On the misty morning of 26th September 1992 I produced a set of photographs of a ploughing contest in Southwell in Nottinghamshire. I could not find the negatives, so I scanned the prints. These images were in such good condition that I had no adjustments to make.
Most of the contestants were very skilfully handling horse-drawn ploughs. The powerful animals were splendidly tacked.
Those tractors that were in operation were not as well-equipped as those of today.
The Abbey Life cart became stuck in the mud. Watching the efforts to free it, I thought it unfortunate that all the heavy horses were otherwise engaged.
Jessica, Michael, and Heidi could be seen in the sparse distant crowd, and nearer at hand.
Superb photos and the horses are gorgeous. In the US we have Amish farmers that still use horses to plow. I just googled a comparison and if the farm is small enough, the horses may be more economical and satisfactory.
That is interesting, Pat. Thank you very much
Wonderful photos, Derrick. If the cars weren’t there, the photos almost could have been from an even earlier time. Those horses are beautiful and powerful.
Thank you so much, Merril
Those are beautiful images, Derrick. It is hard to believe 30 years has gone by.
When I was young I remember what were called “pulling contests” at many of town and county fairs. Draft horses were hitched to loads to see how much weight and how far they could pull them.
Thanks very much, Lavinia. Yes – a long time ago
Splendid horses (and photos)
Thank you very much, Sheree
The horses are beautiful, the implements behind the tractors are very different than I’ve seen before.
Thank you very much, John
Yes, wonderful photos! Those horses are magnificent. I expect that’s how my great-grandparents plowed their fields in northern Maine in the late 1800s.
Thank you very much, Laurie
I’ve actually seen horses as the standard way of ploughing. It was in Poland in 1969, when I can’t remember seeing a single diesel tractor working.
Amazing, John. Thank you very much
The things farmers get up to for fun 🙂 My parents began farming with a single furrow plough, only they pulled it with a Jeep as they didn’t have horses. These are splendid photographs, Derrick!
Thank you so much, Anne
I can’t say it looked like fun, but it is getting to be a lost art.
Such a beautiful horses! I have photos oh my Grandpa ploughing . Later he got a tractor. It was hard work. Thanks for the wonderful photos.
Yes, the horses are magnificent!
Sorry GP, I meant that to be a separate comment.
No problem!
😊
PS. the pictures are Derrick’s, not mine.
Thanks very much, Holly
I really enjoyed this, brought back memories!
Wonderful photos!
Thank you very much, Aletta
Excellent and a very nice town. It has a museum of horology.
It does. Thanks very much, Andrew
Wonderful pictures. Looks like an interesting event.
Thanks very much, Mrs W. I do hope it still goes on
Your welcome.
A ploughing contest? How funny. Great pictures
Thanks very much, Bridget
Quite interesting, contest. Wonderful gallery.
Thank you very much, Rupali
Those are splendid photos. Are ploughing contests still held?
They are here, therefore I imagine they still are in Nottinghamshire. Thanks very much, Liz
I hope the horses and tractors were in different competitions.
I good thought, Judy. I expect they were. Thanks very much
Love this connection to the land and horses from the past. 💕
Thank you very much, Val
Never ben to the Southwell match, though I have ben to Flintham a few times. It doesn’t do to have too much excitement in a year. My father was once cornered by an irascible plough horse on his grandfather’s farm. That’s why I prefer tractors. 🙂
Thanks a lot, Quercus. A nasty experience for your father.
His father was nearly killed in the Great War when a panicking gun horse kicked him in the chest. I tend to avoid horses.
Magnificent horses! I hope they got some extra treats afterward.
Thanks very much, JoAnna
Aren’t those horses wonderful creatures.
I remember my father plowing the fields exactly like that, in Canada. The horses were gentle giants, of the breed called Belgian. Mom and dad migrated from from Belgium, which might explain his choice of that breed. But now I wish he was still alive so I could ask who decided to import that breed to Canada in the early 1900s.
Well, Google helped me a little bit, with the first Belgian horse arriving in Quebec in 1902. I assume another of the opposite gender must have arrived not long after. 🙂
Thank you very much, Yvonne. This is useful additional information
Just me having my memory jogged, Derrick. For which, doffs my chapeau. 🙂
🙂
Hard work but great photos 😉
Thank you very much, Ribana
A wonderful set of photos, Derrick. I am impressed the nice straight farrows! I am sure you had a most interesting day!
Thank you very much, Dwight
Just wonderful. My maternal great-grandfather farmed, and had a team of mules that apparently were terrific at plowing. That had ended by the time I was a child, but we still went to plowing contests and shows of old farm equipment: particularly steam-powered threshers and such.
Despite the anguish and seriousness of the war in Ukraine, I smiled to see the videos of Ukrainian farmers pulling captured tanks down the road with their tractors. It reminded me of one of my favorite songs: everyone should have friends with tractors! I’ve been pulled out of a ditch or two myself.
A wonderful chance for a skilled farm worker to show of the skills that made farming so different and special. In Australia we have ploughing competitions but they are usually limited to a plaogh behind a little grey Ferguson.
Thanks very much, John
The mist adds a subtle charm to the proceedings. Farmers in Indian hinterland are still using bullocks to plough their fields, although maintaining the cattle calls for a certain patience and perseverance absent from the genes of the current generation. The posit has a lovely set of images.
Thank you so much, Uma. Patience is in short supply now
That is not something we would find here, but we do have a heritage museum in a nearby town that has all sorts of interesting old farm equipment.
I would find that fascinating, AnneMarie. Thank you very much