Pure Bred Shire Stallion Oakridge Speculator  ridden by Ineke Kuiper at the 2007 Royal Sydney Easter Show.   Photo courtesy of Delwyn Moss               

Heavy horses are a great gig and Korrie, Helen and Ineke Kuiper are an amazing family having developed a passion for heavy horses.   1991 was the year the Kuiper family began their journey with the Shire Horse.  Their foray into heavy horses started with an unregistered draught horse gelding that Korrie just loved.

We  understand how that feels,  rolling out of bed in the morning, quickly dressing, checking out my hair in the mirror which I decide I’ll  just shove under a cap.  Paul will just shove a hat on!  Then we’ll hurry to the paddock to check out our horses.

So the Kuiper’s decided to check out an Australian Draught Horse Field Day at Taree.   Ineke was a spectator at the slide and obstacle events, deciding she just loved it.  

She thought they looked fun.  So…when they got home Ineke harnessed up the gelding and, ‘hasn’t looked back since.’    She was fascinated with the skill involved in driving a horse and believed it was a relatively safe way to start getting involved with heavy horses.

Because Ineke’s first passion was driving she set up obstacle courses in the paddock to practice.  And it wasn’t long before she began entering the working classes at shows.    

Around that time the Kuiper family bought a Shire and Clydesdale mare and to start breeding with.  Hunting around they managed to buy some second hand harness, a show vehicle and began showing in turn out classes as well.  

Both the Kuiper family and we at Heavy Thunder believe the days of the heavy horse just ploughing the field and then  being left in the paddock to be taken to the occasional show is limited.  And of course the cost of show driving in harness can be prohibitive for some people. 

The Clydesdale mare was broken into saddle when Ineke bought her.   And as Ineke had always loved to ride, riding their heavy horses wasn’t something she really needed to think about twice.  

Sydney Royal Show time came around and the Kuiper family had entered their mare.   But to exercise a horse at Centenial Park meant having to walk about 5 kilometres from the show grounds.  Ineke’s next decision was a no brainer, she made the decision to ride the mare around rather than lead her.

Narioka Tamara was a very athletic mare and had the ability and stamina to go all day. Ineke didn’t really think too much about it at the time, but on reflection she felt she was ahead of her time being the only one riding her heavy horses and had a vision for them under saddle.  This all happened back in the 90’s when there weren’t many ridden competitions.  So Ineke would come home from school and ride her through the country around the Kuiper’s home. 

 Over time Ineke developed the view that all of their horses should not only be broken to harness but to saddle as well.   She says, this approach rounded off the horses use, and gave her and her family more enjoyment.

Today as we travel around Australia, we find increasingly that many people want to ride their heavy horses.  In fact in our experience, this is one of the first questions people ask if buying a heavy horse.  Is the horse broken to saddle?  The Kuiper’s now believe the heavy horses have a more secure future being broken to saddle as the animal has multiple uses.  And it gives people something they want, a better lifestyle and to be able to enjoy their animal more in the great outdoors. 

Ineke and her husband Byron, lived overseas for a couple of years and were quite shocked to see most of the show jumping horses were draught cross horses.  She believes the mindset is different overseas and people are used to riding heavy horses regularly and are being used extensively under saddle in Europe.

   Ineke says it may surprise some people, but, more and more Aussie’s are now using them in dressage events.  She also believes as smaller breeders love to show their horses, there is need for more under saddle classes for people to show their horses in.  Versatility is definitely the key for the success of these horses.

As we know Australia is a vast country with many cattle properties.  It is our experience property owners have been looking to use heavy horses to put substance back into their stock for many years.  The Kuiper family bred and sold one of their registered Shire gelding to a property owner that sent the horse back to Ineke’s husband to educate to saddle.  Ironically this gelding ended up being used to bring in the new owners sheep. 

So perhaps we in Australia should rethink the role of our heavy horses.  One idea Ineke came up with.  That we should all take responsibility of encouraging people within the heavy horse industry to ride, drive or do whatever they want to do with their heavy horses.  Whether the horse is Shire, Clydesdale, Percheron or any other breed of heavy horse, to encourage and increase interest in the all breeds of the heavy horse.

We at Heavy Thunder Down Under agree with Ineke, people in the heavy horse industry need to reassess their personal beliefs and think about putting some outdated traditions aside for the benefit and survival of these majestic creatures.  All heavy horses are strong enough to carry people of all shapes and sizes and their docility lends itself to riding. 

Heavy horses have a nice slow gate which is comfortable for people to relax and enjoy.  Particularly men beginners that usually aren’t confident with larger light horses but would be more inclined to ride a gentle giant as they are a sensible and safer choice under saddle. 

People all over the world love to ride horses.  And Ineke believes it is a cheap and easy way to become active and involved with your heavy horse. 

The rise and success of the Shire horse under saddle is truly a sight to behold. 

These horses have amazing stature so they have unquestionable presence.  Their feathers flowing freely up and down with every effortless stride, and quite often you can hear their feet connect with the ground; especially in numbers we truly call that “Heavy Thunder Down Under.” 

 What is there not to enjoy watching a ridden heavy horse? 

Particularly watching someone like Ineke who is so relaxed when on a heavy horse’s back, someone that, so obviously loves what she is doing.

But the continued success of the Shire horse and indeed a lot of our heavy horses will be attributable to a lot of us thinking outside the square to promote them.  If new people are encouraged to ride heavy horses, particularly if they have been riding for years, our heavy horses will continue to thrive and survive.

So congratulations to the Kuiper family for your amazing contribution to the Shire horse breed.  You are definitely an inspiration and are giving us all even more to think about.   And you are helping to give more value to these animals.   So with this type of help and thinking, more of us will be able to feel the heavy thunder down under of our precious heavy horses for many years to come.  For more information  please go to http://heavythunder.com.au/heavy-horses-under-saddle   or contact www.shirehorsesociety.com.au.

Cheers

Paul and Jann