The Boys' Ploughing Match and Festival of the Horse takes place annually on South Ronaldsay, Orkney. The children of the island test their skills on the beach with a hand-drawn plough in an event which has its origins in days when ploughmen used Clydesdale horses.
Before the ploughing match there is a parade at the Hope Community School, where young girls and boys are dressed up as 'horses' in costumes based on the elaborate harness decoration of the Clydesdales. Many of the outfits and miniature ploughs are family heirlooms that have been used by the same family for generations.
Landward investigates the importance of the Boys Ploughing Match to South Ronaldsay Islanders in an item broadcast on Landward in September 2009.
Page first published on Wednesday 23rd September 2009
Page last updated on Thursday 24th September 2009
Ayrshire ploughing match
