Clydesdales to get heavy in free event at showgrounds

Andrew Mathieson
THE familiar clip clop of the Clydesdale is back in vogue.
No longer do they pull carts full of milk bottles or plough endless vegetable patches. But the preservation of the Scottish farm horses will be on display next weekend at Geelong’s showgrounds when Commonwealth Clydesdale Horse Society hosts a “heavy horse” seminar.
Victorian branch president Shirley Kerlin, of Drysdale, said the Clydesdale played a particularly important role in “building” the region.
“They were used in the production of farming extensively on the Bellarine hills and the outer areas of Geelong,” she said.
“They were also used as transport for carting goods to the railway. I’m not too sure but I even think I can remember a gentleman in the 1970s who carted boxes from the back of Myers in Geelong with a Clydesdale.”
Ms Kerlin said the advent of the tractor marked the end of the Clydesdale’s working life.
Clydesdale numbers dropped “extremely” low during the 1950s. Breeders had made a concerted effort by 1975 to import stallions for boosting the bloodline.
Mrs Kerlin said the hobby horses were great for show.
“They’re a very willing horse,” she said. “You can train them relatively easy and they are quite smart. People think they are just big but they’re quick learners. And, of course, they just look spectacular with their white legs.”
The free seminar will begin 10.30am on July 20.