Tony Jenkins’ love affair with shire horses was sparked by the Gulf crisis.

He explains: “I started to breed them in 1973. At the time the crisis had just begun and oil looked like being in very short supply. Quite a few people living in rural areas thought we might have to return to horse power.”

Tony and his wife Ann bought the 40-acre farm, in an idyllic clifftop setting between Whitby and Scarborough, in 1969, with plans to turn it into a small pony trekking centre.

“The crisis changed that,” he adds. “I worried about the viability of tourism, and I thought I would start to breed working horses instead.”

He bought two shire foals, Grace and Carmen – “so-called because of her Spanish eyes” – and raised them.

Growing up in a Nottinghamshire mining community, Tony had no experience of horses. “My dad worked at the colliery, and the nearest I got was the milkman's horse,” he says, “But I learned quickly.”

He had always loved horses, devouring cowboy films as a young boy. “I was a huge fan of Roy Rogers and wanted to be a cowboy. My ambition was to own a horse.”

He successfully began to breed shires, and decided to give others the chance to meet these “amazing creatures”.

In 1985 he and Ann opened Staintondale Shire Horse Farm, allowing people to meet up close the giant beasts known for their special combination of strength and gentleness.

“They are the most wonderful creatures in the world,” says Tony. “We have had visitors who have been nervous, but once they stand by the shires and see their docility and their eyes, they soon change their minds.”

The heavy horses he currently owns – there’s Bella, Rosie and Sunny – are not the only attraction at the farm.

Tony’s love of the Wild West led to him learning cowboy tricks, which he performs in an indoor show arena with his palomino Burty Boy.

There is also a chance for children to have a go with a roping competition.

“Burty Boy is lovely – he has a lovely temperament and puts up with anything,” says Tony.

Younger children can enjoy hands-on supervised sessions with the farm’s Shetland ponies.

A cottage museum on the site is of interest for its smuggling history. I was interested to learn that it’s named Mead Cottage, after the family of smugglers that inhabited the farm in the 18th century.

“The Meads were heavily involved in smuggling, and were also implicated in a murder trial at York Assizes in the 1920s,” says Tony.

Being from North Yorkshire, I asked him whether I could be related to the infamous clan. “You may well be,” he replied. “Although many many people were involved in smuggling. At the time, it was the second largest industry in the country.”

Other highlights at the farm include a vintage car – a 1926 Morris Bullnose Cowley – and a tractor for children to climb up and sit on. There’s a blacksmith’s too.

The farm’s stunning setting can be appreciated on walks offering magnificent views along the coast and out to sea. “It is idyllic,” says Tony. There’s more, too – Tony has planted a woodland and wildflower meadow. “I have planted 1,100 broad-leaved trees and hundreds of hedging plants,” he says.

“There’s a pond too. It is an eco-paradise. We have a vast variety of wild flowers and hundreds of grasses. The North York Moors National Park did a survey and said we had an amazing collection as we have not used any sprays.”

With their shiny black coats and white socks, the shires look “magnificent”.

Visitors come from far and wide. “Someone came all the way from Dubai the other day, especially to see them” says Tony. “He breeds them himself and showed me photographs.”

Although the couple have now retired from opening the attraction full-time, they still hold open days throughout summer, each in aid of a different charity.

After admiring the horses, visitors can enjoy refreshments in the flagged-floor cafe, where home-baked fare is served. There are picnic and play areas, and a souvenir shop.

Staintondale Shire Horse Farm is off the A171 between Whitby and Scarborough. Admission: Adult £5.50, senior citizen £5; Child £3.50. Family of four £16.
The farm is open on Sunday, July 21, in aid of Yorkshire Air Ambulance; Sunday, July 28, in aid of the RNLI; Sunday, August 4, in aid of Save The Children; Sunday, August 11, in aid of St Catherine's Hospice; Sunday, August 18, in aid of Riding For The Disabled; Sunday, August 25, in aid of Scarborough Carers’ Group and Parkinsons Society, and on Bank Holiday Monday, August 26, in aid of First Light Trust (assisting servicemen with conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder).
For more details visit www.shirehorsefarm.co.uk or ring (01723) 870458.