A Horse of a Different Color: Diverse Breeds Are Many on Mackinac
by Candice C. Dunnigan

Moons ago, when I began writing this column for the Mackinac Island Town Crier, my idea was to introduce readers to many of the different horses, breeds, and colors that could be found on Mackinac Island in any given summer. The idea was also to make this column a compilation of local stories about horses and people, as well as information and educational aspects of horsemanship. This year, with the help of the Mackinac Horsemen's Association, there will at last be a program that hopefully will be able to present a lot of that information for horse enthusiasts, all in one place.

"A Horse of a Different Color, a Horse of a Different Breed" will take place Wednesday, July 18, starting at 6 p.m. in the Mary Milton Riding Ring at Great Turtle Park. The event is open and free for everyone. All that is asked, if you happen to be there with a dog, is please keep it on a leash.

Anyone who has ever been to a horse exposition will be able to detect how much the Stallion Rows and those Horse Halls of Fame have influenced the format of this program. The Royal Winter Fair in Toronto, Canada, The Equine Affair in Columbus, Ohio, and The MSU Horse Expo in Lansing all have an educational breed "show and tell." These are a great way to see a specific type of horse, up close and in action. People begin to understand about the different characteristics, as well as shared similarities, of these animals. It's also a good way to see if you are interested in buying a particular breed. The horses enter a ring with a handler and are walked, ridden, or driven while someone narrates information.

An Appaloosa horse and a Connemara pony are among the breeds found on Mackinac Island.

In a few instances, the animals that will be at Turtle Park are, or have been, show animals. In most cases, they're not, yet for Mackinac, they're the best and possibly the only representatives of their breed who are here. The event is also a good chance to ask questions about the horses. There are a good number of nice horses of differing types.

What kinds of horses are on Mackinac? Many kinds. Several years ago, my daughter and I came up with 28 different ones, adding the "unique colored" to the spectrum. Since then, numbers have changed. You never know - when a new horse arrives, it could be the only one of its breed on Mackinac.

Belgian drafts are the most numerous of horses in our very large draft pool. In the old days, it was Standardbreds. Our two riding stables in town, Cindy's and Jack's, have the most Quarter horse and Quarter horse cross riding horses found on this Island. Within them are some color categories, i.e. Palomino, Buckskin, and Cremello. The stables also have a good many Pintos, Tobianos, and Overos (these are colors), as well as a wide and interesting variety of Appaloosas.

As far as popular horses privately owned by cottagers, tastes have changed since 1907. Back then Tennessee Walkers and lean, elegant Saddlebreds dominated the Bluffs as well as the Annex. A few still exist, but not as in prior decades. The Thoroughbreds were here, too, but today there is only one seasonal Thoroughbred (who is a larger, heavier version than what typically comes to mind), who serves as a personal saddle horse. Morgans, too, were once quite popular horses, owned by the summering set and also by residents in town.

Arabians have always been a stand-by, and there are still a number of them, and of Arab crosses, here every year. The once-exclusive exotic black Fresians from the Netherlands have become a new trend for some cottagers today. One can find quite a few of them who live both on the East and West Bluff these days, with a dedicated and loyal following. Truly one of the rarest breeds, that only a small number of American horsefolk have ever even seen, is a Norwegian Fjord pony. Surprisingly, one happily has lived here for several summers, and is used as a well-loved family horse. Last year on Mackinac, there was also an Icelandic pony.

Regarding ponies, these small equines have always been around in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Ponies have been synonymous with children, including children from all over the Island, town, the Village, the Annex, British Landing, and the Bluffs. Sheltands have always been numerous on Mackinac, and there have been Welsh ponies, both big and small. Currently, there are now two distinct breeds who enjoy the summer here, a Haflinger pony and an 3/4 Irish Connemara. The Haflinger, Blaze, made news last year in a feature because he had achieved year-around residency status.

Last, but not least, Mackinac Island has some very fine Hackney horses. It seems there have always been Hackneys, dating from early cottager days and Grand Hotel's heyday of the 1940s, when the Island term "Where Horse is King" evolved. Today, two cottagers on the West Bluff each have pairs of the lithe, high-stepping blacks. There also are four beautiful bays of Grand Hotel, owned by the Musser family. Hackneys are in use in town; many pull the special carriages used for weddings, and there are those bred by Dr. William Chambers and Mackinac Island Carriage Tours. Wonderful draft and crossed draft driving horses round out the horse picture on Mackinac.

The agenda July 18 hopes to help illustrate the equine diversity that exists on this Island. The MHA has only scratched the surface with this initial program; there will be at least a dozen to view and learn. Who knows, maybe MHA will do one only on "horses of color" next time. In any event, it should be informative as well as entertaining, so please come. Students from the summer riding programs will be on hand to help.

Hope to see you there!

Candice Dunnigan in an active member of the American Equestrian Association, the Waterloo Hunt, and the Mackinac Horsemen's Association. Seasonally she resides at Easterly Cottage.