Heavy Horses: Highlights of Their History

L.J. Rouse was a freelance writer in Toronto.

Once they were the powerhouses of the country, ousting the oxen who had previously held pride of place. Then came steam power and the internal combustion engine; it seemed the day of the great work horse was over. But today there is a renewed interest and the heavy horse may yet return to its former pre-eminence. After all, what more stirring sight can there be than that of a great Clydesdale, Percheron, Belgian, Shire, Suffolk, or Canada’s own Canadien? He may have been a wee bit partisan, but one can sympathize with the respected Canadian horseman of yore who was quoted as saying that “if he didn’t find Anglicans, Liberals, and Percherons in Heaven, he’d conclude that he was in the wrong place.”

In this absorbing study of the heavy horse are the histories of the respective breeds, as far as they can be ascertained; their records in Canada; the stories of some of the giants of their kind, such as Baron’s Pride, Bonnie Buchlyvie and Queen o’Carrick; and of the horsemen who bred them and made them famous.

The book includes lots of anecdotes, period photographs, lists of Canadian Royal Winter Fair winners, and some of the Wit and Wisdom from the Horse Stable for a pinch of spice.