Percheron Profiles

“Big Ben” is our most recent addition to the team. At just age five he stands 19.1 hands and weighs 2,450 lbs. Currently, the tallest Percheron in the world stands 19.3 hands, so Ben is not far behind. He came from the same show hitch as King, serving as a big wheeler in that eight horse hitch. Despite his height, Ben matches up well with Major or Colonel and will be getting “the call” quite regularly, especially if Major moves to the swing team.  Draft horses are often described as “gentle giants”. Ben definitely fits that description. His favorite pastimes are eating and being petted, but don’t let that fool you. When it’s show time, Ben is always ready to go.

Colonel is a big, impressive wheel horse and is probably the most athletic horse in the hitch. He was purchased as a three year old with intentions of being used as a lead horse, but he grew and matured so much that he ended up joining the wheel team. He is pretty much the “class clown” of the team, always wanting attention. He loves stretching his neck out in the hope of getting petted or scratched. But when it’s hitching time, Colonel is all business and does a great job.

Duke can best be described as our “utility horse”. He has worked in every hitch position and always does a great job. Recently, his main position has been in the lead with Willie. Duke is built very much like the old style Percherons, very heavy boned with great muscularity. He is very laid back, but once the harness goes on he becomes “Super Horse” and the driver had better be ready to hang on.

King is one of our three new horses and has stepped right into the hitch doing a super job.  King is a very beautiful horse with lots of style and presence which led to his very successful show career prior to coming to our hitch.  Just one year ago, he was Champion Junior Cart Horse at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, one of the best draft horse shows in the country.  Although we have been running King with Sam in most of our recent hitches, he will probably move to the lead position in the near future.

Major is the classic wheel horse: big, strong and impressive, standing over 18 hands and weighing more than a ton. He seems to gets everyone’s attention when we are on exhibit. His loving nature and calm demeanor make him a favorite of his handlers.  Major has been the “rock” of the hitch for four years now and has never missed a performance. With the addition of some new young horses, he will probably get a break now and then, and maybe even move to the swing position where he won’t have to work so hard.

“Sam the Man” is what we call him!  A great hitch horse with a lot of athletic ability and style.  Sam is a very smart horse that adds great stability to the hitch, especially in the swing position.  He works well with Duke and they have been the swing team of the hitch quite frequently.  Thanks to a distinctive white stripe on his face, he somewhat stands out from the rest – so we teasingly refer him as our “Clydesdale”.

We call him “The Kid”. As a four year old Slim is the youngest horse in the hitch. As time goes on he is learning a lot by running with the old veterans of the hitch.  He is already 18.1 hands highs and will probably continue to grow and mature quite a bit.  Slim’s elegant neckline, well proportioned back and hips, and great legs and feet make him the epitome of the modern day Percheron. Depending on his growth, Slim will probably be the type of horse that can work in any position of the hitch.

The saying “dynamite comes in small packages” best describes Willie. He is the smallest horse in the hitch but probably has the biggest heart. If it was left up to Willie, he would pull the whole load by himself! Willie has run lead with Waylon the last few years. But recently we have been matching Duke with Willie and already they show the makings of a great lead team.