2023 World Clydesdale Show

Join us at the 2023 World Clydesdale Show at the Keystone Centre in Brandon, Manitoba July 19-23. This event is typically held every four years, except when COVID interrupts the process. This is the first time the event has been held in western Canada. It has been held in Ontario twice, once in Scotland and three times in the U.S. The next one will be held in Springfield, Illinois.

The versatility of the Clydesdale horse will be front and centre. There will be a full complement of halter classes, hitch classes, riding, farm team and youth classes. The riding section is quite new and rapidly gaining popularity. This is not something a lot of people associate with Clydesdales, but it is something that will be on full display in Brandon. You will see Clydesdales taking part in classes such as barrel racing, jumping and dressage.

Five hundred Clydesdales from all across North America are expected in Brandon. Exhibitors from 8 Canadian provinces and 26 U.S. states attended the last World Clydesdale Show which was held in Madison, Wisconsin. A large contingent of overseas spectators are expected to be in Brandon to take in the show. An exciting feature at the show this year will be the World Champion Heavy Horse Shoeing Competition. Professional farriers from around the world will compete for the title of World Champion Farrier! This competition will take place from July 19 to 22.

T ickets are available for purchase and more information is on the show website www.worldclydesdaleshow.com.

The 5 days in July in Brandon promise to be an exciting time for the equine industry in western Canada. The magnificent Clydesdale horse in all its glory will be on full display!

“Ride more forward!” is probably one of the most frequent instructions dressage riders hear from their teachers. Unfortunately, riding forward is often misunderstood as riding fast (by teachers as well as students). However, true “forward” begins with the horse "thinking forward,” which means that his first instinct should be to take a step forward (not sideways or backward) whenever you apply a driving aid. The forward motion comes from the extension of the hind legs pushing the body mass up and forward. This can be done at a slow speed or at a fast speed. It's independent of the gait or the stride length or the tempo. The horse should have a forward-thinking attitude even at the halt and the rein back, so that he is ready to take a step forward at any given moment.

What makes "riding forward" by generating a more powerful push from the hind legs “tricky” is that we need the horse to be in balance, i.e. the landing hind leg has to catch the body mass that the pushing hind leg sends forward. This means that the hind leg that touches down under the center of gravity has to flex its joints and act as a shock absorber before it extends again and sends the body mass forward as well. The more the horse pushes by engaging his extensor muscles in one hind leg, the more he has to use his flexor muscles in the other hind leg to catch and support the body mass. If you create too much pushing power, the flexor muscles won't be strong enough to catch the body mass when it lands again. In that case the horse loses balance, gets rushy, and probably leans heavily on the reins. If you don’t generate enough pushing power, the energy of the hind legs won’t reach the bit and consequently can’t be recycled back to them by the seat and reins.

“Never increase the urge to go forward at the expense of balance. Never increase the balance at the expense of the urge to go forward. Alas, how easy is this to say, and how difficult is it often to draw this line correctly!”

- Otto v.Monteton (1898)

For practical purposes, the hind legs have to push enough that the horse moves forward and reaches for the bit, but not so much that they overpower the flexor muscles. That's why with younger horses or rehab horses you often have to start with a smaller gait (less pushing power) to help the horse balance flexion and extension of his hind legs.

When you have established a good balance between pushing and carrying and the horse relaxes and starts to lift his back, you can gradually ask for a little more power, a little more push.

Initially, many horses will get a little heavier because the flexion of the hind legs is still the same as before. As soon as you ask for more flexion of the haunches with your seat and with some stirrup stepping or half halts, the horse will find a new balance at a higher level of pushing and carrying and become light again. With this strategy you can fully develop the horse’s gaits over the course of several years.

Most horses have stronger extensor than flexor muscles, i.e. they push more than they carry with their hind legs. With these horses you have to reduce the pushing power at first so that it matches the carrying power.

O ther horses tend to suck back and get behind the aids because they are not pushing enough. With them you have to create more push at first.