Merle Gallant is featured in our May issue\’s How We Ride Here. Born and raised in Prince Edward Island, where he and his dad maintained a farm and chored with a pair of heavy horses, Gallant missed the the gentle giants when he moved to Alberta in 2001.
He remembers, “I did not recognize or appreciate the skills and tradition I was so blessed to be a part of or how much I enjoyed them until I left my home.”
Soon after he purchased a pair from a farm in Saskatchewan and now shows and competes with several teams.
I hope you enjoy writer Jenn Council\’s interview with Gallant. I really appreciate people who still have heavy horses, they hold a beauty so unlike the light horse. Unfortunately, as Gallant relates, the use of draft horses is a dying tradition and while I\’ve never met a horseperson who isn\’t awed by these animals, the logistics of keeping one is insurmountable for most of us.
For those of you who are interested, Gallant invites you to visit his Facebook page and relates: “I hope that people interested in horse pulls and draft breeds will take the time to contact me, I can be found on Facebook and can be e-mailed at [email protected]. In the meantime we will do all we can to preserve our horse\’s history and traditions, as long as we continue with lots of work and lots of love we know our horses will give back. With a little luck we will be able to spread the word to the next generation.”
Well said.