based at Incharvie Farm, Leven, for the last five years, Morag runs her livery yard alongside working with young horses, breaking, rehabilitation and producing hunters and show horses for clients.

Swordale Lady Luck, better known as Pixie, was where it all started for Morag with heavy’s. The eight-year-old Clydesdale mare was bought through an advert on Gumtree in 2013 by David Burnett as a four-year-old and was given to Morag to break and produce.

After several successful years, with strong results in the ridden sections and retaining the City of Aberdeen shield from 2014-17, this year saw the pair take the win at Alyth Show and placed third at the Royal Highland. “She will now have some time off and hopefully be put in foal,” said Morag.

To join Pixie, the Shire horse, Gautby Arclid Flashman, arrived at Incharvie in 2016 as a four-year-old to be broken to ride and show for John Anderson, having come across from Sweden. With many championships under his belt in both coloured classes and ridden heavy classes, Flashman gained his first qualification for the ridden class at HOYS on his first time out with a win at spring shire show in 2017 where he went onto stand 4th at HOYS.

This year saw the pair gain a second HOYS qualification, this time at Ashbourne Show, before going onto being placed ninth at HOYS. “Flashman will now be up for sale,” Morag explained. “If he is sold there is the offer of another heavy in the pipeline, as I can’t imagine the yard without one of them now. They can be lighter on their feet and just as supple as any light-legged horse, and I think a lot of the breeders are starting to realise that the ridden heavy will keep the breed alive,” she pointed out.

Alongside the heavies, Morag shows the light-legged coloured horse, Indian Way, which came to the yard in March to be brought back into work after an 18-month break and to sell. He was sold to Judy Bruce, who has her hunters at Incharvie, and was hunted, and remained in the yard to be shown, standing champion at Alyth this year and being aimed at HOYS qualifiers next year. Morag will also show this year’s foals as yearlings next year.

Morag also has two breeding stallions in the yard – Scotia Rob Roy, a six-year-old Appaloosa which has started to cover and will be available for AI from 2019; and retired eventer, Burnett’s Bravado, a 10-year-old home-bred Irish Sports Horse which was the highest graded stallion with IDHS (UK) in 2016 and the first sports horse they have accepted since 2010. He has one mare in foal.

“We are now all set up for AI at Incharvie with the help of Ainslie Smith, from Eden Vets,” explained Morag. “I never thought I’d end up riding heavies but I now just can’t imagine the yard without the friendly giants."