CLYDESDALES ARE THE GENTLE GIANTS OF THE HORSE WORLD AND HAVE BEEN A FOCUS OF FASCINATION FOR GEMLIFE WOODEND HOMEOWNER JOHN BURNS FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE, ESPECIALLY DURING THE PAST DECADE.
“I remember my grandfather ploughing his paddocks in the Victorian Mallee district with a team of eight Clydesdales, which is probably where I first became interested in these fabulous stock horses,” said John.
However, John admits, his interest in Clydesdales peaked after he met prominent Clydesdale stud breeder, Max Marriott, at the 2014 Melbourne Royal Show.
“Max was such an inspiration and convinced me to experience working with Clydesdales firsthand. He tried his hand at driving horses as a young man in the 1950s after his parents bought a pair of Clydesdales to pull their fruit and vegetable carts to the markets,” John explained.
“Eventually Max mastered the art of draught horse driving which involves attaching a horse to a cart, carriage or other vehicle and using the reins to control their pace. I was so captivated by it all, I quickly accepted his offer to train me in driving these magnificent steeds at the Benalla Heavy Horse Driving Day which is held in May each year.”
Max, who died earlier this year, was renowned for passing on his decades of knowledge to others interested in showing and driving horses, according to John.
“He also passed his skills on to his children and grandchildren who have followed in his footsteps and drive horses competitively.”
John holds Max in high regard for taking him under his wing and introducing him to the sport of heavy horse long-rein driving.
He explained the competition involves driving or steering a Clydesdale, that stands 18 to 20 hands high and weighs up to 900kg, using long reins whilst walking up to two metres behind the horse through an obstacle course consisting of a serpentine of witches hats and several formations of logs lying flat on the ground.
“It took a while for me to learn, and I was disqualified in my first event because I forgot the course and went the wrong way, which was a ‘no, no’! However, I’ve taken the right course and been in control of my horse, Image, (loaned to me by Max) ever since. That has scored me a first and second place as well as a novice encouragement award at Benalla and I couldn’t have been happier,” said John.
Clydesdales have often been referred to as the horse that built Australia, having been an important and popular working horse at the turn of the 20th century.
“It was originally used for draught power, both in farming and in road haulage. It is now principally a carriage horse and can be ridden or driven in parades or processions,” said John.
At 79, John is planning to compete at the Benalla Heavy Horse Driving Day event again next year saying he loves to compete, and it is only two hours away from his home at GemLife Woodend which makes it so easy to get to.
“It is not just competing and having a win, it’s more about the fun aspect of competing.”
John’s other interests include golf, lawn bowls and attending agricultural shows, and since moving into GemLife Woodend, which is just 15km from the Kyneton racecourse as well as being close to where the Hanging Rock race meetings are held, the self-professed horse enthusiast is a frequent visitor to local race meetings.
“Hanging Rock is a quirky, country racecourse, so much so that you can only see the horses for about 60 percent of the race before they disappear behind trees. Often organisers also have to chase the kangaroos away. One year, they actually hopped onto the track with the horses. It looked like they were trying to run in the race as well which left organisers hopping mad,” chuckled John.