Ploughman

Reigning national ploughing champion Martin Kerswell on keeping this tradition of farming heritage alive, the satisfaction of a perfect furrow and sibling rivalry

- Martha Terry

We had ponies and rode around the family farm as kids. Heavies have always been an interest, so it didn’t take much to get us hooked. One day when I was about 12, we went to watch a heavy horse match, loved it and met up with a lady called Ann Williams, who told us we should have a go ourselves. She taught Dad and he got himself a pair of Shires, then I had a go.

Before long, my two younger brothers, Daniel and David, and I each had a pair and we all still plough. Now I have nine heavies and a little Welsh section A for the kids. We also do the heavy horse turnout classes throughout the summer, but the horses don’t mix jobs; I have separate heavies for ploughing.

We started from scratch. Ann didn’t have a lorry, so Dad would take her and her horses in his 7.5-tonne, then when he wanted to take his own pair as well, he had to get a bigger lorry. When we were all taking our pairs to competitions as a family, we’d take the 44-tonne artic, with three pairs of Shires.

Now I just have a 26-tonne and a trailer. Horses are my hobby; I run a timber haulage business with my own lorry, and these big trucks are easy enough to drive if you do it for a living.