Ronnie Davidson: Some Kind of Magic

When it came to preparing and presenting a line horse, there was no doubt that Ronnie Davidson was the man for the job.

A man and woman standing in an indoor arena.

Ronnie and Maura. (photo courtesy Maura Watson)

Judges rewarded his efforts, competitors envied his abilities and the horses, well the horses thought he was magical. With 11 Governor General’s Cup wins in the years between 1975 and 2016 as well as a Lieutenant’s Cup win and hundreds of other line horse accolades, it was a lucky horse who had Ronnie as it’s handler.

Ronnie Davidson passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on March 16th, 2025. He was 79 years old and, in those years, lived an extraordinary life filled with his love for horses.

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That love really began at a very young age when Ronnie started helping his father, Joseph Davidson, who had been hired by Mayburry Farms in Aylmer, Quebec. Joe was a very good horseman and from him Ronnie learned the art of handling and showing Captain Mayburry’s young horses. He also began to develop a unique style of presenting a horse on the line, and did so to high acclaim.

The Ottawa Valley Hunt was also based out of Mayburry’s and it wasn’t too long before 12-year-old Ronnie learned how to lay the drag for the hunt with friends and mentors Col. McKibbon and his wife Brenda. Since the McKibbon’s had three daughters, Ronnie filled in as surrogate son and accompanied the family on outings and trips. As time went on, Ronnie was responsible for the training and care of the hunt horses.

By 1965, Ronnie knew he was going to make a career in horses. Adding to his already growing repertoire of handling, riding, training and showing, he was about to add the next logical progression, the art of shoeing. He headed to the Pitt Technical Institute in North Carolina where he spent eight months learning the trade.

Through the late ’60’s and into the ’70’s, line horse showing filled Ronnie’s days. He would show anything on the line, from mares and stallions to all young stock, and his success earned him a growing reputation.

An old photo of a man showing a line horse.

Ronnie certainly had a ‘style’ of showing in hand – but it was extremely effective. Here he is showing Tidnish Bay, who was owned by Helen Douglas and Carrie Bova. (photo courtesy Maura Watson)

In 1975, Ronnie made his debut at the Royal Winter Fair, showing horses for Ted Leggett. Ted owned Copanspin Farms and bought Ronnie his first sports jacket to wear in the ring. Ronnie showed Safari Winter, Kindle Court and Constance Bay to great success that year.

Ronnie had a gift for bringing out the very best in a horse. Horses responded to his unique style and technique, and it did not go unnoticed by fellow competitors and handlers. Tommy Jay, a Dwyer Hill manager and later friend of Ronnie’s, said, “We can’t beat him, so we’ll ask him to join us.”

By the late 1970’s, Ronnie was working for Dwyer Hill Farms and he and Tommy became fast friends. By then, Ronnie was an integral part of not only showing the Dwyer Hill line horses, but assisting in the breeding program as well.

Ronnie’s professional life was on track, and his personal life was about to have a little magic added in. Ronnie met his lifelong partner, Maura Watson, at Dwyer Hill, where Maura was working as a groom and Ronnie was shoeing horses.

One day at the Winter Snowflake series Maura saw Ronnie across the ring and even though both were dating other people, Maura couldn’t take her eyes off the handsome blacksmith. Before long, she was holding horses for him and always made sure her hair was washed and she was wearing the beautiful sweater her mother had given her.

One day Ronnie found out that a Dwyer Hill boarder was going to ask Maura out on a date, and he quickly confronted the fellow and said, “I don’t think so!” They took the budding relationship slowly and it wasn’t until 1978 that they went out on their first date. Maura and Ronnie developed an amazing relationship and remained devoted to one another. In July of 2011 they were married at a small church in Richmond, Ontario.

A man of many talents, Ronnie retired as a farrier in 2012. (photo courtesy Maura Watson)

Ronnie’s fame spread and as a horseman he was recruited by countless competitors, breeders and owners who asked for his opinion on everything from imported stallions, young horses and performance hopefuls. As a farrier, Ronnie was often consulted by veterinarians, competitors and breeders, not only for accurate shoeing options, but advice on bloodlines which produced sound and correct horses from birth.

After years of being a fixture at Dwyer Hill Farm, Ronnie and Maura left in 1984 and after a couple of short stays at other farms moved to Roads End Stables in Richmond. From this farm base they would attend all the breeder shows offered in Ontario and Quebec, often handling horses in every class the shows offered. Ronnie was always eager for a road trip and would often turn to Maura and say, “Let’s go woman, we’ve got horses to see.”

For Ronnie, the Royal Winter Fair was the pinnacle of Canadian line horse showing and he had his first Governor General’s Cup win in 1989 handling Between Times, the entry of Diane Pampararo. In 1991 came a double Cup win with a horse named Take Two, the entry of Kay and Peter Leach. In 2000, it was a win with the legendary Popeye K, an entry of Ashland Farms in Ottawa. The next win for Ronnie was another Ashland Farm entry, Roman K. What followed from there was an historic run of seven more GG wins for Ronnie with horses that included Bellagio, Abbey Road, Haute Couture, Aritzia, Sweet Bee, Dragonet and Secret Ambition. Ronnie was also highly successful at Devon in the oval with Aritzia, taking a third-place award, and a second with Secret Ambition.

What really set Ronnie apart from every other handler was his artistic technique of setting a horse up for presentation, not to mention his ability to “read” each horse he handled (see the Horse Sport article ‘Line Horse Tips with Ronnie Davidson‘). His philosophy was simple: The horse must stand still and not creep either forward or back. He would eye the horse, command its attention by chucking the lead or reins and when the horse was focussed, he would bring his hand out towards the muzzle and as the horse’s head would drop, the withers would come up.

Horses of every breed, every discipline, young or old would instinctively respond to Ronnie. Of course, there was always a bit of carrot in his hand as a reward because as he would say, “You can’t keep asking them to do something for nothing”.

In 2012, Ronnie retired from his farrier business, but he continued to show for another four years. Even after he officially left the ring, both Ronnie and Maura would be familiar and welcome faces at the many line shows and Cup qualifiers.

Ronnie’s pursuit of excellence in the ring continues to live on in the many handlers he has educated along the way. Through his clinics, demonstrations and one-on-one assistance, Ronnie has left a legacy as to the fine art of handling a horse the right way. The man indeed had a kind of magic.