Sledmere House becomes the first Yorkshire Shire Horse Society approved centre

The stables at the country house in Driffield are home to Shire horses and has become only the sixth Shire Horse Society approved centre in the country and the first in Yorkshire.

Farm Park Manager, Laura Clark, said they were delighted with the accolade which recognises the work they had done to promote the breed.

She said since the first Shire horse came to Sledmere in 2015 they have been a firm favourite with visitors.

We are venturing far and wide to get fast work into the racehorses without putting them at risk of injury - Jo FosterHorses were 'never the plan' for Yorkshire's rising eventing star Holly“We opened the stables to the public in April 2015 with the aim of having horses which reflected the breeds that would have been stabled here originally.

“We had a retired racehorse, child’s pony and a driving horse but felt there was something missing. In the August we got our first Shire horse and the reaction from visitors was fantastic.

They are the only horses we have now and everyone loves them.”

Last year the first foal was born at Sledmere and Miss Clark said it was astonishing the number of people who came to see him.

Visitors to the house can spend time at the stables and Miss Clark said the horses are brought out for people to groom and get close to.

There is also a driving pair who pull a traditional Wolds wagon around the estate.

The wagon is the same type used by the First World War Wagoners Special Reserve, the brainchild of sixth Baronet Sir Mark Sykes.

This group of men were some of the first to go abroad driving the wagons, which would have been pulled by Shires, taking supplies to the front line. Having seen the wagon and horses, visitors can also find out more at the Wagoners Museum which is on the Sledmere site.

Miss Clark said they have some exciting plans in the pipeline for the horses at Sledmere including introducing experience days where people spend time looking after them.

They will also be at Ryedale and Driffield Shows.