2020 hALL OF FAME iNDUCTEES
"The Lights from our Past Illuminate our Future"
- Alfred Edwin (Eddie) Arnold - Manitoba 1989-2005
- Wreford Hewson - Ontario 1903 -1991
- Dale Rosenke - Alberta 1950 - 2013
- Thomas Daniel (Donnie) Tramble - Nova Scotia 1933 - 1985
nOW LETS READ ALL ABOUT THEM
ALFRED EDWIN (EDDIE) ARNOLD - MANITOBA
Eddie Arnold was born in Toronto in 1898. His long association with heavy horses started in 1918. He established the Croydon prefix in 1923 and this was synonymous with quality Clydesdales for over 60 years. Eddie was a strong supporter of the small local shows and often walked the horses to the shows in the early years. For several years he showed on the Western Canada show circuit and travelled between the cities on the train.Eddie showed at the Royal Winter fair in Toronto for forty years, up to 1984. That year Torrs Reformer, a colt Eddie had purchased at the 1983 Highland show in Scotland, was junior champion and reserve grand champion. Many times at the Royal his Croydon Clydesdale horses won the award for the best Canadian bred, born and raised.Eddie was a much sought after judge, and he judged many shows across the continent. He was a great influence on many breeders and show people, and was always willing to pass on his considerable knowledge of the Clydesdale horse. In particular he was very obliging and encouraging to the youth in the industry. If you were interested and listened he would take the time to educate you.Eddie was a director of the Manitoba Clydesdale Club for 40 years and also served as president. He was director of the Clydesdale Horse Association of Canada for 28 years and was president twice during this period. He was a long time member of the Manitoba Horse breeders and the Shoal Lake Agriculture Society. For many years he was on the Manitoba Heavy Horse Selection Committee for the Royal Winter Fair. In 1984 Eddie was inducted into the Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame for the many contributions to Agriculture in Manitoba. In 1992 he was conferred Canada’s Commemorative Medal for significant contribution to compatriots, community and Canada.As a breeder of champion Clydesdales, Eddie brought many awards to his farm and honor to his home town and province. What best characterized him was his willingness to advise and encourage others in the Clydesdale industry.
WREFORD HEWSON - ONTARIO
Wreford Hewson was born in Malton, Ontario in 1903 into a farming family raising Shorthorn cattle and using Clydesdales and Shires in the fields. Back then, the Hewson family showed horses that they had raised. Wreford’s grandfather won the Shire Progeny and Get of Sire at the 1922 Royal Winter Fair.As a teenager, Wreford had a fascination for raising rabbits. His dad told him he would give him a Clyde filly if he got rid of his rabbits. That was the beginning of a concentrated approach to Clydesdales.Wreford married his wife, Alice, in 1927. They raised two children – Mary and Albert. Wreford and Alice raised Clydesdales in Malton until 1971 when they purchased a farm in Beeton, Ontario. After the 1971 Royal, the horses were moved to the Beeton farm.Breeding, showing and importing was the main game at Beeton. Every year, Wreford would take a “vacation trip” to Scotland. In total, he imported around 130 Clydesdales.Wreford was worried about the future of the Clydesdale breed back in the 70’s and 80’s. He felt that people were only worried about how clean and close the Clydes’ hocks were and how close they moved. He was concerned that they weren’t looking at the whole horse. Most of Wreford’s champion mares were used in the hitches. They weren’t only halter horses, but had to carry harness as well. Wreford was a master at getting horses to move right. He would work away at shoeing, and making shoes to get things just right. He was also a good teacher. Not only did he tell you, but he would show you, then make you pick out the good and bad points of a horse just to prove you knew what you were talking about.Devastation struck in 1990. The barn in Beeton burned with a loss of thirty-nine horses, including 18 pregnant mares. The barn was reconstructed, but sadly Wreford never saw the barn finished, or the first foal born in that new barn. He passed away in April 1991.Wreford was a respected judge of the Clydesdale horse. He judged the Royal Highland in Scotland, the Clyde Show in Melbourne, Australia as well as numerous shows in North America.Wreford may be gone, but his “touch” is in almost every Clydesdale if you go back far enough. Thank you Wreford for being a forward thinker.
DALE ROSENKE - ALBERTA
Dale Rosenke was the eldest sibling in a family of fi v e. The early 70’s began what became a full time Clydesdale breeding operation. Two mares , Bonnie Argyle and Rasondale Lorna were purchased in 1970. Bonnie Argyle was the granddaughter of Balgreen Final Command. The first Clyde foal was born in 1971. This sparked Dale’s ambition to breed quality Clydesdales and improve the breed. In 1972 he purchased another half secti on of land west of Olds just below the Westerdale Church and this has been the home of Westerdale Clydesdales ever since. A daughter, Jean, was bornin 1974 and later a son, Greg, was born in 1977. In 1976 Dale jumped at the opportunity to purchase the imported stallion Bardrill Strathmore by Torrs Renown. He imported two mares, Glenord Choice and Glenord Melody, both by Glenord Comet. These horses built the structure of the foundation “Westerdale” mare line. If you asked Dale what was important to his breeding program he would tell you that heliked a horse with “a wide heel, beautiful flat hock, flat bones, soft silkier feather, strong over the top and smart between the ears.” Dale continued to breed his own mares while using outside stallions in the last few decades. He purchased C.I.E.Perfection by Doura Sensation in 1998. Before he passed away he was working on importing some genetics from Australia to add to his line. In the late 80’s he showed the home bred mare Westerdale Judy to Reserv e Jr. Champion Mare and Westerdale Winston to Grand Champion Stallion at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. His primary focus was halter horses but he had shown teams and carts as well.Over the years Dale had many horse visitors from all over the world . He spent a lot of time sharing his knowledge with new Clydesdale enthusiasts.There was always a big garden on his farm and he was very proud to be able to put a fully home cooked meal on the table. Dale loved nature and would work late at night jus t to enjoy the stars and memorize the constellations. On several occasions he would get the kids up out of bed just to show them porcupines in a tree, fireflies or the Northern lights.Dale loved all animals but especially the babies. There were always foals, calves, piglets, lambs, chicks, goslings, ducklings, puppies and kittens on his farm. He also loved children and not just his own but friend's and neighbour’s children as well. He was a skilled carpenter and built an oak heirloom cradle that was used forall five of his grandchildren. Dale had a special connection with his grandchildren and always had time to show them the latest surprise, which would often be a new foal, rooster or a nest of something.Dale passed away of cancer at home in 2013 at the age of 63.
THOMAS DANIEL (DONNIE) TRAMBLE - NOVA SCOTIA
Judge Thomas Daniel Tramble was born June 21, 1933 in the village of Monastery, Nova Scotia, a stone’s throw east of Antigonish. He was the oldest of four sons born to Joseph and Mary Tramble, and grew up on the homestead established by his great grandfather, George Tramble.Donnie was educated in local schools, and on the home farm with a variety of livestock. Farming as a career ended for Donnie in 1961 when he made a trip to a neighbours to borrow a wrench. He had left the pickup truck running and in neutral, and it began to roll away. In his effort to stop the truck, it rolled over him. The result was he was paralyzed from the waist down. While in rehab, and knowing that he could no longer farm for a livelihood, a decision was made to further his education. As Donnie would say, he made a pact with God: “Let me do something and you will never hear me complain”.The fall of 1962 saw Donnie enter St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish. With braces on his legs and on crutches, he was not shy about seeking assistance. He graduated from St. FX in 1966 and moved on to study law at Dalhousie University in Halifax where he graduated with his law degree in 1969. Following graduation, he returned to Monastery with his wife and built a home next to his parents on the farm. Donnie entered into law practise with the firm McInnis Meehan and Tramble in Antigonish. Although he enjoyed the practice of law, it did not give him a great deal of free time for family, the farm, and other interests. When offered the opportunity to become a Family Court Judge, Donnie accepted the position.
About 1973, Donnie decided to get a team of Clydesdale horses. The team consisted of a gelding and a mare named Belleau Silver Belle. He spoke with some other breeders in the province and brought them together to form the Nova Scotia Clydesdale Club in 1977. About this time, Donnie became the Maritime Director of the Clydesdale Horse Association of Canada. Discussions were held on securing a stallion for the use of the club. A colt, named Scotstoun’s Excelsior, was purchased through this program from Tom Bennie of Manitoba at the Royal Winter Fair in 1981. This horse went from the Royal to the Central Experimental Station in Ottawa until he was of breeding age. When he was of breeding age, he was stabled at Tramble’s Elm Glen Farm in Monastery for the use of club members in Nova Scotia. In 1983, Donnie was elected secretary of the Clydesdale Horse Association of Canada.Donnie urged the Nova Scotia Club to host a Clydesdale Show in Antigonish. The show was held in 1985 with a good turnout of horses. Tramble’s Elm Glen Farm was well represented with thirteen head. The following week, Donnie entered hospital with heart complications. Although he fought to carry on, he passed away on September 24, 1985. After his passing, the Clydesdales were sold at public auction and the stallion, Scotstoun’s Excelsior, was returned to the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa. St. Francis Xavier University established the Tramble Center of Accessible Learning in Donnie’s honor, and the Class of ’66 established a bursary in his name. In 2003, he was inducted in the St. Francis Xavier Hall of Fame.We are grateful for the virtues Donnie showed us during this far too brief time on this earth; his sociability, his wish to be of service to the community, his refusal to be knocked down by any challenge and his capacity to live a full and happy life.