When we wrote about how crosses with the magnificent heavy horse breed the Clydesdale were the quiet achievers in the horse world last week, we were very quickly shown just how popular and much loved they are.

A spare-of-the-moment comment by our social media editor asking readers to show us their photos of Clydesdale-cross competition horses went off like a frog in a sock, catching us completely by surprise.

At least 50 photos were posted by people from all corners of Australia, happy to display their part-breds, which they were clearly passionate about, doing amazing things.

Brian Scholes has two. One is a top-level Buckskin showjumper, Field of Harvest, ridden by Robert Agnew. He was bred by Bruce Hamblin out of a Souvenir-bred palomino halloway mare by Louise Beer’s Clydesdale stallion.

Brian said the other, a handsome bay show hunter named A Welcome Stranger, didn’t have such a planned beginning. “I don’t know the breeding of my bay horse, I bought him out of the Echuca horse sales.”

Kris and Carly Loughnan’s grey stallion Lord of the Ring sired horses for the South Australian Mounted Police.

Jess Bertam’s Ceejay Park Private Buddy helped her to twice win the Alice Laidlaw ladies hunter over obstacles and over the last eight years or so helped her son become a junior showjumper.

Up in Queensland, Anna Maria told us that she and her partner’s Wilbur and Ranger are two full brothers and they do tent pegging and Light Horse displays with them.

Claire Skerman bought her Clydie-cross Cognac Falcon out of the back of a Horse Deals magazine for $800.

She said was a brilliant eventer, then went on to be an FEI Grade V Grand Prix para dressage horse who is now retired from competition and teaching kids at Riding For Disabled.

Kate Johnston praised her “big red bus” Asham Lucky Strike, aka Trooper.

“I would ride this horse into battle and know he would see me safely home,” she said. “There is no other way I could describe this boy.”

What can’t these horses do?

They are all colours and come from all crosses, with the intelligent and steady Clydesdale matching so well with Arabians Thoroughbreds, warmbloods, ponies and even the Gypsy Cob.

Is there any cross-breed so versatile and such a willing partner? If they can still be found for a reasonable price they offer the grass-roots competitors a world of options to turn them to any discipline.

So all of you Clydie-cross lovers, good on you! Brag all you like, your horses deserves it.

We have pulled all the contributed photos into the gallery but for full comments and information, go to the Facebook feed here. If you own and Clydie-cross and haven’t already commented, feel free to add your photo to the list.

See the whole gallery at The Regional.
Further information on the Clydesdale Cross Sport Horse Association
Related story: Fire and feathers: Clydesdale crosses the perfect sport horse

This article appeared on The Regional on 21 June 2023.

Stories on The Regional’s website are free to read and always will be.

If you enjoyed this article you can show your support by joining our mailing list
(either by filling out the form on our Home page or sending us an email or message).

We’d also get very excited if you put a “like” on our Facebook page.