When Clydesdales are the family business
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RM OF YELLOWHEAD — Tucker Thevenot is making trouble. He grabs a hose and drags it around the corner. The boy comes back with a stick in his hands, and taunts his family with a “sword fight.”
Stay away from the centre of the yard, his father warns. A one-year-old Clydesdale horse is being sprayed with cold water. The horse kicks backwards and its hoof bangs the metal rig behind it, buzzing the air like a bell.
The dad is keeping a close eye on the boy, warning about the dangers of horses while holding a stroller, in which a toddler girl is strapped tightly, letting out a short burst of tears. Meanwhile, Grandpa Blaine is being sprayed lightly with ricocheting water off the horse.
When the Sun visited in July, it was a busy afternoon for the family at Boulder Bluff Clydesdales. The multi-generational horse breeders were preparing to travel to the Manitoba Threshermen’s Reunion and Stampede.
For the road trip that day, the mother, father, grandfather, uncle and neighbour were tasked with loading eight Clydesdale horses onto a semi-truck. The job proved difficult when a few horses, around 2,000 pounds each, decided they didn’t want to walk up the ramp.
The family also planned to bring additional horses in a separate trailer, adding up to roughly 10 in total.
The afternoon on the farm provided a glimpse into the work of breeding, showing and selling heavy horses in the province. And it looked busy.
Charity Thevenot told the Sun she was once a toddler watching her dad do exactly the same work. With her six-month-old girl Hallie resting on her arm, she organized the work for the afternoon.
The plan for the trip was a week stay near Austin, a few days longer than usual to allow the kids to settle in better. On the business side, they would show their horses in a few events at the show.
Life has been hectic with the arrival of the newest, six-month-old girl, Charity said. But work must be done. And getting to the Austin event is work — it’s an opportunity to showcase their horses and attract potential buyers.
»cmcdowell@brandonsun.com
