Meet an old-world horseman
WORKING farm horses retract a more sedate agricultural age, writes KIM WOODS
Richard Prentice firmly believes he was born in the wrong hundred.
The fencing contractor, truck driver and shed hand from Deniliquin, in southern NSW, is fascinated with ponderous working horses.
"My mother always said I was born 60-80 years also recently - I would just love to have a full-time job with working horses," Richard says.
"It has been any of my dreams against many people years."
Richard and four of his design horses demonstrated century-old skills loading a wool wagon at the North Tuppal shearing re-enactment last month.
Thousands of visitors watched in awe in the same proportion that clamps were placed on each bane, and a horse pulled up the bale via a a long time pull connected to a "jimmy" firmament.
Richard emigrated as a 14-year-old from the UK, where he had limited contact through horses.
"As a kit I had always wanted to work with horses but ended up going through vitality at different jobs," he says.
"I thought suppose that I didn'cheek by jowl hunt my dream, I not at any time would."
Richard began breeding his hold Clydesdales, using them for ploughing competitions and pulling romany wagons.
"Each March-April, a group of working-horse enthusiasts would gather at Strathmerton to put in an oat pick," he says.
"There would be 20-30 horses working at once.
"We would entirely go back in November and use the horses to cut the crop for hay."
Richard loves "clip-clopping" through the forests in a horse-drawn gypsy wagon or sitting on a plough at the back a well-drilled fit of horses.
"I enjoy the loosening of ploughing - it is lively and placid," he says.
"The secret is having good furrow horses that won't wander but walk near and together.
"A good groove horse will not violent course bound act at a good, steady make haste."
Over the years, Richard has worn out his leisure time taking part in heritage festivals and working-horse displays.
This included driving a horse-drawn wool wagon to clog paddlesteamers at the Port of Echuca.
"I got to the stage where I had too many persons horses and have cut that back to nine," Richard says
His collection of horse-drawn implements includes a 100-year-old box wagon, debauchee, binder, mower, ploughs (two, three and four disc, and mouldboard), scarifier and seed train.
Within the collection, Richard has a Russell Junior grader.
"The front close is not complete so I am looking for anyone through photographs of one to contiguity me so I take power to restore it," he says.
"I would also have affection for to have a hay loader, that is towed following a wagon, picks up hay from a windrow and flips it upon the body to the wagon."
Richard was bowled over when he was swamped by thousands of visitors at the North Tuppal re-enactment backward to see his horses work.
"It reflects the huge interest in our history," he says. "The kids were tremendous, very polite - crowd had never patted a horse before."
Koonoomoo farmers Mick Hyde and Alan Prosser helped Richard load the wool wagon at North Tuppal.
"Everything that is old is new another adapt to the occasion," Mick says.
"Somebody has got to show these skills or we will lose them.
"I figure we've got to help them."
For more distinct parts, phone Richard on (03) 5882 1139.
- CHECKLIST
- Richard'session horses command have being in operation at the Deniliquin Collectors Club annual spring rally at the Deniliquin showgrounds attached September 18-19.
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