By: Reginald Tiangha
The definition of a Heavy Horse is any breed of horse that is suited to or used for drawing heavy loads.
The Calgary Stampede has two main committees that put on various events involving heavy horses for the public during Stampede week.
The Stampede’s Heavy Horse committee will showcase approximately 110 heavy horse competitions (called classes) during the first four days of Stampede as part of their Heavy Horse Show (held in the Saddledome and Big Top), while the Heavy Horse Pull committee will hold competitions during the final three days showcasing light, middle, and heavy weight classes of heavy horse as they try to pull loads of over five times their own body weight across various distances (held in the Big Top).
The Pull competitions are fun to watch. The competition is based on how the horses used to be used in real life, and it’s fascinating to see how powerful these horses really are.
As for the Heavy Horse Show, while there are many opportunities to catch related events, my favourite of them all is the Heavy Horse Show with Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, which are hitch and cart classes presented to music by the CPO. They’ve been doing it for 10 years now, and sometimes it’s nice to escape to the Saddledome during a hot, rainy, and/or exhausting day to just relax and watch some beautiful horses “dance” to some wonderful music.
Schedule information via the on-line Stampede Planner can be found in the links above, and best of all, these events are all FREE with admission!
– Reg
I love the heavy horses they are my favorite too, last year my husband took me as I am ill and have problems walking, I adore these animals, I also loved to go through the barns and see them and some of the folks were so kind they even let us pet them, I just love the Calgary Stampede it trully is the Greatest Show on Earth! Thanks so much and God Bless!
I think that there is not anything like watching a 4, 6 or 8 horse hitch make their way around the arena, and feel the floor shake from their weight. Heavy horses such as the Belgians or Percherons are indeed the most majestic of horses and have a better demeanor than most other breeds
Personally this is my favorite event, as I used to help my uncle with his team. We have been in the Stampede pull many times and it is great to see someone who is promoting this event as it is not always seen to be as glamorous as the chucks, but it is something everyone should see once.
[…] Saturday, I did a spotlight on Heavy Horses, so it only makes sense to do one on Light Horses as […]