The History of CHARMD....
In July 1993, twelve individuals met in Edmonton with the goal of creating a group that would educate people about the Canadian Horse and provide a community for owners and lovers alike. From this meeting, the Canadian Horse Association Rocky Mountain District was born.
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Immediately upon its creation CHARMD set about an ambitious plan to promote this little known breed and they did a fantastic job!! They brought their horses to the Calgary Stampede and Spruce Meadows and a breed booth was set up. The horses participated in parades and demonstrations and the Telus Battle of the Breeds. Most Canadian Horse lovers from the west will tell you that’s where they saw their first Canadian Horse.
They also decided that the club MUST have one show per year in order to bring our membership together and improve our horses. The original members were not seasoned showman so they made education a mandate of the club. The first show was held at the Windfield Fair grounds close to Alfred Cartiers farm. This humble show consisted of several horses brought straight from Alfreds pasture to be in the halter classes and 2 riding participants – Gary Ayre on his stallion “Prince” and Suzanne Spierenburg riding Alfreds stallion “Fox”
Our club was the envy of a lot of other clubs because we were all about enjoying our time with our Canadian horses and our club members. The club was all about being inclusive and having fun. Our membership will tell you that they have many fond memories of club functions and have made many lifelong friends, all the while spreading awareness about Canada’s best kept secret, our Little Iron Horse the “Canadian Horse”
- Suzanne Spierenberg