[3] Musically, the album sees the band continuing the combination of folk and progressive rock found on Songs from the Wood, although with an overall darker and more sober sound fitting the changed lyrical content.

[4] While continuing the folk rock style of Songs From the Wood, Heavy Horses sees a tonal shift into more earthly and realist themes of country living, compared with the fantasy and mythology of the previous album.

Anderson was again inspired by daily life at his recently purchased country estate in Buckinghamshire, saying that "I was living in the same house in the same place, and getting a bit more involved in farming and other rural stuff... so the horse-hoeing husbandry of the original Jethro Tull era was in the back of my mind.

"[3] Rolling Stone's contemporary review was positive, calling the instrumental arrangements lavish and stating that Heavy Horses and the folk genre, as a follow-up to Songs from the Wood, suited Jethro Tull perfectly.

[9] AllMusic calls Heavy Horses one of the prettiest records of the band, praising both Martin Barre's and John Glascock's playing as Robin Black engineering and the special participation of Curved Air violinist Darryl Way.