By Jeremy Sollars
Heavy horse legend Mick Bradford had planned to create something of an equine spectacle on the first day of the 2017 Warwick Show last Friday – by taking his famous team of draught horses for a spin through town en route from his Swanfels property to the Warwick Showgrounds.
Mick and his drawcard heavy mates were to have been a keynote feature of the 150th Warwick Show opening parade, but a broken wagon shaft halfway to Warwick last Friday put paid to the plan.
It was the second year of disappointment for Mick – last year he was forced to abandon the attempt when he did a wheel, once again about halfway in to town.
A philosophical Mick this week told the Free Times things were going swimmingly until he and his team of six draught horses and their pilot vehicle and support crew came around the bend on Yangan Road a short distance from the Hermitage Research Station.
“Everything under the sun went wrong,” Mick laughed.
“One of the lead horses, Cheeky, got a fright, we don’t know from what, and started playing up.
“The harnesses got tangled up and we lost control and the shaft on the wagon broke.
“It happened that quick we really didn’t know what was going on.
“The good neighbours where it happened put the horses up overnight and I went home and found a spare shaft and came back and fixed the wagon on the Saturday, and we all made it back home.
“It was a bit of fun.”
Mick Bradford’s 2016 Heavy Horse Day raised around $11,000 for RACQ CareFlight – now known as RACQ LifeFlight – and over the last 15 years the popular event has raised well over $100,000 for the vital aero-medical service.
The 2017 Heavy Horse Day is scheduled to be held on Sunday 15 October.
See photos from the 2017 Warwick Show on page 8
