Agricultural News
Express Ranches Dominates Draft Horse Competition Winning Six of Eight Events at Midwest Classic in Indiana
Mon, 15 Jul 2019 11:48:04 CDT
Draft horse teams from Express Ranches in Yukon turned in a dominant showing among a national field of competitors, recently winning six out of eight events in the Percheron category at the Midwest Draft Horse Classic Show & Pull in Indiana, the event has announced.
Held on June 28 and 29 in Shipshewana, Indiana, the competition included 16 Percheron teams from across the United States. Express entered seven out of eight available events, taking home first place in six of them and placing second in the seventh event, organizers said.
"We marked this event on our calendar a year ago, and we had a really good show," said Josh Minshull, general manager of Yukon-based Express Clydesdales. "It was crazy, probably the most important show we'll attend this year, other than the 6-Horse Hitch World Finals in Oklahoma City this September 13-15 at the Oklahoma State Fair."
The categories Express won include Classic Cart, Youth Cart, Ladies Cart, Unicorn, Youth Team and Men's Cart. Express captured second in the Six Horse Hitch competition on Friday night and won it on Saturday night. Drivers were Minshull, his daughter, Dayona Minshull, Janine Regier and Loren Mast.
Horses performed several traditional work horse maneuvers, and they were judged on how well they worked together as a team, their uniformity, their style and their presence. The Shipshewana event was at the end of a three-week road trip filled with shows and competitions. said Minshull, who trains the horses.
"They performed well the entire trip, but they saved their best performance for last." he said. "They just looked like show horses. They wanted to be there, and they just loved it."
Minshull said Express Ranches enjoys competing with its giant, black Percherons, which stand up to six feet tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 2,200 pounds. Originally used as war horses in western France in the 17th century, Percherons eventually became draft horses for stagecoaches and for agricultural use. Shipshewana is an Amish community where Percherons, Clydesdales, Belgians and Shires are bred. Several of the Express Percherons originate from there.
"We love Shipshewana," said Bob Funk, owner of Express Ranches and co-founder of Express Employment Professionals. "To go back there with our horses and perform so well was very special. We're proud to represent Oklahoma with these magnificent performers."
Source - Express Ranches
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...
