• This is the high point of Britain’s ploughing season.
• “Grand Prix” of ploughing — fierce competition — not only for the British National Titles — but also for the supreme honour of representing Britain at the World Ploughing Championships.
• Sponsored by the Society of Ploughmen.
• 250 contestants, winners of local ploughing competitions throughout Britain.
• Women contestants are steadily increasing.
• The horses, two dozen pairs of them, are the biggest crown pleaser — taking spectators back to when farming was a gentler, quieter way of life.
Click here for more info about the event.
From the website:
Over 250 top ploughmen and women from all over Great Britain will compete 72nd British National Ploughing Championships which will be held at Bishop’s Lydeard, near Taunton, Somerset by kind permission of K S Coles and Family. We are delighted that the Coles family have invited us to hold the event on this site for the third time in recent years.
Two busy days – Saturday and Sunday, October 14th and 15th – will be packed with competitions for many types of plough and styles of ploughing, the highpoint of which will be when the British Champions are crowned and the top competitors are selected to represent England at the 2024 World and European Ploughing Championships.
There will be a total of fifteen different ploughing classes over the two days (detailed below) plus in six of these classes, the top 10 competitors from the first day will take part in a ‘Plough-Off Final’ on the Sunday to find the British Champion in each section. There will be over 300 ploughing plots ploughed over the two days!
Already the Championships have attracted considerable interest and we are looking forward to a first class event. There will be something for everyone alongside the ploughing competitions, from steam ploughing engines; vintage tractors and machinery displays; manufacturers and local dealers demonstrating the latest farm equipment available; agricultural trade stands; hedgelaying displays and competitions; shopping stalls and country crafts.
Horse ploughing is always one of the major attractions and there will EIGHTEEN pairs of heavy horses at work each day. Magnificently turned out with ornate brass and leather harness, these true farm ‘workhorses’ will be seen competing to produce the best general purpose ploughing on the first day and the stylish traditional ‘high cut’ work on the second day.
Main sponsors of the event are Bridgestone/Firestone and Aztec Oils and further support has been received from AR Demolition, Agricultural & Farming Jobs, Cereals Event, Cheffins, Clarke Wilmott, John Corsan, Dales Agri Sales Agency, Exmoor Skip Hire, Friends of Ferguson Heritage, Lantra Awards and Tama Farm Grown Solutions.
Ploughing Academy: the Society of Ploughmen sponsor the Ploughing Academy. Two days of ploughing courses for for reversible and conventional ploughing and for ploughmen and women of all ages. Instructors are Champion Ploughmen. Click here.
