|
| Rockcreek Danny Boy |
|
| In his prime at ND State Fair |
When we decided to get a team of draft horses, we researched the different breeds and
felt the Shire breed was what we were looking for. The breed as a whole is very quiet, intelligent, athletic and very
willing workers.
We started in 1979 with a reg. Shire stallion, Rock Creek Danny Boy--22090s. We
still have him here today, he is 23yr old. We are expecting 7 colts out of him this spring. We also purchased
several grade draft mares and became enrolled in the grade-up program, in the American Shire Horse Assn. For the last
23yrs we have been grading-up from the original mares and out crossing with several other registered Shire stallions.
Most of our horses now are 7/8 and above. It has been a very long, but interesting process. We have paid very
close attention to disposition, soundness and willingness to work. Our horses are primarily of the American style.
The American style of horse differs from the English style in several areas: Most
of the American type horses are shorter backed, heavier boned and heavier muscled. They generally are not quite as tall
as the English style of horse. Our older stallion Danny Boy is 1/2 English--1/2 American bloodlines. Our
outcross stallions have mostly been of the American influence. Our horses are a nice blend of the American and English
style of horse.
As with any breed, the Shire horse is evolving.
There is a market for the slightly lighter horse for both riding and also driving. Many of our horses are
capable of doing both. When you look at our Sale page, you will find several that will work for either the ride or drive events.
As our ranch is a family run business and most of our children are grown-up, we simply do not have time to train these horses
for the type of riding most new customers want. Our needs in a saddle horse are somewhat diferent. We need a range horse or
a horse for draft work, so we do not often train our drafts for riding. Once a horse is trained for driving it is a short
step to riding them. If you have looked at the Sale page you will see a lot of young horses just right for starting their
training. We are pricing these horses very reasonably, partly because we have more than we need for the ranch and also
because we are farther from the high price market, so the freight is slighty more.
Our goal is to get this wonderful breed, of Shire horses, to people like
yourself, so you can also enjoy them. Stop and see us or just get in touch and we will try to help you find what you are looking
for. Thank You--- Bob&Gwen
|
