Click photo to enlarge
Colin Drummond, of Erewhon Station, leads a procession of
three horse-drawn wagons along Birchwood Rd, near Omarama,
this week. Photo by Stephen Jaquiery.
When it comes to holidays, Colin Drummond is not a fan of
sitting on a beach.
"The first day's all right, the second day's average.
"After that . . .", the quietly spoken Canterbury farmer
mused, as he prepared to harness up a six-horse team.
Mr Drummond would much prefer to be out in the high country,
travelling in a wagon pulled by a team of Clydesdale horses.
This week, he and a group of other Clydesdale enthusiasts
have been travelling in three wagons around the Omarama area.
The Canterbury Clydesdale Club tries to have at least one
trek each year, and the spectacular sight of a bygone era
attracts plenty of interest from any passers-by.
As they prepared to leave Ben Avon Station in the Ahuriri
Valley on Thursday, Mr Drummond said it was a relaxing
holiday.
While he could switch off from farming, there was always
something to do, whether it was holding on to the reins or
teaching someone else to drive.
Horses play a major role in daily farming life on the remote
14,164ha Erewhon Station, owned by Mr Drummond and his wife
Christine, at the headwaters of the Rangitata River.
They have about 45 horses on the property, including
registered Clydesdales along with half and quarter-draughts.
Using teams of horses for farm work like ploughing, discing
and sowing crops was an easy way of giving a lot of horses
some work.
While a tractor and modern machinery could often do a job
quicker, "you just make the time", Mr Drummond said.
"Get out of bed a bit earlier in the morning and you find you
can get a bit more done.
"We always seem to get the crops in on time."
Mr and Mrs Drummond also exhibited their horses at several
shows, including the Canterbury A and P Show where they
usually entered about nine or 10.
As with any type of farming, Mr Drummond said they were
always trying to improve the quality of their stock.
The quality of Clydesdales in Canterbury was "right up
there", he said.
There was a lot of interest in the heavy horses from the
public - "a bit of mystique maybe".
The youngest trek participant was Emily Stroobant, from
Helensville, who rode on Mr Drummond's wagon accompanied by
her father Paul, who is secretary of the Clydesdale Horse
Society of New Zealand.
Emily was 8 when she rode Erewhon Bert, a towering 18hh
Clydesdale, at the Canterbury A and P Show in November.
She competed against adults in the ridden class, which
brought applause from the crowd.
The wide, open country of the Omarama area was a novelty for
the Stroobants and it was a "trip of a lifetime" for the
pair, Mr Stroobant said.
Ian Tooley (72), who lives near Oxford, enjoyed seeing the
backcountry during treks.
He has done nine of the Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust's
cavalcades.
His wagon was pulled by Lady, a veteran with 32 treks under
her girth, and the novice Rose, who was on her first trek and
performing very well.
He was accompanied by Frances Myatt (78), from Christchurch,
who fell off a horse when she was 72 and was told she would
never walk again.
"But I fooled them all", she said with a broad grin.
Once discharged from hospital, she went on a trek.
She has a miniature horse at home, which pulls a cart, and
that "keeps me out of the chair", she said.
The trek ended yesterday at Omarama.
