A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a
When they rarely left home, the pioneers
horse!
had to ensure their horse could get them
Not everyone lovesShakespeare. But you
there and back before nightfall.
have to admit the Bard knew a thing or two
Our modern routes can be traced back to
about playing to the masses. So marketing
tracks used by horse-drawn conveyances,
may have been in the back of hismindwhen
before the iron horse and the railway tracks
he scratched out that line for Richard III.
arrived.
In fact, equines provide much fodder for
Somepeoplelongforsimplertimes,when
his canon.
barter was the currency, cash was rare and
Take the Merchant of Venice – “He doth
Gee! Horses are outstanding
overhead meant a roof.
nothing but talk of his horse” – and Henry V
Today’s farms are too big to rely on four-
–“Ihadratherhavemyhorsetomymistress.”
legged horsepower.
get the creative juices flowing.
commoners still enjoy placing bets on a
Shakespeare reckoned that if he were to
Sadly, while nothing runs like a Deere,
The equine, however, can inspire
thoroughbred, a breed of elegant and
have long-lasting appeal, he had better
tractorsdonotinspirepurpleprose,although
unbridled passion.
powerful athletes that can lift a crowd and
punctuatehisworkwithreferencestohorses.
implements have provoked some
The horse is associated with courage.
nations.ThinkofSecretariatandSeaBiscuit.
It behooves us to admit that this equine
memorable tunes, such as “I’ve got a brand
Think of “The Charge of the Light Brigade.”
If you aren’t moved by a dark horse
theory is totally unfounded.
new combine harvester.” Plus, horses smell
Mention the word “cavalry,” and you see
sprintingdownthebackstretch,checkyour
However, after all these years, the horse
a lot better thandiesel-poweredengines and
heroics.
pulse.
remains iconic, for all the good reasons.
if you feed thema fewcarrots, they are your
The horse is the subject of great works of
“They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?”
Everyone loves horses.
best friends, forever.
art, song and literature.
That is the title of amovie, children. But
The equine entries are considered by
Fortunately, there are still many
Equines are staples of Yuletide jingles
in real life, you do not want to be around
many to be the stars of agricultural events.
opportunities to see horses. Many farmers
about jingle bells and sleigh rides. Who
when a horse has to be put down.
GabrielLecavalier knowswhyorganizers
retain a few draft horses just because they
doesn’t love a pony? Every kid dreams of
We can eat like a horse but have you
of plowingmatches always make sure there
like the animals. You can’t have a parade
getting a pony.
ever sampled horse meat? It is considered
are some teams lined up for their contests.
without them. Every classy fair features
Consider the celebration of the horse in
a delicacy inmany countries.We eat calves
“People like to see horses. Horses draw the
equine events. Whether they trot, jump,
movies and TV. A talking horse was once a
and lambs but in our part of the world the
crowd,” said Lecavalier, a Mountain man
prance, or just stand there, horses are
bigtelevisionstar. Bonanza, featuringasingle
notion of consuming horse flesh makes
who brought his team of Belgians, Tiny and
magnets.
parent and a great word-free theme tune,
your withers tremble.
Rose, to a recent demonstration held in
Horses are photogenic. When was the
had us glued to the tube Sunday nights.
“The old gray mare ain’t what she used
preparation for the International Plowing
last time you saw a bad photo of a horse?
Picture the horse opera, the prairie, the
to be....”
Match and Rural Expo that will be staged in
Horse-powered implements are fixtures
wild mustangs.
As Lecavalier (a great name for a
September in East Hawkesbury.
at museums and antique days.
The horse is synonymous with
horseman) pointed out, you do not see
Talk about team work and being
Perhaps 50 years from now, cell phones
independence.
horses working in fields too often these
connected. “Gee,” the teamster said softly.
and lap tops will be viewed as obsolete
The horse has so many gaits.
days. A team is handy when you are
The lumbering Tiny and Rose obediently
vestiges.
“Then away you’d jog with your horse and
skidding logs out of dense bush. They are
moved to their right. “People like to see
And maybe electric motors will spark
dog…nice and easy, noneed togo faster.” Check
heavy, but the horses’ environmental
horsesworking ina field, because theynever
odes andballads.One thing is sure—horses
out the lyrics to FreebornMan and its ode to
footprint is light.
see that sort of thing anymore,” said
will still be cool.
roversamblingthroughopenfields,sleeping
They are beautiful beasts and they
Lecavalier.
out under the stars, dreaming of James
provide great fertilizer but, alas, horses are
In the animal kingdom, the horse enjoys
Joyce.
just too slow for this fast world.
special status.
Horses can be hell bent for leather. A
There was a time when the pace of a
Like us on
Among farm animals, the horse is
rodeo is always a crowd pleaser.
horse defined the lay-out of settlements.
outstanding in the field. Strong, quiet,
“If wishes were horses, beggars would
Every place was tight knit because when a
versatile.
ride.”
horsewasyourprimemeansoflocomotion,
Sure, cows areuseful, too, but theydonot
Who does not love a day at the races and
everything had to be close by. Today, we
look good in leather, and there are notmany
the sport of kings?
zip around in cars. But think of the era
poems written about cattle. Bovines do not
With optimism over-riding experience,
when people travelled by sleigh or cutter.
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