Clayfaulds Farm Stud

24/11/2025

So this morning Jonquille wasn't looking normal and we brought her into a stable from the barn for observation. We could see she was dropping her food but still wanting to eat.
We sedated her (handy having a vet on site) and found this stick wedged across the roof of her mouth. As you can see in the picture with the arrows, it had dug into the roof of her mouth a little and must have been pretty uncomfortable.
Stick removed, mouth cleaned up, painkiller given and a dental rasp carried out she should be back to normal. We'll keep her in just to ensure she is ok, and then back to her pals tomorrow.
There's always something when you have horses......

03/11/2025

Quieter at the stud for today and tomorrow as David heads to London for the Annual Meeting of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Riding Establishment Sub-Committee of which he is a member.

The Committee is responsible for the training of all the Veterinary Inspectors of Riding Establishments in the UK - not all of which are riding schools, as they also inspect trekking centres, pony parties with riding, horse hires and any enterprise where people pay to ride a horse.

The meeting will include a session with BHS, Polo Societies, Donkey Sanctuary, Horse Insurers and other interested parties to the inspections.

And here’s two pictures from the poshest riding school anywhere …… no prizes for guessing where it is.

17/10/2025

A busy morning today, scanning mares to check who is still pregnant.
Pleased to say that six of our mares are still in foal- Baya, Majesté and Jonquille are all having Percheron foals, while Ally and Magic are having warm blood foals. Pepsi is having a part-bred Percheron foal after a year off in 2025.
As a bonus, Bex - a visiting mare - is also still holding her foal - a good morning all around.

29/09/2025

As promised - cute baby donkeys.
Only 14 Grand Noir du Berry donkeys were born in France last year and this lady had 4 of them- unbelievably cute - thanks to Virginia for the introduction to her Percheron foal and then the donkeys.
The goat was very up for getting petted as well…..

29/09/2025

No show today, just memories.
Today’s agenda is dictated by a four year old- so donkey foal cuddles and ice cream on the agenda.

28/09/2025

Second clip from today - the ridden and driven class. Carriage and rider complete the same course twice and the best time overall wins.
Really good fun to watch and very competitive.

28/09/2025

Two longish clips today, but so difficult to edit down without missing what was being shown.
The first clip was the morning ridden class “The Challenge” where riders were competing to take part in the 2026 National Agricultural Show in Paris.
People often think Percherons are just big draft horses but their history of Arab blood gives them an athleticism and suppleness that might surprise as shown here.

27/09/2025

Today was the day for the girls and the 2 and 3 year olds were on show early on.
Some pictures of some we really liked - two lovely rears, a nice 2 year old and the winning 3 year old (107) who could easily fit in the roof box I’m sure.
Also some pics of a horse being scored for coping with unusual situations (hanging plastic and stepping over a low pole).
Lovely to catch up with John and Rowena , as well as plenty of horse chat with Virginia.
We’ve also met two or three of the breeders we’ve bought from before - really nice to show them how their horses have grown and developed.

27/09/2025

We are still at Haras du Pin for the National Percheron Show - the girls today! But what is Haras du Pin?

Founded by King Louis XV in 1715, the Haras du Pin began as a royal stud farm to house the nation's best stallions, with construction completed around 1736 and later earning the nickname "the Equestrian Versailles".
Today, as a Public Administrative Establishment, it is a major tourist attraction and a center for equestrian sport, cultural events, and the promotion of the equine sector, as well as a historical monument.
It hosts the National Equine Semen Conservation Centre: it is a cryobank, which safeguards frozen semen from many different breeds.
The video shows just some areas here- the cross country area of Haut-Bois Park, one of the beautiful arenas and some of the nearly 300 stables available for visiting competitors.

26/09/2025

Fabulous day at Haras du Pin watching the stallions being licensed - they are assessed out of 100 points and need 62 to get a license. The three judges gives scores out of 10 points for the various aspects of the horse.
This is an abbreviated clip of the judging of one horse - can take up to five minutes or more per horse and there were over 100 to be looked at today.
The background noise is the large number of breeders present and all the other horses waiting to be assessed.

25/09/2025

Came across this video on the British Percheron Horse Society FB page- shows Haras du Pin and one of their own Percheron. Some nice bits of video in there.

The Percheron is one of the world’s most celebrated draft horse breeds! Known for their strength, elegance, and calm temperament, these gentle giants stand 1...

25/09/2025

After a long drive from home we have arrived in Normandy - the French National Percheron Show is on, and as breeders we have returned after several years to see what’s happening with the breed in it’s natural home.
People ask if Percherons are endangered, and while they aren’t common in the UK there will be over 100 stallions being looked over at the show - so not so rare here.
More pics tomorrow of the horses and the amazing Haras du Pin National Stud, home to the show.