All the work in the weeks building up to Lord Mayor’s Show paid off according to Toby Lawless, who works as an apprentice to his father David with his Shire horses at Waldburg Shires.  The team had been in extensive training at home in Cambridgeshire and Toby was heavily involved.  He was delighted to take part for the first time as a walking groom with the swing horses of the Shire team who were hitched to the Lord Mayor’s Gold Coach for the parade which went through the City of London in November.

By being involved in this special day, Toby is following in the footsteps of several family members. Firstly, his grandfather John Lawless was the Lord Mayor’s Coachman for many years with the Whitbread Shires.  Then Toby’s father David took over from John and has been the Lord Mayor’s Coachman since 2009.  His mother, Elspeth Ross, rode Postillion on the turnout for 12 years and his brother, Ben has been a doorman for four years, which means opening the coach door for the Lord Mayor.   All in all, the annual Lord Mayor’s Show is quite a family affair!  And this year was exceptionally special as both brothers, Toby & Ben, were so actively involved in the turnout with their father.

The early morning rehearsal with the Gold Coach was a wonderful experience according to Ben, who said there is something quite special about driving through the City streets in the early hours, hearing the echo of the horses hooves rattling around the huge buildings along the route and watching London come to life as it gets closer to sunrise.  Ben was particularly proud to be asked by his Dad to sit on the Coach at the Lord Mayor’s Show and keep a watchful eye over the horses whilst he had his lunch – the smile in the photos says it all.  Ben is apprentice to Townies Carriage Masters and attends horse drawn funerals most days.  He also likes to help out at displays with his Dad and the Shires whenever he has some free time.

Both Ben & Toby agreed that it was an honour to be a part of such a special event and both of them understand how special it is to start their involvement at a young age.  They really appreciated seeing the horses from The Royal Mews who joined in to draw the City of London Coaches.  The noise from the crowds lining the route was especially  memorable.

Toby has helped his Dad David break several of the horses in the team and now has a young Shire of his own called Duke who he hopes will pull the Gold Coach one day.  Duke is evidently shaping up well and is taking all the training in his stride.  Meanwhile, Ben continues to show his Friesian horses and hopes to be out with a tandem next year, a combination he really enjoys driving.

Both brothers are already looking forward to being part of the Lord Mayor’s team again next year, and hopefully for many more years to come.