Shire horse foal is one of a kind

Shire horse foal Hayfield Highwayman is one of a kind at a Staffordshire stud.

When he was born just two weeks ago he became the first solid-coloured shire horse foal bred by the Hayfield Drum Horse Stud in Gentleshaw, near Burntwood.

Others reared there were all multi-coloured. Sue Cluer, who runs the stud farm as a hobby, has been breeding Drum Horses for the last 20 years. Two-week old Hayfield

Highwayman was sired at the stud but was delivered at Pool House Equine Clinic, Crown Inn Farm, Fradley.

He is predicted to grow to 17.2 hands, and was sired by Chorley Stud's 18 hands black super premium shire stallion, Trelow Commodore, one of the UK's top shire stallions.

His mother, Hayfield Razzle Dazzler, a 17 hands half-shire grey skewbald drum horse mare, was the Midlands Association of Riding Clubs Champion Coloured Horse of 2002.

Sue has specialised in drum horses, the type of horse that carries two solid silver kettle drums and a mounted drummer, in the Household Cavalry Mounted Division's regimental bands.

One filly, who Sue sold to the USA in 2002, has gone on to breed a further line of drum horses. All of these foals trace their ancestry back to Sue's first drum horse mare, Hayfield Belle, a 17 hands piebald farm cart horse she bought in 1988.

Highwayman's long-term future is, as yet, undecided. To begin with, Sue will enlist a trainer to familiarise him with a range of experiences.

These will hopefully include being taken to training days with the Midlands Heavy Horse Association.

He may follow in the footsteps of his ancestors, and be taught by a trainer to be ridden, driven, jumped and to provide displays of timber extraction and chain harrowing.