Exeter horseman Golden Plough winner

Behind his Australian Draught horses Zappo and Zouka Mr Berzin was judged winner of what has become Australia's most prestigious single furrow competition, held this year at Lyndhurst.

Western branch president of the Australian Draught Horse Stud Book Association, Mr Berzin continues to farm parts of his Exeter property, Marlie Draught Horse Stud, with his draught horses, priding himself in continuing a family tradition started by his grandfather which he hopes to pass on to his daughters Chelsea (9), Zoe (7) and Ava (5).

The girls are all keen to one day take part in the Golden Plough.

"They're still pretty young but they are keen," Mr Berzin said.

"They've grown up a little like I did with the draught horses around them.

"The Golden Plough, which started in 1976, is relatively young but there were so many other ploughing competitions which have come and gone, before it.

"It's nice to still be able to watch something that would have been an everyday spectacle being replicated."

Mr Berzin successfully wrestled the 2024 title away from the previous year's winner Darren Gavin of Bathurst and four time winner Jason Gavinlock of Lyndhurst.

"It's pretty competitive, there are some very good ploughman out there, it was nice to get a win against such quality competitors," he said.

Prior to the event Mr Berzin joked that he would take part without holding on to his horses' reigns but admitted afterwards his suggestion to do so was just banter.

"I used the reigns, it is a requirement for safety reasons," Mr Berzin admitted.

"It could have been tempting but thankfully they did the job with the reigns," he said of Zappo and Zouka who were judged on a number of factors.

"It's a combination, your overall plot, straightness, the opening up, because a horse drawn single furrow plough can only plough one way you plough in a clockwise motion, because you're doing that the first part of the plot is the strike out.

"You get judged on that and then as you plough out you get judged on whether you're cutting as much dirt as your plough should be cutting and the overall uniformity of the plot.

"Horsemanship and the horses themselves also get a component of the judges score."

Mr Berzin's winning plough team are just two of more than 40 draught horses he, his wife Karina and their children keep on their Exeter property.

"We do the full farming cycle with the horses to give them a bit of work," he said, which gives him an advantage when he turns his hand to ploughing at a competitive level.

"It keeps them ready to do something like the Golden Plough".

"I farm about 30 acres (12 hectares), solely with horses, in a year. And I single furrow plough about four to five acres."

Doing so, he said "is a mixture of a lifestyle choice and a family tradition".

"My grandfather did it and I was always wrapped up in what he was doing and loved the way he did it.

"Also, I think there are benefits too, for the horses, they have a purpose and have a job.

"And there's the pride in starting and finishing a job.

"It's obviously a lot slower than running on a tractor but having to go out and being in touch with what's going on around you, there are benefits.

"As far as economic benefits, you couldn't run a scale farming operation, but there are definitely benefits to doing it the way we do," he said.

Mr Berzin's grandfather was Marlie Draught Horse Stud founder Sid Samuel who established the stud in 1973 in Putty NSW with his wife Pat.

As a foundation member of the Australian Draught Horse Stud Book Society, Sid Samuel spent numerous years breeding, competing and judging all around Australia.

Together in 1982, Pat and Sid, imported the first American Belgian Stallion, Wondersprings Rubis Jim as an 18 month old Colt from Cortland N.Y State USA where he was the feature horse of the New York Sale.

This added to the current gene pool of horses available in Australia and Sid enjoyed great success from the Belgian influence.

In 1984, they imported a Suffolk Punch Mare from England to add their Suffolk Punch gene pool, Laurel Annabel who at the time was the biggest horse to be imported by air.

In 1983, they relocated the Stud to its current location in Exeter.

The influence of the Belgian and Suffolk Punch horses has been a major factor in the success of the stud's horses in both the show ring and in a working environment.

Sid Samuel's passion for Draught Horses has obviously rubbed off on his grandson Aleks who now runs the Stud with his wife Karina.

Still breeding horses from the Suffolk and Belgian lines dating back to the original imports, Aleks is passionate about farming with horses and preserving the Australian Draught Horse breed.