Whistlefish Clydesdales: Spotlight on Pierre!

Here at Whistlefish, with our ever-growing collection of horse themed cards and gifts, you may have gotten the vibe that we are mad about all things equine! There’s so much to love about these magnificent animals that it is always a pleasure for us to create these products, in fact it barely feels like work when you get to work with something you are passionate about!

Our affection for these four-legged friends is driven no small part driven by our founder and leader, Lyn Thompson, who has 4 stunning Heavy Horses as part of her family at home. These gentle giants are have such extraordinary talents and caring souls, and there is so much more to them than what most people first think of when they hear the words heavy horse.

Lyn fell in love with these intelligent and caring horses straight away and over the years as she built up her knowledge, entering into competitions became a natural progression. These competitions, both locally and nationally, have ended with some outstanding results over the past few years, which comes as no surprise to those of us who have met Pierre, Kingsman, Bluebird and Whitehills Bleu. Whistlefish has become a proud sponsor of the team, following the boys around the country as they bring these classic breeds closer to the public.

Lyn has already presented the Whistlefish Clydesdales team in classes, including ridden, at shows such as Malvern, Stithians and Camborne this year, with placements and prizes galore! There’s much more to come in 2019 too, with Lyn and her equine family readying themselves for appearances at the New Forest, Tregony and in Dorset amongst others that are lined up before the end of the year! 

With this in mind, we wanted to share more information about the fabulous show team, specifically the four-legged stars who strut their stuff so well!

To start with we are going to focus on Pierre, the oldest member of the clan and the only Comtois in the family…

Comtois Heavy Horses

The Comtois is a horse breed that originated in France centuries ago. This horse is of average height and is used mainly for farm and heavy draft work such as hauling wood in the high-altitude pine forests of France and the hilly vineyards of Arbois.

The Comtois are known as lively and spirited horses; aside from their abundance of energy, they are recognized for their stamina. In fact, a horse show is held annually at Maiche to choose the Comtois that excels in these characteristics.

Much like other draft horses, the Comtois is a hardy breed, developing endurance, hardiness, and surefootedness.

The ancestors of the Comtois breed proliferated in the Franche-Comté region and was mainly used by the French for pulling heavy loads. But in times of war, the Comtois also served as army horses. They became mounts for cavalry and pulled cannon or other artillery. Napoleon even took them with him during his campaign in Russia.

Aladin de L’heuhe (Pierre)