Cumbrian Heavy Horses

Cumbrian Heavy Horses Shire, Clydesdale, Suffolk Punch and Ardennes beauties. Ride with us! ☺️❤️ No Pony Trek here...this is REAL riding, on REALLY BIG HORSES!!!!
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We are a BHS Approved Heavy Horse Riding and Rare Breed Centre in Cumbria, the Lake District National Park ❤️
We produce horses to high standards and live for our beautiful horses! An Award Winning business run - since conception back in 1997 - by Annie Rose, whose passion for these magnificent giants remains unabated!! Cumbrian Heavy Horses offers riders with various experience levels the opportu

nity to ride a forward going, well schooled and magnificent Heavy Horse in the scenic beauty of the National Park. Fabulous horses, fantastic riding, friendly and qualified staff make this an unrivalled outdoor riding experience. From shorter farm rides to week long holidays we offer something for everyone, with groups carefully managed to enable a high level of instruction on our rides. We look forward to meeting you!��

28/06/2025

A few days ago, bringing the horses in for breakfast, every day we bring our working horses - often all the horses - in to check them over, ensure they are fed, check shoes, apply suncream, you name it...these welfare che ks are imperitive. Our two gorgeous rescues Marty and Big Al are sharing a field, in or out, I will update you on their amazing progress shortly...🥰
Field gateways are hazardous places for humans with these big horses, where herd dynamics can truly come into play. Our horses are well mannered but we know who is boss horse. Catch that one first. The others will be easy after that! We do not, as a rule, leave headcollars on during their time turned out to graze and relax as they can catch, snag, rub....there's no need. Yes, catching in takes training and trust, respect, so if your horse is naughty work at catching in with a mutual agreement, make it a habit, and reward with breakfast even when not working ( a handful of chop/ beet would suffice!) and they meander in like these ladies! Tbh, I suspect that if we simply opened the gate they would make their way in, but there would be chaos!
We have five mares working, Shires Conker and Dolly, Suffolk Punch Evie (getting there now 😍) and Shires Emma and 'Exotic European mix' Kroov but not Duchess, not yet, she's only four, she is handled daily, therefore a healthy relationship has developed; her education will continue in the autumn.
Enjoy our beautiful ladies!😍😍😍

27/06/2025

A wee canter (gallop!) on the beach to stretch legs and enable the horses to enjoy themselves with their buddies.
Sol is an older horse but becsuse hes ticking away nicrly has remained fluent and awesome, Little Prince is a few years older but keen to rekindle his lost youthfulness, and remains five years old in his head....he gave it a good go! Don't worry he was warmed up carefully first 💯
I'm a great believer in ticking horses over, at a level the individual horse feels comfortable at. It's always up to the horse. For instance Di**le our Ardennes is now retired he's really happy. Last summer he would have felt left out, now he's happy with his chilled life! Each older horse is unique and requires specific care/ riding.
Enjoy watching them enjoying life on the beach, the film quality isn't great but it's a fun moment!

Hi all with apologies for the CHH page's silence this past few days. To explain, we are a very small business and the s...
26/06/2025

Hi all with apologies for the CHH page's silence this past few days. To explain, we are a very small business and the social media chatterbox, that's me, well, I suffer from a long term condition (rheumatoid arthritis, early days, learning!) and it flared up, I've been very sore and tired, so it's back to the specialist this week.
I know many of you lovely followers will be going through similar, or much worse, you have my sympathies, but I simply want to explain why the sudden halt re Marty and Big Al etc and yes they are awesome, bear with.....
Expect a lot of posts now as we get back in the swing of it!!
Starting with one of our babies, Frank, I popped a short video of him on last night.
This young horse is sightly built so we left his training an extra year. He's now six, and it has paid off.
Training young horses is a huge subject, about which many books have been written, suffice it to say, we have the skills to start horses, here, even without an arena, (although one would certainly be great....!). If you are doing the same, well done, it's not easy. Always recommend having a knowledgeable friend with you ...just in case of fireworks!!
Frank is a good lad, he's green but willing and is coming along well. Adorable cuddly and kind boy, a credit to his former owner Emily.
Some cute baby photos, with his mum, and his dad (a bit of a looker!) and him arriving here then settling in and starting his training with long reining. Check out the reel I posted last night as to his progress!! He's hacking out now under saddle!!
We've not rushed him, it's been slow but steady .
Enjoy......❤️😍❤️

Awake early today, wandered down to the yard as the sun come up. Couldn't help but take headshots of the horses who were...
19/06/2025

Awake early today, wandered down to the yard as the sun come up. Couldn't help but take headshots of the horses who were inside last night. The young and the old. The ones we are working with. The ones who like a deep bed. Working alongside these beautiful, intelligent animals is all of life, from our breeding programme, that most precious start, to watching them grow, learn, have adventures, to the elderly and oh so special horses who have shared their Iives with us, and, due to what we do here, with you guys, too. Here's some 'Good Morning, world!' pics for you, Di**le (Ardennes, 23) Frank (Clydesdale 6), LP (Little Prince, Clydesdale, 22) Captain Tom (Clydesdale, home bred, 5), Arthur (Clydesdale, home bred, aged five today - Happy Birthday big lad!), Evie and Scrumpy (Suffolk Punches, 4 ( home bred) and 6) and the newbies, Big Al (Shire, 5) and Marty (Brabant, 7).
What a pretty bunch they are.
I love these peaceful moments with them.
Hope you enjoy sharing them! ❤️🥰❤️

Good morning! This was kind of our local paper...thank you to whomever suggested it. Here's a happy Marty photo i took y...
09/06/2025

Good morning! This was kind of our local paper...thank you to whomever suggested it.
Here's a happy Marty photo i took yesterday. She no longer has her headcollar on in the stable as she is becoming more accepting of us. The process is long and time consuming but - as in humans - high stress, high cortisol, tension, being stuck in fight or flight mode does affect physical health. Hopefully, as she relaxes, her overall health will improve. Her nasal discharge is still high, but again, if we can enable her mental/ psychological health to improve, then her immune system will up its game, too, and help her holistically. If you're not wanting to donate, you can still read the story.....it's on the GoFundMe page too, but this is quite a nice write-up. Am hoping that Thursdays experience, travelling to the vets, etc, doesn't set her back. Hopefully not 🥰 Thank you to everyone who has raised funds to help us pay for the costs for these two beauties 🙏❤️

https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/25221505.lake-district-equestrian-centre-raises-funds-rescued-horses/

health

08/06/2025

Wow I am so impressed with your support on the GoFundMe page, a demonstration of the positive use of social media!
Thank you does not seem enough but to those who kindly donated to help Marty and Big Al you have made a difference. Thank you, every penny will help 🥰💯❤️
Here's a clip of them being turned out for the first time. Jonny's skiing skills are legendary. We should not have taken Big Al's headcollar off as he did not want to come back in! Unwisely we had put them in a VERY BIG FIELD... It took five folk to calmly follow them around it until we managed to quietly catch them.
Why didn't they want to come in?
He's an ex show horse, who was potentially rarely turned out. He simply didn't want to! She remained close to him the entire time so once we had caught him she was fairly easy to catch. She relates humans to bad things bad experiences bad treatment.
They are learning that it's OK to be caught....
With a feed as a bribe (becoming less necessary we are onto a slice of apple as a thank you once caught now) we have been catching and releasing them without actually doing anything, for several weeks now. Being caught is now a positive experience - we are basically reprogramming them, they are significantly calmer.
It has been several weeks since we bought them (on 27th April) and already, with no pressure from us other than basic handling (eg worming, feet, feed, grooming, leading, ground manners, catching in, turning out, tying up...) and an awful lot of time, they are slowly, slowly settling in.
Until we have a full Veterinary profile of their health issues (including dentistry, nasal, gutteral pouch washes, bloods, feet if possible) we cannot seperate them, as whatever one horse has, the other has been exposed to.
June 12th, we will put it on our story.
Thank you for making this less stressful with your kind donations, I honestly do not think you realise how much it helps.
Full story on the GoFundMe page
Thank you 🙏❤️

https://gofund.me/7aefd8c7

If anyone would like to help, thank you, if not, please, no mean comments. We are doing our best for them xx
Ps please bear in mind that it takes courage, strength and experience to control ¾ of a ton of horse to prevent her bolting into that field. If she had 'got away' from Jonny at that moment she would have learned that that behaviour worked, she would have attained her freedom through running off. We are working on a relationship of mutual respect, ground manners, trust. Without these basics, she could be dangerous. She has no malice in her, but it's about boundaries. Her boundaries and trust have been violated in her past so she needs to understand that she has safe boundaries here, therefore she can allow herself to soften towards us and trust us.
We're getting there! 😊
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08/06/2025

Here's a Marty video which I will keep in its four minute plus entirety - Jonny and Aly working with Marty to try and simply pick one foot out. It is a fabulous learning tool.
We're working with them daily, time, risk, patience and horse sense. Empathy combined with a deep knowledge of equine behaviour, when to ask, when to stop.
No anthropomorphising, please. This is a horse which has been very badly treated and traumatised, she will respond as a horse. She does not solely require kindness. She is a horse, a big strong one at that and we need to set our boundaries, understand her fears, and show her - through our own consistent responses - that it's OK here. She's safe.
Mentally she'll realise that when she's unsure we won't go back at her with flailing fists or shouting or a swung rope, rather we will consistently and quietly ask again and again, untill we have agreement.
That's the stop point.
Always end any session with positivity and reward which can be a scratch behind the ears, a soft voice; tbh us backing off is her treat!
Watch her ears throughout this. Her eyes. Her body language. She is always expecting anger. She's trying to avoid us by using her strength.
When she felt overwhelmed Jonny stood quietly for a moment.
At the end you see her head drop. Slowly. She understood it was OK.
At one point I ask if her lower lip is tight..stress causes tension, often shown in the mouth.
I also mention licking and chewing, this represents her thinking about things, relaxed enough to come out of flight mode into thinking mode.
Aly's behind the barrier as Marty had been barging into her trying to evade any interaction. This is dangerous for handlers, so this was a safe space for Aly.
My farrier on Skye, the very wonderful Robin Pape, he of the pipe and incredibly dry sense of humour, one told me that whilst we all take picking a horses feet out for granted, the horse is giving you its ability to flee, ie power over its life . A highly stressed horse will not give up its feet. She's not keen because she still lives in fear.
We will keep going!🥰❤️
Help us with our rising costs and read all about how/ why we bought her at auction:

https://gofund.me/7aefd8c7

Staying on our campsite (.baystonebankfarmcampsite.co.uk) can be a magical time for adults and children alike...I think ...
07/06/2025

Staying on our campsite (.baystonebankfarmcampsite.co.uk) can be a magical time for adults and children alike...I think this youngster might have thought Chester was a unicorn! Sometimes the horses are in the fields right there, right next to the campsite. Having the riding centre on the farm is a bonus for many of the campers.
Having our beautiful lodges with the hot tubs and The Roundhouse is a bonus for many of our riders who stay and enjoy a hearty breakfast in the cafe.
Beautiful!💯😍
From the equine side, though, we do have to keep asking folk not to feed the horses and keep an eye on them, despite the signs, but this photo is so lovely I had to share.
Btw......
Apologies if you have called and not had a reply, the boss lady Annie has been unwell, please be patient she'll be back on track ASAP. Sorry for any delays 🥰

04/06/2025

A special video to thank everyone who has helped by contributing to our GoFundMe for these two.
🙏❤️ THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH 🙏💯
Both were bought/ rescued at Auction five weeks ago and have proved rather more in need of basic handling, care, farriery and more, than originally anticipated, but we don't regret it. They are safe here with a very knowledgeable team who are incredibly kind and gentle.
As soon as they arrived we wormed them. A basic necessity. We then had the vet in to take nasal swabs as Marty had a very runny nose. The results came back with streptococcus equi zooepidemicus ie 'false' strangles, and required antibiotics. Because they are isolated together we are having to follow strict isolation procedure for boyh horses with seperate buckets, grooming kit, and a lot of clothing changes.
Further vet call outs and swabs plus blood tests have given us reason to think a full gutteral pouch wash is a good idea. No they do not 'have strangles' but it's precautionary. Whilst at Oakhill they will get a full health check, teeth, etc
With Marty we just want to find out why her nose is still 'running in case there's more to it eg a deep seated infection in her sinuses.
Hopefully as her nerves subside and her health improves overall she will manage to clear it. Let's see what Oakhill think next week.
We are handling them daily - it's additional time but it's the only way to restore her faith in humankind, and get him receptive to bring here!
Thank you for helping us with this, the journey of Marty and Big Al ❤️❤️
If anyone would like to contribute we are very grateful, here's the link.
🙏THANK YOU!!❤️

https://gofund.me/7aefd8c7

We all do daft things on occasion, right? 🫣Well, the boss and Jonny went to a Horse Auction (to look at different horses...
02/06/2025

We all do daft things on occasion, right? 🫣
Well, the boss and Jonny went to a Horse Auction (to look at different horses, please note!) and ended up rescuing/ buying two horses we didn't think we wanted but couldn't leave them behind! 😊
They are in quarantine and will be for the foreseeable future, as the medical bills are mounting as swabs and blood tests are giving cause for alarm.
Both are beautiful.
Both will come right emotionally, eventually, with time, love, specialist handling and careful management, diet, farriers etc but it's costing an awful lot....
Our Breeding programme already demolishes our income, we need a little help!

Full story on our GoFundMe page.....
If you want a good read, what happened, why we bought them, whats happening, pop over and read it through, if you CAN help towards the upkeep and recovery (and vet bills) for these two, we would be incredibly grateful.
Thank you if you can, if you cannot, we totally understand. It's worth a read anyways!!

https://gofund.me/d1bf4a93

Or!! (as suggested below!)
Go read the information and donate directly to our Bank:
Cumbrian Heavy Horses
Barclays Bank
Acc no 40797715
Sort code 20-55-41

They are beautiful, or rather, they will be.. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
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Our Private Beach Riding Experiences are a fantastic opportunity to enjoy the sun and paddling in the sea with instructo...
02/06/2025

Our Private Beach Riding Experiences are a fantastic opportunity to enjoy the sun and paddling in the sea with instructor support.
These big strong horses are carefully chosen to suit the riders' ability, confidence, and what they hope to achieve on the experience.
These photos epitomise the care we give our novice riders. Well done Jonny for all the jogging, and our riders for listening carefully to make sure they are safe and riding to their ability.
What would you want to experience?
Depending on the rider, this varies from canters or even a short gallop (after assessment!) to carefully managed saunters. Tell us what you want, we'll do the rest, just be honest and be realistic, please!!
Our Private Beach Riding Experiences are more expensive because they are exclusive.
We check tides carefully and arrange them accordingly.
Fancy joining us?
For our usual Beach Riding Experience we expect you to be capable of all paces in full control, light seat, confident, fit, regular riders. The Private Beach Riding Experience enables us to be inclusive!
How much?
Including all equipment, transfer to the beach, assessment, and the experience (with amateur photography if you wish!)
Private: One person £400
Two persons £375pp
Three persons £350pp
More £325pp
Normal Beach Riding Experience £250pp
Call to arrange 07769 588565.
Speak soon!😊❤️

Address

Baystone Bank Farm, Whicham Valley
Millom
LA185LY

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+447769588565

Website

http://www.youtube.com/cumbrianheavyhorses, https://www.conistonshop.com/Cumbrian-H

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