Merlin Ford has long held a love of horses, in particular the work horses which helped shape our nation.
In 2012 that love led Ford to write and publish Horses, Harness and Homesteads, a book chronicling the work horse from the earliest settlers in Saskatchewan, to the arrival of the tractor.
The book was a success, but in Ford’s mind there was more story to tell.
And it is being told through the recent release of his follow-up book Harnessed To Our Hearts.
“While working on the first book, I realized that I had more pictures than would realistically fit into just one book - so I already had some of the content that I needed,” Ford told Yorkton This Week.
“The other reason is that I wanted to have more of the story of draft horses recorded for current and future generations.”
The challenge for the second book was to bring its contents into some focus, since there is a large story to tell in terms of the history of daft horses.
“Since there is only so much content that would fit, I needed a rough guideline of sorts,” said Ford. “I decided to start where the majority of the last book finished off (mid to late 1940s), and then stop at about 1990. Despite that general timeline, there is still a reasonable amount of content from the years before 1950.”
For Ford the books are very much a connection to his own roots.
Along with two brothers he was raised on a small farm in east central Saskatchewan, (Kuroki area), growing up around livestock.
“I became interested in draft horses, and when I was 14, we got our first Percherons,” Ford writes in a brief bio in the latest book. “Although my numbers have been modest, I’ve also owned a few Clydesdales over the years. I enjoyed showing at a few smaller shows, and for years attending Agribition has been a must.
“One of the highlights of my interest and involvement with horses was the friends that I made. A number of our older horsemen and women have passed away, but I appreciate so much, the kindness that they have shown me. I’ve also been fortunate enough to have been given old photos and publications, which I really value.”
In the book itself Ford noted that it is very much a chronicle of change.
“As mentioned earlier, my intention when first starting on this book was to focus primarily on the years from 1950 through to 1990,” he wrote.
“The amount of change that took place in those years – both good and bad – is nothing less than remarkable.
“Hardy Salter, secretary of the Canadian Percheron Association underlined that point in the December 1962 Canadian Percheron Broadcaster, “This is my twentieth annual report, and what a change there has been in the draught horse business during those years: the report twenty years ago showed us with an income of $7,000, registrations amounting to over 500 and 800 transfers, our membership was just over 600. The war was still going on, people were just recovering from the depression, all our young men were away, and the older ones on farms were still using horses as their source of power.”
“Within that twenty year time frame: registrations had fallen from 500 down to 157; transfers, which had been 800 in his first year, were down to 261 in 1961; and memberships had fallen from just over 600 to 305; and the number of farmers using horses in a significant way was only a small fraction of what it had been.”
Ford, who now lives in the Lloydminster area, also touched on his love and respect for the big horses in the book when he writes; If you spend a few minutes reading and thinking about the 1950s and 1960s, etc., it soon becomes obvious as to how important these people were – quietly farming, and hanging on to their horses in what must have been an extremely discouraging and/or worrying time.
“Many of these people have passed away, but we owe such a debt to them.”
The latest book is organized similarly to the method used for Horses, Harness and Homesteads. For the most part, it is arranged alphabetically by topic. Then, if applicable, the topics are arranged chronologically.
“I’ve always found it a little bit tricky when trying to determine how much to include. Sometimes you see history related articles or books that are so dry and heavy that you can hardly get through them,” Ford writes in the book’s foreword.
“On the other hand, without a reasonable amount of information or substance, it would be of no value at all to the current or succeeding generations.
“While there are many more people, horse and related topics that could be included, there is also a need to keep a limit of some kind on the number of pages.”
Unless other provinces, states or countries are specified, all addresses or locations are in Saskatchewan.
There was however the growing obstacle of time. With each passing year it gets farther and farther from the days of the working horse.
“It was a bit more difficult to track down living relatives of some of the earlier horsemen and women,” said Ford.
“Another complication is that some people have switched to cell phones, and their numbers are unlisted. If you don’t happen to know another family member or horseman that can point you in the right direction, it’s a real challenge trying to catch up with them.”
However, Ford did have the experience his earlier book, which did make the process of doing this one somewhat easier.
“In some cases there was a little bit of an advantage if people had seen the first book, or knew that I was interested in history / old photos,” he said. “Even suggestions of where to find other pictures or information can be helpful.”
With this book now finished the question Ford faces is whether he now thinks he has told the whole story of the work horse in Saskatchewan? Or is there more story yet to be told, which would mean a third book one day?
“I like the idea of putting out more books on draft horse history, and I can think of so much more that could be included,” said Ford.
“I’ve also had friends and family suggest that I gather up photos pertaining to other livestock and farming in the early years.
“As much as these ideas appeal to me, I’m quite cautious at predicting what will happen next.
“Of course, the interest in this book, and how it sells, will be a factor too.”
That said is Ford satisfied he has captured the draft horse as part of our heritage in the way he first dreamed when he started work way back on book one?
“For the most part yes,” he said. “It’s so easy to think of other topics or pictures that I’d like to have had or included, but I do feel as though I’ve made a reasonably decent start.”
In Yorkton copies of Harnessed to Our Hearts can be found at Coles in the Parkland Mall.
For anyone who is a little farther away and doesn’t shop regularly in Yorkton, Ford said he is happy to mail copies out, or direct them to a retailer in their area.
You may contact the author via email at clippity.clop1@gmail.com or visit his website; www.clippityclop.ca
