Heavy Horses by Grant Macewan

Heavy Horses by Grant Macewan

Valued for their towering stature, strength, and endurance, the draft horse played an essential role in the building of Canada. They were the main source of power on early farms, able to do the heavy work that has since fallen to their mechanical replacement, the tractor. Although far less common now, these heavy horses have re-emerged on the world stage thanks to the efforts of a few devoted breeders.

Historian Grant MacEwan celebrates the contributions of the magnificent Belgians, Clydesdales, Percherons, Shires, Suffolks, and locally bred Canadiens as well as the dedicated people who made them famous. He brings to life the history of these gentle giants from their arrival in Canada as work horses to their current popularity in national and international show rings.

Filled with archival and modern photographs, this is a beautiful tribute to a noble and hard-working animal.

John Walter Grant MacEwan was born in 1902 near Brandon, Manitoba, grew up near Melfort, Saskatchewan, and was educated in Guelph, Ontario and Ames, Iowa. He served on the faculties of the Universities of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, as mayor of Calgary, and as lieutenant governor of Alberta.

Renowned across Canada as a livestock judge and lecturer on agricultural topics, he became a tireless advocate of conservation and regional historical awareness, themes which drove his astonishing output of writing.

The man described as the Western Canadian of the Twentieth Century died on June 15, 2000.