Galcantray team gear up for RHS

Three generations from left, Ord Jubilee Girl and Galcantray Nicole’s Charm with her April-born colt foal by Doura Woodhouse Real Deal         

Ord Jubilee Girl, known as Madam at Galcantray, bred Galcantray Angel, a daughter of Heatherwick Perfection, which was placed at the Royal Highland, champion at the Black Isle and Ayr shows and won the Winter Fair in 2012, while the Canadian-bred Walker Run Darlin’ picked up various red, white and blue sashes including one at the Great Yorkshire Show. 
Back then, the couple knew very little about Clydesdales, as Galcantray was primarily known for breeding pedigree Aberdeen-Angus cattle in the 150-cow Galcantray herd, as well as a flock of pedigree Suffolk sheep which have since been sold to focus on the cattle and the Clydesdales. 
David’s love for Clydesdales goes way back though, after watching the heavy horse turnouts at his first ever visit to the Highland Show. 
“My first ever trip to the Highland was in 1980 and I distinctly remember watching the Clydesdales heading up to the tunnel to go into the main ring for the driving. The hairs went up on the back of my neck and I just thought, wow, I’d love to do that. Never did I think I’d be doing that myself 30 years later,” said David, who together with Beverley, now run 12 mares with various followers plus geldings.
“When I first started breeding Aberdeen-Angus cattle, my aim was to breed a Perth champion and sell it for a good price so when I did that in 1997 with the 18,000gns Galcantray Preditor, I achieved my ambition, but thought, what can I do now?
“The Clydesdales weren’t initially bought for showing, though, as the intention was to breed brood mares, so we could have as much of a home-bred stud as possible,” pointed out David, who is extremely grateful for the support and guidance that well-known breeder, Jim Young and daughter, Charlotte of the Doura stud, near Ayr, have given both him and Beverley over the years.
Speaking of the stud’s founding female, Beverley said: “Madam was no doubt the one that started it all and we have been so lucky with her. She is a fantastic breeder and does what she should. When in foal, she does look like a bag of bones, but the foal will always look great. Every inch of food goes into the foal and as a brood mare, you want them to do their job.” 

The 12-year-old gelding Storm and Beverley pictured with her very own cart imported from Canada

While the first few Clydesdales proved a real success for the couple, other notable females which were introduced to Galcantray include Thorn Spring Flower, a mare bred by Robert Sibbald but bought from Jim Young in 2003, and ‘Wee Davie’ which was bought as a yearling the same year. Initially, she was bought for showing in young handlers’ classes but managed to breed colts up to 18 hands high. 
“We’ve purchased brood mares from both Canada and America to take in different genetics and fresh blood as we find the genetic pool is too small in Scotland,” explained Beverley. 
“We reckon the traditional Clydesdales are getting too small and we need the size and scope for driving. They’re a traditional working breed so they need to look like they can still work and have enough about them,” she added, with David pointing out that they concentrate on hair, bone and movement and prefer four white legs and a solid colour when buying in females.
Stallions which have made a big impact on the stud include Doura Woodhouse Real Deal bred by Charlie Carrick, a stallion which David and Beverley originally used on loan for four years before buying him. 
“Real Deal is powerful, full of bone and is well-marked and goes well,” said David. “He’s bred our recent foals on the ground, including two colt foals and was second prize in the aged stallion class at the Highland Show.”
In July, 2016, David and Beverley travelled to Canada to buy Aberdeen-Angus embryos but ended up ‘falling in love’ with Quest – which at the time was a four-month-old colt. 
“We saw Quest’s mother and some of the other offspring bred from her and they were tremendous. He has such a presence about him and on the day, he filled the eye for all the right reasons. 
“By the time he was seven-months-old he was here at Galcantray and now that he’s two, he’ll get hand served with just a couple of more experienced mares,” explained Beverley. 

This two-year-old colt, Quest was brought over from Canada to add fresh blood to the breeding at Galcantray

David added: “We’re quite lucky in that we have the space here to run colts until they’re two-years-old, before we can decide what we want to keep entire.”
On the other side of the equation, the bought-in Stoney Knoll Precious Isabella bred a colt at Galcantray which then went on to be a stallion at Ronnie Black’s Collessie stud and is renamed there as Collessie New Approach. 
Aside from the rosettes and silverware which the Galcantray team have collected up from the in-hand classes at the multiple shows they attend each year, they’ve also enjoyed numerous wins in the driving classes. 
In 2009, they purchased two geldings, Storm and Thunder from Jim Young which went on to win the driving at Fife Show and be reserve at Drymen. Since then, Thunder has retired and Storm’s half-brother, Lightning has joined the team. While that duo was second at the Yorkshire, they teamed up with the Irish-bred gelding, Clyde, to be third at the Highland. David’s other wins in driving include Perth and Doune and Dunblane.

Pulling as a unicorn at West Fife show   

“You get such a kick out of the driving – it’s brilliant,” said David. “Nothing beats seeing the look on the people’s faces when you head down the passage towards the main ring at the Highland. 
“The unicorn is my favourite team to take out and that’s thanks to Storm because he always wants to go out and please you, so he really helps lead the team. When you’re out there in the middle of the ring driving, you’ve got the reins, the tugs and your voice and it’s up to them to work along with you,” added David. 
It’s a long process to get them to that stage, though, as the driving horses are brought inside in March to get the hair off them and get their summer coat on.  
“We like to drive them as often as we can before the Highland, so we can get as many miles underneath their belt to get the condition on their back-sides. On the run up to the show, we practice on local roads and go seven miles three or four times each week. 
“They need to look 12 o’clock on the day,” explained David, who each year, does a driving display in the main ring at Nairn Show, and in the past at Turriff and at Orkney County. 
“We try and run them as naturally as possible as they stay outside all year round and are fed both hay and a home mix. They only have rugs on prior to the Highland to get the winter coat off them,” he added. 
Driving has also become a hobby of Beverley’s as she began single driving five years ago with Storm and has since stood second at the Yorkshire and first in the ladies’ cart section at Fife with her own cart that was shipped in from Canada two years ago. 

Beverley and Storm in the singles at Fife Show

Needless to say whether it be cattle or horses, there’s never a dull moment at Galcantray, and as David said: “If it wasn’t for livestock, we wouldn’t have a social life. The Clydesdales have opened up a whole new circle of friends for us,” he concluded.
Destined for the Highland, next week, along with the driving team and five Angus cattle are Galcantray Amy’s Courage, a yearling filly bred from Hillhouse Aurelia, named after family friend, Amy Roy, as well as the two-year-old colt foal, Galcantray Dallas, bred from Walker Run Darlin’. Both are by Doura Master Eddie – a former Cawdor Cup winner.