Liz & Taylor a Fillie

Liz Ritchie of Saugeen Shores always had a passion for horses and knew she wanted to have a life in the country.

Although born in Toronto, she began working at an early age in the stables of the Stafford Farms in King City north of the city. Home to many famous racehorses and fourth on Canada's all-time leading stakes-winning owners, Liz did everything she could to learn the horse business. "I was with the Stafford Farms for 14 years," she says. "I started cleaning stables and ended up breaking and training horses."

Now, Ritchie is making her own mark in the world of horse breeding and ownership. Located on her 100-acre farm south of Port Elgin, the Ritchie Clydesdales have become a familiar featured attraction at many events throughout the area, including the now-famous Pumpkinfest, where her team takes tourists and locals alike on horse-drawn tours of the area.

No area parade is complete without Ritchie's Clydesdales and her miniature horses. "I began having miniature horses because of my two nieces. The older one, Melissa, was going into the Junior Championship showings at Rockton's World Fair and was getting quite a bit of attention. Her younger sister, Caitlyn was upset until she saw the miniature horses. What could I do? I bought one, a male called Stewart, and I now have four."

Along with the four miniatures, Ritchie has a herd of approximately 13 Clydesdales. It's with them that Ritchie is making her mark in the world of horses.

In the past, Ben, a young stallion, has placed 1st in the Junior Stallion category and 4th in the All-Canadians at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto. "He was actually a last minute replacement for his stable-mate who was slightly injured one week prior to the Fair. Ben had never been shown before and he came through like a trooper! His mother was also a career show horse who won at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) and his father was recently sold to a breeder in Prince Edward Island so he comes by it honestly."
 

"I had two that I sold to Anheuser Busch. I was showing at one of the regional fairs and unbeknownst to me, the man in charge of all horse operations for Busch was there. He found out where I lived and came up personally to arrange for the purchase. The horse's name was Chance but, when he was shipped to Florida, everyone kept referring to him as the Ritchie horse and now that's his name, Ritchie." The lead Clydesdale now at Sea World is also a Ritchie horse and a three-year old gelding has found a home in Illinois.

"I like the breeding and showing part of horse ownership but, to be honest, I find it's more fun to go to various events and interact with people." If the past years are any indication, Ritchie and her team have lots of fun. They attend functions such as the local Pumpkinfest in the fall, Milton's Christmas Promotion Week, the Maple Syrup Festival in Paisley and almost every parade held in the area. The horse-drawn wedding carriage has also become a very popular mode of transportation for brides and grooms during the summer.

Ritchie is also kept busy conducting summer tours in historic Southampton and is in preliminary discussions with the new Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre to enhance its heritage and historic aspect by having horse-drawn tours for visitors.

As President of the Bruce County Heritage Association, Ritchie believes in preserving the history of the past. "We have a Heritage Farm Steam show every August in Paisley where all the antique steam tractors and other historic farm collectibles are on display. Every year it gets bigger and better which tells me that there is a definite interest in the history of the area."

When asked if she would ever go back to the city, Ritchie laughs, "Absolutely not!"
 

Ritchie Miniature