The Rural Voice, 1983-02, Page 9be born.
This year five mares were bred and
four will foal in the spring. Already
Herb is contemplating breeding all his
stock to meet the recent demand for the
breed.
The key to healthy horses is a clean
barn. Herb's son, Dirk, says the horse
has huge lungs to feed his muscular
frame and because of this build, a
horse is susceptible to lung disorders. It
is vitally important the humidity and the
dust be kept to a minimum.
Dust can be a big problem if the hay
is not properly dried before being put
into the barn. The moisture attracts
fungus and molds which can send up a
shower of dust particles when the horse
eats from his manger. In nature, horses
feed off of dried grasses outside and
don't have to contend with dust prob-
lems.
Training begins within a few days of
birth. The foals are introduced to the
halter and handled daily by the people
tending them. The foals grow accus-
tomed to the presence of people in the
barn and around them and come to look
forward to the company.
By the time a colt reaches its third
birthday it is time to start introducing
the weight of a rider. Herb is presently
breaking in the youngest stallion and
after showing him off for the camera he
nimbly leaps onto his back and squires
the black beauty back to his stall.
Once the animal becomes comfort-
able with Herb's weight on his back it
is time to tackle the matter of a saddle.
According to Dirk, the horse objects to
the wide belt or girth that holds the
saddle in place.
On the Boettcher farm, the compact
english style of saddle is used. The
familiar western saddle we in North
America use, is not evident in Europe
and the Trakehners are trained in the
European fashion.
Once out of the barn and into the
Boettcher home, visitors immediately
note their interest in the Trakehner
horse.
Herb has a flair for sketching and
painting and amid the photos of riders
and their mounts and strong Trakehners
pulling wagons, are sketches and water
colours of some of the horses raised
under the loving hand of the Boett-
chers.
The history of the breed is an
exciting one. Last year marked the
anniversary of the breed. For 250 years,
the ancestry of the horse has been
registered formally but farmers in the
old area of East Prussia kept their own
records and some of the lineage goes
back to the 1600's with a few gaps due
to the wars taking place in Europe.
The area of Ontario here is quite
similar to where the horses come from
W.G. HAYTER
in VARNA
TOP PRICES PAID
for
SEED BARLEY
SEED OATS
SEED CORN
CALL US WHEN YOU
HAVE GRAIN FOR SALE
THE RURAL VOICE, FEBRUARY 1983 PG. 9