We would like to acknowledge that the Alberta Mountain Horses inhabit the traditional lands of the Stoney lyethkabi, (mountain) people.

Every year we take time on November 11 to mark a somber occasion and take time to remember our brave men and women who have fought and died for the freedom that we have in this country. We must also remember and say thank you to all those that still serve in armed forces to protect our freedom, even today.

We also strongly believe in taking the time to reflect on all the animals that have died in all of these conflicts trying to serve us and protect us.

The red poppy signifies our respect for our veterans who sacrificed their lives for our country and the purple poppy signifies our gratitude for all the animals that have served us in our fight for freedom.

Some of the Alberta Mountain Horses roaming free and wild in our Alberta foothills and mountains are direct descendants of horses that were rounded up and sent overseas to be used in World War I. 480,000 horses died in World War 1 (WWI), three-quarters of them from the extreme conditions they worked in. At the start of the war, the British Army had 25,000 horses. Another 115,000 were purchased compulsorily under the Horse Mobilization Scheme. Over the course of the war, between 500 and 1,000 horses were shipped to Europe every day. Canada sent about 130,000 horses overseas during WWI. By the end of the war, Canada had provided well over 10 per cent of the horses used on the Western Front.

Although many horses were taken from farms and ranches hundreds of others were wild horses that were rounded up by government wranglers in areas around the Red Deer River and YaHa Tinda. Glenbow archives records shows pictures of these roundups.

Besides the horses used in battle, there were dogs, donkeys, mules and birds that were part of the war and tried to help us in our fight for freedom. Millions of animals died in the war due to shelling, poisonous gas, disease and starvation. None of the wild horses that were rounded up and sent overseas ever came home.

The Saddle Society has published an article by Goran Stankovski, (The Horse Heroes of World War 1 – Unsung Warriors) that shows the massive impact that horses played in World War 1 and the devastating toll it took on these horses lives. The massive numbers reveals how dependent even modern armies were of animals. evens as machines emerged. It also raises moral and emotional issues: animals “had no choice” yet suffered enormously. How we remember them (or fail to) matters.

The sacrifice that was made by not only our soldiers, but all the animals that served with them and knowing that our wild Alberta Mountain Horses were part of this history is one of the reasons I still fight so hard for them. They represent the spirit of freedom and strength that helped shape our country. We need to give these magnificent animals the respect they deserve for being a part of our cultural history.

Thank you.