Wild Rose Draft Horse Association

The Alberta Clydesdale and Shire Association put on a youth draft horse clinic May 20 hosted by Calico Farms out by Huxley, Alberta. It was a new event that was suggested at the annual meetings in February. Not being sure how it would be received, it ended up being very well-attended by 19 youth ranging from ages 5-20. They were able to attain a couple of top draft horse aficionados to teach the kids on a variety of topics.

Gord Ruzicka from Viking, Alberta spoke on safety and tips on horse handling; then moved onto conformation, touching on common ailments that occur in draft horses; and things to look for when possibly judging a horse such as correct movement, profiles and comparing one horse to another.

The kids were put into teams and one was blindfolded while the other one “drove” to give them a perspective as to what the horse may feel and how he understands cues given by the driver.

Roger Leclaire from Didsbury also talked about conformation and showed the kids expert decorating techniques from the delicate touch to create the perfect tail sprigs on a Clydesdale to perfecting mane rolls and tying tails. Kids were able to practice on horses and got one-onone tips on perfecting their techniques.

 By Barbra Stephenson

The youngest attendees learned how to braid and were able to do forelocks and propped up on the ever so patient Orchid (a 6-year-old mare) and learned the beginning steps on how to do a 4-strand braid for a mane roll.

There was a hot dog BBQ lunch in the afternoon. The event would not have been possible if not for the generous sponsorships from the Wild Rose Draft Horse Association, River Run Clydesdales, the Cowboy Trail church and Walker Farms.