Horses The Farmers' Country Showdown

Across the country,

thousands of farming families work tirelessly around the clock.

Stop arguing, girls. Give over.

WHISTLE

But there's one day each year

when they get to leave the daily routine behind.

Right, here we come, Dorset.

These are show days.

'A very, very warm welcome to the show.'

..when they come together as a community

to showcase the fruits of their labour.

I just love showing my girls off.

And try to win prizes for their breed champions.

Smashed it.

And award-winning produce.

That's really nice cheese, that.

It was very good, darling.

There will be highs...

That's what we want to see.

Red. Red is the best!

..and lows.

She's not happy enough to go.

For the dedicated farmers who give everything to walk away a champion.

Fingers crossed!

Horses are one of man's longest-working partners.

For thousands of years, they've toiled the land together,

creating Britain's iconic patchwork of fields.

Good boy. OK.

In the modern world, where machinery has virtually replaced them,

we're meeting two families who work hard

to keep this traditional farming method alive.

Go on. Good boy.

Robert and Barbara Sampson, and Dan and Jess Brown,

are both preparing to compete in one of the

country's largest heavy-horse ploughing competitions.

Away. Hold fast.

Jethro!

Winning here will continue to build their reputation -

all important if they want to keep this dying skill alive.

Hampshire's New Forest is known for its wild ponies

and magnificent ancient woodlands.

It's also been home for over 100 years

to Robert and Barbara's farming family.

Come on. Do you want to go and see, Poppy?

Right, come on, boys! Yeah, you, Norman. Come on!

Just like their great-grandparents,

Robert and Barbara still use heavy horses to work their 240-acre farm,

where they produce hay for feed,

rear cattle and breed and train horses.

Hello, Norman. Hello.

We actually haven't got any machinery

that needs a little engine to power it.

You're not supposed to be eating that bit.

Originally, my father and grandfather

and all before would have had Shire, or Shire types.

Very nice teeth. Very nice teeth.

The early 20th century saw a rapid decline of horsepower,

as thousands were commandeered for the Great War.

So farmers were forced into mechanisation.

In the '50s, Robert's father decided to continue using horsepower.

He brought in the French breed Percheron,

as they're very sturdy and they don't need to be stabled.

Perfect for the British countryside.

Both now in their 60s,

these fifth-generation farmers still work the land themselves,

with the help of their 40 horses, of course.

-They all look fine, don't they?

-Yeah.

Yeah, everything's the right way up.

These are Percheron and Percheron crosses.

So, they're all by Percheron stallions

and we've got four full-breds, so that's Percheron both sides.

Then, the small one there is Percheron stallion

out of a New Forest mare.

Hello, you still here? He says, "Yes, I'm still here."

-Hello, Budapest.

-Hello, Budapest.

Isn't she pretty?

Right, now come here.

We use the horses for the jobs which they're most useful at.

These horses do everything - move the hay, plough the fields,

feed the animals.

This means that all of the equipment has to be adapted

to work with horsepower, instead of machines.

Right, there you are.

One loaded bale of hay.

We never use machinery to feed.

That means you can go into a field with a really heavy bale

and you just don't make the mess on the floor

that you would if you were taking a tractor or...

We don't cut the gateways up.

His love for traditional farming means Robert wants to find ways

of keeping it going, and encouraging others to go back to this method.

Fine, if you want, Norman.

So, Robert has begun to breed the Percherons

and trains them up slowly by taking the young horses

to work in the fields.

There's lots to teach them.

In order to plough, your right-hand horse walks in the furrow,

so it's much easier just to drive round a couple of times

so they get used to walking in the furrow.

Not up there, in it.

And usually, twice round and they've got the idea.

It just saves an awful lot of swearing

when you try to plough with them.

Come on, then. Come on, boys.

It's very labour-intensive, running a farm in this traditional way,

so Barbara has found a method to make it work.

-Robert does everything, and I do as little as I can.

-Yeah!

Come on, then!

A lot of people think that Barbara's the boss, which she is...

-She is, providing I agree!

-I'm actually not, I honestly ...

I just do exactly what I'm told all the time.

Barbara sees to the office work,

-which occupies an awful lot of her time.

-I do.

-That and childminding, with all the grandchildren.

-Yeah.

85 miles away, in the Surrey Hills, is a different kind of horse family.

There are no fifth-generation farmers here.

Instead, horse trainer Dan, and former teaching assistant Jess,

have been living their country dream for over 20 years.

So, when we bought this field,

we fell in love with the yearling that was kept in the field

opposite our gate, and from there we never looked back, really.

It all began with sort of stroking a long nose over a gate.

Falling in love with heavy horses

opened up a whole new world to them.

Soon, they were attending all the local farming shows.

We went to a spring working, that was the start of...

You know, people were harrowing, ploughing, rolling.

And we were seeing people just turning up in cattle trucks.

You know, it was just farming people

and we thought, "These are our people".

But keeping horses isn't cheap, so the couple started a business,

training them up for the land, as well as a sideline in livery.

OK, walk on. Good, pony.

Go on. On you go.

They've also started to put them to work

in all sorts of enterprising ways.

We have varied jobs.

We do a fair bit of timber work through the winter,

we give carriage driving lessons, to people that come in.

We ride them, we go out and do a bit of paddock maintenance.

And all these little jobs fill the gaps

to make enough for us to earn a crust, you know.

Jess, along with daughter Naomi, is preparing for their workload ahead.

This is Eddie. He's going to pull a wagon at a funeral today.

And like the other farm,

Jess has her theory about how the workload is split.

Dan's very good at teaching people with the horses

and there's a very clear demarcation.

I tend to sort of do the morning feeding

and tidying up a bit more than you do.

We're not sure who's in charge!

Do you love him?

You do, don't you?

Meanwhile, across the county border in Hampshire,

Robert is getting on with the day's feeding.

Stand still!

They also find ways to bring in the money a challenge.

This age-old way of working doesn't always mean a reliable return.

-We've never, ever had any money.

-Very much a hand-to-mouth existence.

But we enjoy very much what we do.

Get up, boys.

Whoa. Whoa.

Not exactly what I wanted.

Thankfully, this farm has another highly-skilled arm to its business.

These are Robert and Barbara's sons, and they're both farriers,

fitters of horseshoes to the animals.

The thing is with the farm, on its own,

couldn't support the number of people

that live here and exist on it.

So it seemed to make sense to go into farriering.

I'm also a farrier and that was another thing

that I learned from my father.

When farming was really bleak,

-it was shoeing horses that actually kept us here.

-That kept us here.

We've got two sons that have taken over that part of the business.

This diversification has saved the farm,

and possibly the brotherly bond, as well.

I just got beaten up because I was youngest of four boys!

I did the beating!

That's why you're the rounded individual you are today.

Yeah, that's what he tells me.

That's why I've got a nervous twitch!

But the farm hasn't always been entirely horse powered.

There was a period where machines found their way in.

My great-grandfather...

Hello!

My great-grandfather bought a tractor in

during the First World War

because a lot of the horses had been requisitioned by the army

for replacements.

We've had a tractor ever since,

but we've worked them in with the horses.

It seems the reasoning for never swapping to tractors permanently

has been lost through the generations.

Why has your family never...

I don't know. I think... There are days when I wonder!

Right, horse, that'll do.

And there are other days where I think it's absolutely brilliant.

I suppose you would.

I suppose you WOULD.

Dad has always worked horses.

As a result, they've always been part of our lives.

Sort of resented it as kids though, didn't we?

Yeah, cold mornings doing the feeding in the winter with a horse,

rather than a tractor, which would have been warmer and faster,

but, you know, that's what Dad wanted us to do,

and that's what we did.

Nowadays, breeding, training and selling of heavy horses

is a large part of the farm's life.

But it isn't always a straightforward job.

The more awkward ones... I mean, Diamond here,

she's not the most helpful creature that was ever put on hooves.

She can be an awkward old bag.

This is always the thing with training them.

I'm a great believer in training them as two-year-olds,

when they're malleable, you can,

you can form them into what you want.

Rather than an older horse that's set in its ways

because it enjoys being out in the field, being a horse.

It doesn't really see

why it should have to go and do what I ask it to do.

Whoa!

Right.

It's not what we require of you, so get back where I left you.

Get back!

They can do a day's work, no trouble at all.

They're all fit, able, and there isn't a single one on the farm,

bar a couple of old brood mares, that doesn't have a job.

Despite all their detailed training,

Robert's horses often find themselves

more as ornamental workhorses than the real thing.

Most of the horses we sell are basically people...

It's going to be a leisure...

Even if they're going to do a little bit of work on the field

that they rent, or own, it is mostly that they want to own a horse.

Back in the Surrey hills,

Dan and Jess are also making the most of their magnificent horses

and it's not all serious work.

The family have a collection of historic and replica carriages

and have tapped into the growing tourism industry

around these picturesque hills.

Surrey hills is very close to London

and so we've picked up on the tourism side.

Some people might want to go on a picnic ride,

some people might want to go for a pub ride, and that's quite good fun,

because people are out to have fun, you know.

-Good boy.

-You've done well, Tookey.

-Yeah, well done, Tookey.

You're a star.

The ride may be over, but Dan's working day isn't.

He's needed to help out in another part of the hills.

His son, Toby, is a tree surgeon,

and being able to extract old timber without the aid of heavy machinery

is an environmental victory -

something that's important to this family.

We can bring the horse in here and there's no impact on the ground.

A nice, quiet way of working in the woods.

Well, apart from the chainsaw, obviously.

OK, fella. Walk on. Go on.

Good, lad. Go on.

These heavy horses are so ideal for working the landscape

without damaging it,

that Dan and Jess are finding demand is growing.

Excellent news for their farm's survival

and the preservation of traditional farming methods.

We've done some bracken control for somebody who had a little bit

of woodland in their back garden,

that you might not get a big tractor across the lawn and into their woods

at the back of their house.

A horse is ideal for going in

and dealing with those sort of settings.

In an age of technology,

the uses of these animals seem limitless,

and finding ways to work with them

is becoming a passion for both families.

Being able to show them off is essential for their future.

Back in Hampshire, preparations are underway for show day.

Good boys.

No, I don't want to be rubbed into, Norman.

Fred will be competing in the ploughing competition,

but he's not a confident plougher, and wants to get some practice in.

Fred's going to plough with the pair and he's going to use

our three-year-old stallion with a three-year-old gelding,

so we've got to try them out, because these are young horses.

They've not actually done any ploughing.

Get on, Norse. Giddy up.

Good boy.

This way. Where you going? This way.

Come on.

With the show only a day away,

Fred needs to get his two horses to walk a straight line

if they're going to walk away with a prize.

I think he's going to take them driving.

Ploughing is a team effort,

but in this case, who's actually in control?

The handler, or the horse?

Stop it!

-Right, OK?

-Yeah. Come on.

Norman. Norse! Norse! Get on with it!

Good boys.

Seems it's the handler.

The control you have over them is a very thin veneer.

-The clever bit is not letting them know that.

-Whoa!

Whoa. Norman!

But it's the actually the horses that have the upper hand.

Fortunately, Robert is a lifelong horse whisperer.

HE MUTTERS INAUDIBLY

A bit deeper?

Yeah, I'd do something about that. That's a bit annoying.

No, don't give them too much on that one, I wouldn't.

Really? What, anything at all?

Probably not. Try it a yard with what you've altered.

All right.

Hold fast! Hold fast! Good boys.

And they're off again.

Go on, get on with it, boys.

Walk in a straight line!

It's quite stressful, ploughing.

Stop!

Now he's kicking out of that.

When it goes right, it's lovely. Really, really enjoyable.

When it goes wrong, it is the most stressful thing in the whole world.

-It goes from being ploughing to rowing.

-Yeah.

Come round.

Come round. Whoa. Whoa!

Whoa. Whoa!

BLEEP

-That's you!

-Things can go really badly wrong, yeah.

There are occasions.

I mean, the horses decide they're not going to go

and there's not much you can do about it!

-Get on with it.

-Norse! Norman! Norman's holding back now.

-You see?

-Norman!

Go on.

Good boys. That's it, Norse.

That's it. Keep going. Norse, get on with it.

Good boy.

Finally, Fred's confidence is building with these new horses.

It seems practice does make perfect.

-Norman...

-Norman, get in.

Good boy. Good boy.

That's the man!

Considering that's the first they've done ploughing,

I'm not displeased with them.

Pull him round. Pull him round. That's it.

This is important for Robert.

Doing well at the show will help the business.

I often take four, or maybe six horses.

So, you know, larger teams.

And it is a good thing.

-It's...

-Highers your profile.

-Yeah.

-Raises your profile.

-Raises my profile.

-Or whatever you say.

-Yes.

-If it needed raising.

Back in Surrey, Dan is getting ready to set off for the show.

He may have less experience than horse whisperer Robert,

but his enthusiasm for his beautiful team knows no bounds.

OK. Come on, let's go.

This year at the plough match, I'm going to take OB, who's a Suffolk,

and Rita, who's a Comtois.

So it's a sort of French-English team.

Entente cordiale, hopefully!

So I don't know if she's even ploughed, actually.

So that will be interesting.

Hopefully we won't make complete fools of ourselves.

That's the main aim, I think!

We hope that we do all right, you know. So...

Horses loaded, it's off to the show.

In Hampshire, Fred is making the most of last-minute practice.

Go on, in your furrow.

With Robert's support, he continues into the evening

before the light fades.

Good boys.

Go on, get on. Norman!

Norse, I didn't ask you to stop!

When I want you to stop, you won't.

Today, the Southern Counties Heavy Horse Association is setting up

its annual ploughing competition in Surrey.

It's being held in this empty and very muddy field.

Despite the weather,

this should be a great opportunity

for the heavy horse community to come together

and show off their traditional skills.

But the heavens have opened up, and the rain won't stop.

Remind me why we're doing it?

I'm not sure!

-Got no idea.

-Seemed like a good idea at the time!

The field is so waterlogged

that everyone has to pull together to get the trucks in.

But nothing puts off these horsemen.

I'm all right. But, you know, I don't know about everybody else.

I'm just going to be in the lorry all day, so I'll be fine.

Actually, it's going to stop raining in a minute.

-I promise, it's going to stop.

-It'll clear up and be lovely.

We did try and give this tail a quick shampoo before we left,

but it all seems a bit meaningless in this weather.

-I can always blame the conditions!

-Yeah.

Even in good weather, ploughing competitions are like no other.

Each ploughman is allocated an equal-sized plot,

740-square metres to be exact,

and they have to have it all ploughed by three o'clock sharp.

The winner will be the farmer who ploughs straightest

and at the perfect depth.

Today's judges are John Goodwin and Peter Bundock,

both experienced farmers and ploughmen.

I started with plough horses and doing ploughing,

as you can see what happens today.

I was quite a good ploughman.

So I think I'm equipped to judge, yes.

There may only be 35 teams today, but the competition is still fierce

for the small group of determined traditional farmers.

With horses all hitched,

it's time for Robert to make his grand entrance with his team of six.

-Right, contact, chocks away!

-Hold fast.

-Jethro!

-Straight out by that little horse. Mum! Mum!

-Pay attention, wifey!

Well, I thought he was going to go that way.

-No, he's going down...

-I've got to go where I can get out.

WHISTLING

I think he's mad!

No... I think he's OK!

The ploughmen are divided into classes

based on their level of experience.

For today's competition, veteran Robert is in a class of his own.

Quite literally.

He's gone on to ploughing on a ride-on plough,

so there's nobody else in his class, so he doesn't have to worry about...

There's no... I am... I am in a class of my own.

I'm not on my own in a class.

I have every confidence.

He's not quiet. There's nothing quietly confident about Robert!

Expectation is everything. And I expect it to go well.

I won't be paddling about in the mud because I've got a seat.

Whoa! Nobody asked you to move any more than that.

But, alone or not,

Robert will still have to perfectly plough his plot.

With two horses and a hand-held plough,

the less-experienced Dan is competing in the novice class.

Whoa!

And the ever-helpful Jess will be lending a hand.

Weather's good now. Hopefully it will stay like this for the day

and the horses seem settled at the moment.

-Once it's started, I'll be happy, really.

-Yeah.

As the sun begins to shine, crowds start to gather.

The teams are in position.

First challenge is to plough their opening fallow.

Whoa!

OK, together, walk on.

And they're off.

Robert's experience and skill means he's already making light work

of his first line.

Bill, will you listen?!

Now he has to wait for the judges to inspect before he can continue

to plough his whole section.

That's his opening. Now he's got to go round it.

I think. Do you think that's right?

I've been watching for 36 years,

you'd think I'd know by now, wouldn't you?

Judges John and Peter step in to take a closer look.

First part of the ploughing, it should be well cut and straight.

At the moment, we're not really seeing many straight ones.

As Robert's efforts are being judged,

it gives him a moment to help his son, Fred, to get underway.

Fred's also competing in today's novice class.

And it seems the young horses Norman and Norse are testing Fred's mettle.

What are you doing?

Right, Norman! Whoa.

Norse! You giblet head!

Norse, being a stallion, is a bit excited

cos there's lots of other horses about here.

So let's not make things too easy for Fred.

I was a bit worried at the beginning of the week.

Put them on and it didn't go nicely.

Everything went a bit bad.

Now I've come to the realisation that I do what I can.

I've got young horses, I can't really plough the best.

So I'll just have to see how I get on.

Come on, boy. Hold fast, Norse!

Whoa.

-Not deep enough?

-Don't think so.

-No, that's fine.

-Yeah? All right.

Norse, come on, hold fast.

No, don't you blow snot over me.

But even the most experienced horseman

can't be guaranteed a good day's ploughing.

It all depends on these horses in front of you.

If they do their job lovely, makes this job easier.

Whoa. Right!

We're not having any of that out of you.

We're having a bit of trouble.

He's seen those blasted show horses over there.

They give you a hard time during the day,

you'll be sweating and it'll be very hard.

It's a team between you and your horses.

If they're going lovely, it's the best feeling in the world.

If they're going wrong, it's the worst.

Despite the early onset of nerves, Fred completes his opening furrow.

Chuffed with that. Yeah.

Pretty straight. It's mine to lose!

I put the pressure right on.

A seemingly confident start, but it's for the judges to decide.

I'm looking to see straightness and well cut.

This is slightly shallow.

So, he'll lose marks because it's slightly shallow.

And he'll also lose marks because it's not straight.

So, we...

I would say that's probably about five or six, would you?

-Five?

-Yeah... I'd have thought four myself.

-OK.

It seems that Fred isn't the only horseman

struggling to keep a straight line.

His rival and fellow novice, Dan, is also having teething problems.

Whoa. Whoa, whoa.

Stay.

No, it's all right.

A few little wobbly bits, but it's a start.

Let's try and square it up a bit more.

The judges are kind in this competition.

If you don't like your opening furrow,

the rules generously allow you to go over it again.

So Dan's taking the opportunity to iron out those kinks and bumps.

-Now?

-Yeah, OK, up together.

A little way.

Keep them towards you, Jess.

-That's it.

-Rita!

Rita! Walk on. Good girl.

Run straight through that. Don't follow it.

-Walk on, walk on.

-Go on.

Up, up. We're going a bit deep now, but never mind.

But Dan's decision to straighten the furrow hasn't gone to plan.

See, they absolutely followed that kink in it.

And it's starting to attract attention.

Don't look, don't look!

Oh, God.

Trying hard, isn't he?

That's right.

We've just done our opening.

Which we could keep tweaking away on,

but we're just going to leave it as it is - we could make it worse.

Let the judges have a look at that.

They have to judge that before we can carry on.

It could be a lot better, yeah.

But it's, you know, it's in the same field and...

But judges John and Peter can see straightaway

where Dan has been struggling.

This is a small, tight-knit farming community

and they have no issue with offering some much-needed help.

Right, you want to be somewhere about there.

So bring that right back.

You're not going to charge me for this advice, are you?

No, no, no, no. So it comes out.

-That's it.

-Whoa, whoa, whoa. OK.

-Tighten the top.

-Tighten the top.

-Tighten the top, loosen the bottom.

That's it. Just let it come out a touch.

Just bring your horses round.

Just try it and see what it does.

OK. Together.

Dan has furrowed too deeply,

but with a few plough adjustments and some friendly advice,

he gets back on track.

They're the future of this game and if we, with our experience,

don't teach them, they'll never learn.

Walk on.

Hold your handles. That's better.

Now you're getting there.

It seems a simple tweak can do wonders.

Looking down now, I've just given him a couple of tips,

it's already made quite a big difference.

Men, and some women, have been standing in fields

watching ploughs go head-to-head since the early 1800s

and this competition continues to support a time-honoured tradition.

The association is the oldest association in the country.

We started off as a ploughing organisation

to encourage people to continue ploughing.

We put it on each year to keep the tradition alive,

so that everyone who has a heavy horse in the UK

has somewhere to contest their ploughing,

and it draws in the local people to actually realise

that these heavy giants are still working.

And, whilst traditional farming has diminished over the years,

the passion for competition certainly hasn't.

It's been phenomenal. Yeah. It's absolutely...

The rains this morning, I thought, wow!

But the public has turned out, the horsemen have turned out,

it has been a fantastic day.

Back in our field, today's competition is well underway.

It's best foot forward,

as the teams are fired up to get all of their plot ploughed.

Up step. Up step.

Oh, sorry, Will!

Whoa! That's it, good girl.

Go on, George. Good boy. Good man.

Walk on. Walk on, Rita.

Whoa!

There's another set of judges here today.

Will and Anne Williams will watch the handlers and the horses,

rather than the earth beneath them.

We'll be judging best working team,

which, to Will and I, is the most important

because we've worked horses for many years.

I mean, the way Robert's horses are going today,

um, that... I'm being besieged by a wasp now!

He's doing it on his own.

You need to be able to just go out to the field and work the horse.

And in his case, work six.

I think. Yeah.

With half the ploughing time still to go,

Robert's almost completed his whole plot.

Walk on, George, good boy.

But, as the finishing line approaches,

everything comes to a standstill.

Now, I don't know what you lot think you're doing over there,

but I don't want you there. Get over.

Come on. You old cow, get over!

Not that much, you stupid thing!

Dear, oh, dear. Made a mess of that.

Time for the horse whisperer to work his magic.

Right, without moving, step back.

Get back!

Get over. Come on.

Move. Come on, get over.

Good boys.

George, that includes you!

Whoa! Right, up past!

Jethro!

And he's done it.

Whoa!

Little bit of a malfunction coming up there,

but it doesn't look too bad from this end.

I'm not sure. There's a bit of a bend in it, but I couldn't help it.

The old boys will say I'll be able to catch a hare there,

because it'll break its neck going round the corner!

But it's all up to the judges now.

Even a great ploughman faces harsh scrutiny.

If we don't think the standard is high enough,

or good enough to get that first prize,

we've got the right to say, and refuse it,

and say "Look, sorry, that standard wasn't good enough.

"All you've done is, well, made a mess."

What we're looking for now is a finish.

It should be straight, not too deep.

His depth is pretty good, but it's not very straight.

It's a lot harder with the plough he's using.

But he's done a reasonable job, to be honest.

Dan's three-quarters of the way through his plot,

but when you're guiding a big lump of metal,

you need to have the stamina to get to the end.

Luckily, there's a few words of encouragement to help him along.

You are better. You are better, darling.

It's definitely an improvement.

In the neighbouring plot...

Go on, good boy.

Fred is also feeling the strain of the day.

Yeah. You can't... That bit of a kink, I wouldn't worry about that.

I've got a snaky finish, so you should have one, as well.

I probably should straighten it up,

but then I'd have a better finish than him and he won't let me do it!

That's not true. That's not true.

Both novices are almost there.

Go on, go on!

Go on, go on, go on!

Go on, go on.

That's it. We're done.

-Sprint-finish ploughing.

-Yeah. They did their bit.

Yeah. It's all right. No, I'm happy with that.

Whether it's a first, or a last, I don't know.

OK, together.

It's not over until the judges take a careful look at their hard work.

Oh, dear, dear, dear, dear.

-He's got too much left.

-Bit too deep and he's got too much...

-Left.

-Really could have done with going round again, couldn't he?

That's right, yeah.

It should be dead straight so a rabbit could run in a straight line

up it. Well, it'd break a leg running down there.

That's the problem. So...

I'm afraid this competitor won't get great points for his finish.

And soon after, Fred also crosses the finish line.

Not bad at all, Fred.

A little bit of a wander, but don't worry about that.

It's not the straightest, but two babies, I'm not very good ploughing,

so all in all, it's gone pretty well.

Yeah, it's in their hands now, so I've done all I can.

Just not straight enough, that's the only problem.

He's still got a chance of winning this.

But it's not all about the ploughing today.

The show is an excellent opportunity

for horses to display their finest attire - braiding and brasses.

Originally, they think the horse brass came over with the Romans.

But really it was in Victorian time that they became more accessible.

Decorative horse brasses have become collectors' items,

and have even attracted some royal custom.

We made some horse brasses for Prince Charles.

He had a couple of Suffolks on his farm,

and we've done a commemorative one for the Queen's 90th birthday.

The shiny brasses are still used today

to adorn the majestic working horses in the field.

The farmers like them and they were always very proud of their horses,

and they liked to put the best of the best on them

for a day out, or at local ploughing matches, much as they are today.

It's just to bling up the horses.

And, men being men, the more bling they can put on them,

the better they look.

After a long, exhausting day,

the 35 teams gather together to discover their fate.

Robert Samson's team coming through.

Lovely to see them, Robert Samson coming in, riding.

The world of the heavy horses, one very special place.

Everyone's here, and the judges can begin to announce.

Winning is about sealing the farmer's reputation.

The first award will be for the ride-on ploughers.

Right, we're going to start off with...

And this is class two, the two thoroughfares, was Robert Samson.

APPLAUSE

And Robert's cracked it.

Thank you very much indeed, Robert.

And can add another rosette to his collection.

As we're announcing, get through as quick as you can.

To get your rosettes, if you would.

Next up is the novice class.

Fred and Dan have both given it their all.

Novice class...

Can Fred clinch a win like his dad?

And has Dan done enough?

Second place was Daniel Brown.

-Thank you very much. Thank you.

-It worked, didn't it?

And first place was Fred Sampson.

APPLAUSE

No longer a novice!

It's a boost for Fred's confidence.

'Single plough.'

Both these novice ploughmen have done well,

but there's one more prize to go.

Right, next we've got the best working team.

And that was Robert Samson.

-What?

-Well done, Dad!

What?! I've got to get off again?

And the county's favourite horseman chalks up another win

with his team of six.

-Well done, Robert.

-Thank you!

It's rosettes all round.

And time to reflect on a job well done.

Show your appreciation for all of them, ladies and gentlemen.

These people are the future of the world of the heavy horse.

-Very good indeed.

-Yeah.

-Very good.

-Yes.

-Fred won.

It does mean that I've got to go up into the big boy's leagues

-and start fighting it out.

-Is that true?

-Can't go in the novice now.

-Yeah, not a novice now.

-Oh, no. That's a shame.

We got a second.

That Fred beat us, so that's all right.

I'm really pleased with the horses.

-Yeah.

-The result was good. The rain stopped.

So, yeah, it's all a good day.

Good day, good day.

In spite of the weather and the gruelling muddy fields...

-Remind me why we're doing this?

-I'm not sure!

..our farmers ploughed on regardless.

Norse, come on, hold fast!

No, don't you blow snot at me.

Proving that hard work and determination

is what it takes to overcome the odds.

-Tighten the top.

-Tighten the top, loosen the bottom.

Let it come out just a touch.

You never stop learning, and setting up the plough is a fine art,

and they're encouraging, which is great.

That's better. Now you're getting there!

-Dad won.

-I got best team, and won.

-And you got the best team, that's true.

-Yeah!

-Most amazing.