Rutland Farm Park have welcomed a brand new Shire Horse to the farm after the passing of their long-term and much-loved resident, Mr Tom.

In late June 2022, Rutland Farm Park said a sad farewell to their beloved shire horse, Mr Tom, who passed away only two days after becoming severely ill over the weekend.

Mr Tom had been a part of the Rutland Farm Park family for a long time, and was a familiar face to the residents of Rutland and visitors to the farm.

However, they have since been offered the opportunity to bring a new Shire Horse to the farm and, while she will not replace Mr Tom, Lady Bridie will be a welcome addition on the yard.

Bridie is an 8 year old working Clydesdale from Yorkshire and brings a larger than life personality to her new home. 

The team said: "We were all so so heartbroken over Mr Tom, not just Farmer Amy and the team, but many of our visitors as well, so when our wonderful Vet showed us this beautiful girl, we knew she had to join us! Even more so when we found out that Bridies previous owners used to take Tom to his shows, and both owners are very good friends. Isn't it funny how things work out."

Lady Bridie (image courtesy of Rutland Farm Park)

We would like to introduce you to Lady Bridie, a young friend of Mr Tom. We were all so so heartbroken over Mr Tom, not just us, or @farmeramy_ but many of our visitors as well, so, when our wonderful Vet showed us this beautiful girl, we knew she had … https://t.co/hbKmlph9Mu pic.twitter.com/gYa3VAiBoa

— Rutland Farm Park (@rutlandfarmpark) August 15, 2022

The team added: "Whilst she will not replace Tom, she will honour his memory."

Team team have begged that visitors to the farm do not feed Bridie as it is bad for her health and is something that they struggled with when Mr Tom was alive: "Please, please DO NOT feed her, we had such a terrible time with Mr Tom developing laminitis, including huge vets bills, that we cannot go through that heartache again, so please give her lots of fuss but no feeding. She is also a very big horse, feeding her will also encourage very bad behaviour, she is far too big and far to strong to misbehave."

For those wanting to visit Lady Bridie, Rutland Farm Park is open Monday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm in the summer, and closes on Monday and Tuesday in the winter.

The team concluded: "We hope you enjoy her as much as we are and you'll definitely see us back at the Rutland show next year."

Find out more on the Rutland Farm Park website.