After the success of showcasing Canada’s Hot Docs entries during the the Pandemic, CBC Television is now presenting a new feature length documentary that tells the extraordinary story of one woman’s passionate quest to the heart of the Canadian Prairies to rescue Scotland’s majestic Clydesdale horse from the edge of extinction.
Clydesdale: Saving the Greatest Horse will air in prime time on Thursday 14 January at 8pm/8:30pm in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The documentary follows the dramatic and emotional three-year journey by renowned Scottish designer, Janice Kirkpatrick, as she attempts to reinvigorate the dwindling Scottish herd of Clydesdales horses - famed for their white-feathered feet and for hauling Budweiser beer.
“There’s a perfection about Clydesdales. They are incredible athletes, incredibly graceful in their movement. Just big personalities. It makes you feel small and humbled and incredibly privileged to be with them. They’re beautiful, they are just beautiful.”
On a whim, Kirkpatrick decides to buy a Clydesdale. But she can’t find a pure black one anywhere in Scotland. She wonders why.
As she begins digging, Kirkpatrick discovers that the Clydesdale was one of the most influential breeds in the world. It changed the course of history by powering the agricultural and industrial revolutions. It fought in the First World War. It played a role in the creation of the concept of “horse-power” for engines and vehicles.
Kirkpatrick also finds out that, over the course of a century, the Scots bred the Clydesdale into the perfect workhorse.
“The breed was born in the Clyde Valley to the southwest of Glasgow. Everything that came from the Clyde was of incredible quality. You know, the ships, the locomotives, steam engines, and the Clydesdale horse.”
The horse was so sought after it was sold across the globe to countries like Australia, Russia, the United States and Canada. The most prized were the pure blacks.
Kirkpatrick also discovers that these giant and iconic horses are on the verge of what many call the “vortex of extinction” in the very place where they were first bred – Scotland.
“There’s something good in something that’s lasted that length of time and had that much effort put into its creation,” says Kirkpatrick. “That’s why it’s important not to let it dwindle and die - because there is so much in it that’s worth saving.”
Her plan is simple: Find the lost black Clydesdales and bring them home.
In a fascinating journey from the Clyde Valley to the heart of the Canadian Prairies, Kirkpatrick uncovers the true story of the Clydesdale horse, and traces a Canadian family who’ve protected the ancient black Clydesdale bloodlines for five generations.
With this discovery she may have unlocked the secret to reviving the Scottish herd and changed her own life forever.
A herd of Clydesdales race across the Prairies near Scott, Saskatchewan where Janice Kirkpatrick finds her elusive black horse to bring back to Scotland