The Cariboo Horses Analysis

At 100 Mile House the cowboys ride in rolling

stagey cigarettes with one hand reining

half-tame bronco rebels on a morning grey as stone

— so much like riding dangerous women

          with whiskey coloured eyes —

such women as once fell dead with their lovers

with fire in their heads and slippery froth on thighs

— Beaver or Carrier women maybe or

          Blackfoot squaws far past the edge of this valley

on the other side of those two toy mountain ranges

          from the sunfierce plains beyond

But only horses

                  waiting in stables

hitched at taverns

                  standing at dawn

pastured outside the town with

jeeps and fords and chevys and

busy muttering stake trucks rushing

importantly over roads of man’s devising

over the safe known roads of the ranchers

families and merchants of the town

                  On the high prairie

are only horse and rider

                  wind in dry grass

clopping in silence under the toy mountains

dropping sometimes and

                  lost in the dry grass

                  golden oranges of dung

Only horses

         no stopwatch memories or palace ancestors

not Kiangs hauling undressed stone in the Nile Valley

and having stubborn Egyptian tantrums or

Onagers racing thru Hither Asia and

the last Quagga screaming in African highlands

         lost relatives of these

         whose hooves were thunder

the ghosts of horses battering thru the wind

whose names were the wind’s common usage

whose life was the sun’s

         arriving here at chilly noon

         in the gasoline smell of the

         dust and waiting 15 minutes

         at the grocer’s

Not every poem wins the Governor General's award for poetry. "The Cariboo Horses," by Al Purdy, which won in 1962, provides a unique, old-fashioned view of the Cariboo.  The region, BC's slice of the old west, has moved past its cowboy era, but still holds on to something greater: its identity.  Many people in different places in our world have unique memories, deriving from the history of the town or city itself.   It is as if these memories are little pieces of nostalgia, that have been, and continue to be passed on for generations.  Perhaps one day, these memories will change the world.  Al Purdy is very successful in passing on these memories through the written word, using predominantly metaphors combined with imagery.  He does this to tell his story, his memories of the Cariboo.


The first three lines make or break most poems.  They must be engaging, but not overly mind-blowing to draw the reader in without overwhelming him/her.  In "The Cariboo Horses," Al Purdy does a great job with the first three lines, including a simile to give the reader a clear picture of what life was like in the Cariboo when the cowboys were still around: "At 100 Mile House the cowboys ride in rolling/stagey cigarettes with one hand reining/
half-tame bronco rebels on a morning grey as stone." This simile is not overpowering, however, it is engaging enough to make the reader want to continue reading the poem.  Mr. Purdy then shows that he is very clever, immediately using another simile: "— so much like riding dangerous women
/with whiskey coloured eyes —."  He uses this simile to connect his first three lines to the next line and, in fact, to connect the first four lines to the rest of his award-winning poem.  At the end of the first stanza, the author uses a metaphor and some very vivid imagery in the final three lines to give the reader a better idea of the surrounding area including the mountains and the plains: "Blackfoot squaws far past the edge of this valley/on the other side of those two toy mountain ranges/from the sunfierce plains beyond."  Mr. Purdy first compares the mountains to toys, perhaps they are small, or formed so perfectly, that one cannot tell the difference.  Then, Mr. Purdy describes the surrounding plains as sunfierce, or possibly in other words, on the receiving end of the sun's powerful rays.  Mr. Purdy uses the first stanza as an introduction to his poem, not immediately focusing on the horses mentioned in the title.  I believe that this shows a higher level of understanding of what makes a great poem, by Al Purdy, which, as an experienced poet, should have.

The second stanza begins with the author focusing on the diminishing importance of horses in the Cariboo.  The past, where horses were the principal mode of transportation is lone gone, emphasized by the following: "with/jeeps and fords and chevys and/busy muttering stake trucks rushing/importantly over roads of man’s devising."  Mr. Purdy believes that the reason that horses have become obsolete in the Cariboo is because of mankind.  I believe that he is correct, because as mankind has evolved, human innovation and invention have made many tools and animals useless to our species, as better versions of the previous objects are constantly being created.  

Next, Mr. Purdy explains to the reader how the horse and the rider share a bond that no inanimate object can provide.  The horse and the rider, can lose themselves in the Cariboo with a little bit of time.  The following phrase provides two metaphors and an onomatopoeia give the reader an idea of what this bond is made of: "only horse and rider/wind in dry grass/clopping in silence under the toy mountains/dropping sometimes and/ lost in the dry grass/golden oranges of dung."  The ability to lose oneself in the Cariboo is the evident theme in this section of the poem, as the author allows the reader to, perhaps, reminisce about his/her hometown/home region and to consider what memories could flow from there, through the written word or through stories passed down, generation to generation. 

Finally, in the third stanza, the author talks about how the horses have their own history in 100 mile house, and other areas around the world.  The author helps the reader realize that the horses are not aware of their species' past; a creature completely oblivious of how distinguished it is, among other animals. Mr. Purdy uses the following lines and a metaphor to create this theme: "Only horses/no stopwatch memories or palace ancestors."  The ending is tied back into the Cariboo, and gives the horses an opportunity to create a legacy in the Cariboo going forward.  Perhaps this time, freedom will be their goal, which will allow them to follow in the hoof prints (haha) of their ancestors.  

I believe that "The Cariboo Horses" epitomizes life in 100 mile house and the Cariboo.  The identity in this barren region of British Columbia is one of hard work, as the transition from the old west left the region with an outdated identity and economy, one that needed (and still needs) to move into the present, as forestry and especially ranching (its main industries) are beginning to become less useful in the modern world.  Although it could be argued that "The Cariboo Horses," which was written 54 years ago, is highly outdated and not relevant to the modern world, including too much nostalgia and failing to provide good insight about life in the Cariboo today.  However, I believe that the recurring themes in this poem are highly pertinent to life the modern world, whether you are living in the Cariboo or not.  The two most powerful themes include: hard work in any setting paves the way to success and mankind is destroying/neglecting animals and older inventions because of newer, (supposedly) better inventions.  The first theme stands out for me, because more than every in human history, it is important to, as an individual, be able to differentiate yourself from others with relatively similar skill sets.  There is no better way to do this than working harder than your competitor.  Plain and simple: "hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work." The second one stands out for me because, as humans in today's world, we must give our children a bright future, and that starts with giving them a clean planet where they can strive to become the best they can be.  However, if we as humans continue to throw out all of our old products that still work (eg. appliances), our children will have a lessened opportunity to succeed in the real world, due to increasing pollution from an astronomical population.  All in all, I think that this poem is well written and highly pertinent to today and the future, despite the fact that it was written over half a century ago.