Moving horses and following dreams
We do expect a lot from horses. We sit on them, and ask them to do all kinds of weird and wonderful things at various speeds. We nail shoes to their feet, braid their manes and tails, and wrap them in blankets. We pack them into metal boxes and haul them from place to place. For the most part, they’re willing, if not enthusiastic, participants. Lots of them actually thrive on the attention and having a job. If you sit back and think about it, it’s all pretty amazing.

Two stories in this issue focus on transporting horses – so they can transport us. Oh, the irony.

In Life of Leeson (page 28), Garry Leeson shares the story of his wife Andrea’s great-uncle Lt.-Col. E. Woodman Leonard, DSO, the officer designated to find, buy, and supply the horses required for the Canadian 3rd Field Artillery Brigade during the First World War. The horses started their journey to war (and often death) by rail car, then they were marched to the harbour to be loaded by sling onto one ship for a long journey, to be unloaded and loaded again into crates onto another ship for a shorter one. From 1914 to 1918, Canada sent a shocking 130,000 horses overseas. By the end of the war, Canada had provided more than 10 percent of the horses on the Western Front.

As Garry notes, transport is quicker now, but the challenge of keeping a horse safe and comfortable during the ride remains. Teresa Alexander-Arab knows this well. Even with the utmost care and preparation, things can go very wrong in a hurry. This is not news to most of you reading the magazine, but trailering horses is “not for the faint of heart” (page 6). Teresa’s trailering tale proves steely nerves and quick thinking are two attributes that you don’t want to leave home without.

You’ll find two stories in this issue with the word “dream” in the title. Two young riders from Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, travelled to Texas to represent Canada at the American Quarter Horse Association’s Youth World Cup (page 10). Teresa Alexander-Arab caught up with Kaidyn Goodwin and Tyler Randall Gray to learn all about their adventure, their plans for the future, and the importance of following your dreams.

New Brunswick’s Denielle Gallagher-Legriffon is doing just that, as she works towards a spot on the Canadian Olympic Dressage Team on her partner Come Back de Massa. Ceci Snow spoke with Denielle from her home base in Florida (page 12) to learn more about her training plan leading up to the Games. Gallagher-Legriffon is joined on the development squad by two other Maritimers: Jill Irving and her mount Genesis, as well as Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu with Jaccardo. The 2024 team will be announced early in the summer, for competition in Paris, France, in August. Best of luck!

April has been a good month for legging up and riding outdoors. I hope you all have a productive spring, with plans to load-up the trailer and follow some dreams. Enjoy the issue!