Actor Martin Clunes was at Westpoint this morning (May 15) as he officially opened the Heavy Horse Festival at Devon County Show.

The star of TV shows Doc Martin and Men Behaving Badly, Clunes is a keen horseman and owns several Clydesdale horses, which he keeps at his farm in Dorset.

As he cut the ribbon to officially open the Heavy Horse Festival, Clunes praised Devon County Show for highlighting the working horse breeds. ‘Usually at a show, the heavies are tucked away behind an old tractor,’ he said. ‘But this is a magnificent display of these ‘beautiful horses at the top of their game’.

The Heavy Horse Festival is now in its third year and is one of the most visited attractions at Devon County Show.

This year’s Heavy Horse Festival, in association with WHISTLEFISH, is bigger than ever and features 19 heavy horses from breeds including Shires, Clydesdales, Suffolks, Percherons and North American Belgians – the world’s largest breed of draught horse.

In the Heavy Horse Village, visitors can see the horses being dressed with their traditional finery—gleaming brass fittings, leather harnesses, ringing bells, plaited manes, and colourful ribbons—before they take centre stage in the main arena.

Devon County Show opened for its first day this morning and will run until Saturday May 17.