The mid-1900s were the end of an era, when automobiles and technology were finally becoming a more common method of transportation than horses. A mechanical horse was brought to life in Swift Current more than 70 years ago, bridging the two worlds together in a unique and innovative way. The existing creation was the third model by local inventor William J. McIntyre, created around 1952. The horse, Blowtorch, was made out of sheet metal with wheels hidden under the hooves, along with a brake cable and foot throttle. Karla Rasmussen, operations manager at the Western Development Museum (WDM) Moose Jaw, shared that Blowtorch is currently on display at the WDM Moose Jaw and is always a fan-favourite attraction. "A nine-horsepower gasoline-powered engine provided the actual horsepower, and its legs would actually slide back and forth," she said. "It's been documented that McIntyre rode the mechanical steed at local fairs, [like Frontier Days], where its peculiar lurching gate delighted crowds. "Interest was very widespread, it's even said that Walt Disney himself wrote to inquire about Blowtorch." The mechanical horse has been featured on display in Vancouver at Expo 86, in the Grey Cup Parade in Toronto, and in the Red River Exhibition in Winnipeg. "After McIntyre's death in 1965, Blowtorch was kind of put out to pasture," Rasumussen added. "He was almost forgotten, and the elements started to take their toll. "That's when Allan Jacobs, a welder at McIntyre's shop, spotted the tired horse and decided to do something about it." After years of neglect, Jacobs, along with McIntyre's son, Jim McIntyre, worked to tidiously repair and restore Blowtorch before Jim donated the horse to the WDM in the 70s. The City of Swift Current notes that the Blowtorch Song, written by William McIntyre, goes as follows; "Give me a steel horse the old farmer cried So a hammer and wrench will fix his inside A Hoss that eats fuel as hot as the sun That burns up our hay before it’s begun. Here comes Blowtorch, blowing smoke and flame Dancing, prancing iron horse, flowing tail and mane Coming down the home stretch, parading thru the town None can touch old Blowtorch for miles and miles around And Oh for a horse that doesn’t eat hay The fair damsel cried, now dobbin’s away: A sweet smelling horse, a stableman’s dream No trick to keep barn and city streets clean."