THE excitement felt by the Wadworth Brewery shire horses going on their holidays was shared by the huge crowd watching.

The horses, Max, Monty and Prince, left behind their drays in Devizes for their two-week summer break in the nearby village of Poulshot on Friday.

The sun was shining and spectators gathered well in advance for the arrival of the horses, including Brian Champion, 73, of Kennet Road, Devizes, and his partner Carole Shepherd, who lives near Ringwood in Dorset. They brought chairs for a good vantage point outside the Raven Inn.

Mrs Shepherd, 73, said: “The horses are so lovely. There are not many dray horses about, it’s a tradition.”

First-time visitors John and Margaret Mintrun, of Bishopstow, Hampshire, were holidaying with friends, Jeff and Di Meddings, of Devizes.

Mr and Mrs Meddings, of Caen Hill, have been to see the horses on holiday before and Mrs Meddings said: “It’s a lovely atmosphere.”

Mrs Mintrun said: “It’s such a spectacular sight to see such heavy horses.”

The car park at the Raven pub was packed with well wishers taking photographs of Max, Monty and Prince while they were offered Wadworth 6X beer to drink.

While Monty and Prince downed a couple of pints each, Max declined. His handler, Martin Whittle, said: “Max is not keen on beer.”

Mr Whittle’s son, Callum, 18, was handling Monty for the first time at Poulshot and said: “The crowd is amazing, the number of people here is incredible.”

Most observers thought last year’s total of 1,000 spectators was easily surpassed.

The horses, which weigh about a tonne each, were walked to their holiday destination, a field, where their handlers took off their bridles and they cantered in all directions, getting to know their new surroundings.

John Markham, 70, an architect from Littleton Panell, near Devizes, who was attending for the first time, said: “It’s amazing how graceful they are considering they are such heavy animals. The moment they were unleashed was extraordinary. You almost share their sense of freedom.”