AS part of this year’s Heritage Week, Ray and Noelle Yorke of Kimblewick Stables in Co Westmeath hosted a most enjoyable event celebrating the Irish Draught as Ireland’s Heritage Horse, a unique element of Ireland’s agricultural and cultural heritage.

The afternoon featured a social history lecture on the breed by Mary McGrath, one of Ireland’s leading authorities on the history of the Irish Draught. Mary is co-author of The Irish Draught Horse: A History, founder of the Irish Horse Museum, an Honorary Life Member of the Irish Draught Horse Society and has dedicated decades to breeding, judging and promoting the breed.