Road Trip Memories 6 – The World’s Largest Horse Ankle Bone

Note: Road Trip Memories is a series on Traveler Ahoy where I look back at the various things I’ve seen and done on past road trips.

I love stopping off at cheesy road side attractions. If it says The World’s Largest or The World’s Smallest or The World’s Strangest I’m there. This probably stemmed from the road trips I used to take with my family – as a child I always appreciated a chance to get out of the car and see something new.

One of the strangest things I’ve come across on a road trip is the world’s largest bunnock, or horse ankle bone, in Macklin, Saskatchewan. The structure isn’t an actual horse ankle bone, but a fiber glass replica which stands 32 feet tall. Why does this small town have a giant replica of a horse ankle bone? Well it stems from the game bunnock which was invented by Russians in Siberia. It is similar to horse shoes, but they found horse shoes wouldn’t stick properly in the frozen ground. Instead they invented a new game using horse ankle bones and called it bunnock. Macklin hosts the World’s Bunnock championship each August. Today the game uses plastic pieces instead of horse bones.

World’s largest bunnock – horse ankle bone. Don’t worry it’s just a replica.

If you find yourself in Macklin, Saskatchewan or you’re around the area you can see the world’s largest bunnock at the junction of highways 14 and 31. Now that you know what it is you won’t just drive by and think “what the heck is that?”

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