The horse crazy walk among us.
You may not even know who they are. They look normal, and act polite. But small triggers give them away.
They can’t drive by a pasture of horses without being pressed up against the glass.
They may have errant pieces of hay or shavings in their hair.
They ‘cluck’ at people when they have to get by in the grocery aisle.
They likely had posters of horses plastering their childhood rooms. Some may have been lucky enough to ride as a kid; others were resigned to books about horses and the odd ride on a friend’s horse. Some may have horses today. But there is one common trait – if you get them talking about horses, the passion comes it in their voice and in their eyes.
Getting them to stop talking is the tricky part.
Luckily, there’s Horse Haven. One of the fixtures of the Calgary Stampede, Horse Haven brings together 16 different breeds of horse in the Ag Barn. Each breed played a pivotal role in our history. Visitors are encouraged to get up close and personal with each of the horses, which also do daily breed demonstrations in the Northern Lights Arena.
In addition to chatting up the advocates for the different breeds, representatives from the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine will be on hand to discuss their innovative research with respect to horse health and performance.
Horse Haven Breed Demonstration Schedule:
Friday, July 8
12 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Appaloosa, Quarter Horse & Thoroughbred
1:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. Friesian & Tennessee Walking Horse
2 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Bashkir Curly, Morgan & Canadian Horse
Saturday, July 9
11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Welsh Pony/Cob & Peruvian Paso
4 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Bashkir Curly, Morgan & Canadian Horses
Sunday, July 10
9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Welsh Pony/Cob & Peruvian Paso
9:30 a.m. – 10 a.m. Appaloosa, Quarter Horse & Thoroughbred
11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Friesian & Tennessee Walking Horse
4 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Bashkir Curly, Morgan & Canadian Horse
Monday, July 11
4 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Bashkir Curly, Morgan & Canadian Horse
5 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Appaloosa, Quarter Horse & Thoroughbred
5:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. Welsh Pony/Cob & Peruvian Paso
Tuesday, July 12
10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Friesian & Tennessee Walking Horse
Wednesday, July 13
9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Appaloosa, Quarter Horse & Thoroughbred
9:30 a.m. – 10 a.m. Fjord, Paint Horse & Tennessee Walking Horse
10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Arabian, Standardbred, Paso Fino
Thursday, July 14
6 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Bashkir Curly, Morgan & Canadian Horse
6:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. Arabian, Standardbred, Paso Fino
Saturday, July 16
2:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. Appaloosa, Quarter Horse & Thoroughbred
3:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. Arabian, Standardbred, Paso Fino
Sunday, July 17
2:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. Arabian, Standardbred, Paso Fino
4:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. Bashkir Curly, Morgan & Canadian Horse
5:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. Appaloosa, Quarter Horse & Thoroughbred