Photos From Our Journeys

Travel in 2007 and 2008 has been a bit different from the frequent, grueling trips to the frozen north, thanks (or no thanks) to rising fuel prices and other factors that have had an effect on the horse market in the US.. While we occasionally make it up to North Western Canada and North Dakota, we have developed a network of breeders, trainers and suppliers located in Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky Florida and Ohio.Below are some pics from the road...

Kentucky's Bluegrass Region:      

Indiana's Heartland:           Michigan's North Woods:                                   North Dakota Ranch Country:

Cattle Drive...Canada's NW..

We helped bring 500 head home this day...   Saskatchewan - Rounding up horses at NOON...BRR!

Manitoba:

Selecting weanlings...Glenkerry..pick of his crop of 40, then and August 2008. Evaluating temperment and movement of a 17H prospect.

To successfully pick weanlings...you must see them at the right time, in person...and it helps to have an "eye".

 In 2006 we made approximately 15 long distance trips with truck and trailer to inspect and purchase horses. We made two trips between Thanksgiving and Christmas, logging a grand total of 29,000 miles. The temperatures were frigid and the terrain was unforgiving, so most of these miles were logged with very little rest... We wanted to post just a few pictures so folks can understand the lengths that we go to to procure and import these horses... Many ask...Why do you do that? Why do you go that far? The answer is simple....thats where the largest selection of QUALITY horses are...  

We select and purchase a large number of sport horse prospects each year.  These days, you may hear the term "Sport Horse" bandied about, but to us it has specific meaning. Each year we purchase a LARGE NUMBER of QUALITY INDIVIDUALS.  These are horses that we are committed to and we have become very particular in our selection criteria.

 We are selecting draft crosses that will mature to a minimum of 16.2H. Our margin of error (and genetics) allows for a small number of 16H horses at full maturity. We are selecting based on specific conformation, based on our experience.  We select the horses with the conformation that we know from experience will enable the horse to excel at the intended discipline.

We select horses based on the time tested breeding adage of "light on the top, heavy on the bottom." Finding crosses with this breeding in quantity has lead us to select breeders in the Mid-West U.S. and to Canada.

Since our horses come directly from breeders we know, and because they are selected personally, our horses pass prepurchase exams with flying colours. To date, we have never had a horse fail one.

You won't find horses in our yard with stable vices or past "work related injuries"...we don't have supplements...we don't do hock injections, no chiropractors visit here, we have no need for them.  It quite simply has not been possible for us to find and reliably purchase this quantity of fresh clean youngsters from local sources.

 What we do here is a little bit different from everyone else, but we have a base of loyal customers who would not buy elsewhere and those are the people we never want to disappoint.