COLORADO DRAFT HORSE ASSN. Winter 2010-11

COLORADO DRAFT HORSE ASSOCIATION MINUTES DATE: 10/01/10 President Joel Newcomer called the meeting to order on October 1, 2010 at 4:30pm at the Adam’s County Fair Grounds. There were 13 members present. The minutes of the July 9th meeting were approved as published. The Treasure report of $2600.74 was approved as presented. Out of this account there will be one more newsletter for approximately $260. It has been determined that the association will need to have 225 paid memberships to maintain the current budget of expenses. Currently there are 140 paid memberships. Old Business: The summer shows were discussed and all plan to hold a similar show next year. This year at the Arapahoe show, Paul Pack purchased two special wagons to use for the farm team classes and they were also used at the State Fair. The write ups for these shows as well as the pictures that were taken by Paul Pack were greatly appreciated by the respective chapters. Shows that are not affiliated by the State Association were mentioned. The State Fair was reported by Don Carmichael that the show will be growing in the future years. The Estes Park Show was deemed a great success. New member, Ted Pratt, stated this year was his first year of showing and greatly appreciated all the help he received from the show coordinators. The Rocky Mountain Horse Expo committee has not yet replied to the request to allow the State Association to participate. New Business: Ashley Baker of Bennet has inquired about

being the youth representative for the State Association. She has been asked to send a letter of her interests to the President. A scholarship application was sent by Logan Mauch and was read by Joel. It was approved to award Logan the scholarship in the amount of $500 for this year. Logan is in her second year at Iowa State studying Vet Medicine. The next meeting will be at the April sale of the Colorado Auction held in Henderson. This will also be the meeting for the election of officers. If anyone is interested they are asked to attend. The discussion of fund raising was discussed. The idea of having Colorado Draft Horse souvenirs available for sale at the local shows and on the State’s web site was discussed. This will also be discussed at the next meeting on the costs and ideas of the souvenirs that will be available. The meeting was adjourned at 5:15pm. Respectfully submitted Sue Keener Secretary

For those that subscribe to the DHJ should have noticed the article by Judy Brodland, her third in recent issues, with photos of kim Murchison, her Father John Parrington, Husband Shad and Logan Mauch when she was our Youth Rep, the half page add that Dennis & Jean Kuehl ran for Mountain View Belgians, in color yet and of course, our state ad that runs in each edtion. Add to that the following story by State President Joel Newcomer concerning CDHA members involved in the Percheron Congress this year.

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2010 World Percheron Congress- Des Moines, Iowa- October 25 – 30, 2010

We always look forward to the World Percheron Congress because you see the best of the best Percheron Draft Horses and all of the best exhibitors and their gorgeous equipment. The Congress is held every two years alternating with shows in Canada and the United States. This year it was held in Des Moines, Iowa at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on October 25th through the 30th. Carolyn and I arrived in Des Moines on the 24th and prepared for a fun week. We spent Monday looking at “The Bridges of Madison County”, they have many of the old style covered bridges in Madison County, Iowa, just outside of Des Moines. A must vacation when you are in the area.

Tuesday was a day of halter classes, the Congress Futurity was for many new weanlings. The big event was the Annual Meeting and the yearend Awards Banquet, we used all of that to renew old friendships and meet a lot of new friends. Many of us have been attending the Congress’s since 1995,

even the ones in Canada. Wednesday was the first day of

competition, and guess who we found on the plow field, fellow Coloradoans competing – T.J. Keifer and Greg Kearns along with their mentor, Gene Hilti. T.J. and family, Greg Kearns, Gene Hilti and a few close friends cheered them on during the farm classes. We had some fun with how competitive they are versus their competition that averaged 70 years of age. Most of these guys had plowed as a living for many years. Greg’s and T.J.’s “day” would come later. When we arrived at the main show arena, the Jacobson Center, we saw another Coloradoan that held center state for every event that was held in this arena, Logan Mauch, the 2010 World Percheron Congress Queen. Logan presented every award for every class Wednesday through Saturday. What a lot of work! She had everything organized and was a truly gorgeous representation of the youth involved with the Percheron Horse family. As Coloradoans we can be very proud of how she conducted herself on such a visual stage. From that point on many of our Colorado members had memorable events that they will remember forever.

A side note is that this show was the biggest we had ever seen – 34 six horse hitches, 17 mare hitches and 17 gelding hitches and as you can imagine the other classes were huge, each day

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there were classes from 1:00 to 5:00 and 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. We had plenty to see.

In the Gelding sixes we had Paradise Percherons and Mark Messenger Memorial Hitch. The Bovards and the Messengers did very well finishing in the top ten of each of their classes and sometimes in the top five. Here’s a picture of Kendra Bovard (Paradise Percherons) who finished second out of 29 entries in the Ladies Gelding Cart Class. Another of our Colorado entries were Christi Fontaine and Melinda Lane in the Western and English Riding classes! Christi won both classes beating riders that had been competing for many years and this was her first “Congress”. Congratulations! Another member from Colorado that contended on the show side was Stacie Keifer in the Gelding Cart class. We can also be very proud of one of Senior Youth, Tess Junkans, who competed in every Senior Class and was named Senior Champion Youth Exhibitor Another Junior Youth was Maison Bovard, who won her Youth Cart Class. Sheila Grange, the Messengers and the Bovards should be very proud of their kids, they have grown up to be fine young horsemen and horsewomen. As to the “Finality” of the Colorado Connection, the Feed Team Race. T.J. and Greg had to show the “Congress” organizers how to set up the course and as the week went on the crowd learned how much fun this event is.

And the icing on the cake was Greg and T.J. becoming “The World Champion Percheron Feed Team” , the first ever Congress Feed Team Race, with Greg as the teamster and T.J. as the swamper. Congratulations Guys!

It was a great show and Colorado did well. Contributed by Joel & Carolyn Newcomer

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Dick Sparrow,Master horseman 1929-2010

Dick Sparrow has been admired by millions of people through the years, perched atop elegant antique circus wagons as the master of 40 matched Belgian horses stretched out 120 feet in front of him — 10 rows of four horses abreast. As the driver, Sparrow wielded power over 80,000 pounds of horseflesh. He maneuvered long reins weighing 50 to 75 pounds when slack, and much more when the horses pulled. The Barnum & Bailey Circus had stopped using a 40-horse hitch in 1904, but Sparrow re-created the feat beginning in 1972 by special request of the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. as the main attraction in the Old Milwaukee Days July Fourth Circus Parade in Milwaukee. One million people lined the streets, with millions more watching via television. That fall, Gov. Robert Ray sat by Sparrow as the horseman led the 40-horse hitch in a Labor Day parade in Zearing, attracting 60,000 people to the small town. EARLY LEARNER: Elmer Richard Sparrow, who was born Nov. 29, 1929, and named for his grandfather, still lives in the house in which he was born on Sparrow Farm, four miles southeast of Zearing. One of three children of Ross and Rose Kutter Sparrow, he learned how to lead horses through farm gates at age 3 and by age 4 could

ride the farm's Percherons by himself. Graduating from Zearing High, Sparrow attended Iowa State University, majoring in farm operations. He married Joy Beggs, an Illinois farm girl, in 1950, and they had two sons and three daughters. Acknowledging the help of his family, friends and dozens of volunteers, Sparrow has taken his horses across the nation for hundreds of appearances. He gained a reputation as the nation's best driver of draft-class horses. He could dazzle crowds by halting his 40-horse team and making the horses back up. Turning corners required split-second timing and expert maneuvering. RECORD-SETTER: In 1976, Sparrow bested himself by leading a 48-horse hitch at the Iowa State Fair. Early the next year he duplicated the feat in the Cotton Bowl Parade in Dallas, Texas, and earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. The 40-horse hitch, later sponsored by O's Gold Seed Co. of Parkersburg, was discontinued in late 1977, and Sparrow conducted a massive sale of the horses and equipment at his farm, attracting 2,000 buyers. However, the hitch was recreated for the Milwaukee parade from 1989 to 2002, led by Sparrow's son, Paul, with son Robert as backup. Dick passed away December 24th, from Leukemia, according to his family. He was buried December 29, in the

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Zearing,IA, cemetery. What some of you might know about Dick was contributions to the Draft Show at the NWSS. He was among the first to push for the show and had been there for every show since the beginning. In recent years he could only be there as a spectator as his health declined. Joy had joined him each year until her health precluded attending the last couple of years. A wheel chair limited his mobility also the last few years. Daughter Rose Goodman would bring high stools into the media area for her parents to use during the Draft Show. Rose and husband Jason headed up the Preifert Hitch that performed at the Rodeo each year. The above photo was taken at last year’s show. It my extreme pleasure to sit next to Dick and Joy over the last several years during the show. Everyone knew Dick and they all made a special effort to spend a little time with him, some were former students or interns, fellow teamsters and old friends

and he seemed to know every Judge in the arena. It was interesting when his son Robert was judging a couple of years ago and Dick didn’t agree with his Son’s choices all the time but he never criticized, maybe he cajoled a bit or grumbled under his breath. He had a sharp eye for the horse that wasn’t up to snuff or the teamster that might be in a little over his head. He was most proud of his Grandchildren that were involved with many of the large hitches around the country, some who were driving. He was likewise proud of Jason and Rose Goodman accomplishments with the Preifert Hitch. The above photo courtesy of the Des Moines Register Newspaper showing the forty horse hitch in action. Dick and the family conducted training seminars around the country often in conjunction with a local draft operation. They held one at the Fountain Valley School in Fountain, CO, when Lachland Clark ran the equine program using Belgians. Mary Jane Bradbury of the Four Mile Park in

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Denver, told us one the great thrills in her life had been driving a six-up with Dick seated along side her during one of those seminars. Dennnis Kuehl, NWSS Draft Show Director said he had known him a long time, got chewed by him a bunch all in the interest of seeing Drafts be a part of CO. He had a heart for the NWSS. Dick was a bigger that life character, always ready with a joke, usually prefaced by “have you heard the one about?” I don’t think anyone stood taller in the Draft Horse industry for so many years, as Dick did, and he has left a legacy of offspring to carry on his name and hopefully, all that knowledge he amassed throughout the years.

Big Thunder & the NWSS Shows for 2011

January 2011, again brings us two great opportunities to see some of the best big hitches from around the country in two consecutive weekends beginning January 14, at the Big Thunder Draft Show at the Ranch, the Larimer County Fairgrounds near Loveland. That shows starts Friday evening and continues through Sunday with mostly Performance classes each

day with a Farm team race set for Sunday. This year’s show is organized by a triad of committee members, Jack Taylor and Dennis Kuehl of the Northern Chapter and Abby Powell, from the Ranch Management Staff. This is a nice facility as the teams are housed in the same building as the Arena, making it very convenient and warm. Don Langille is the Judge and will be looking at the same hitches that will be at the NWSS except for two that have conflicts. The Farm Team Race will have qualifying heats Sunday morning with the finals in the afternoon. It is a real opportunity for fans to OD on Drafts in a very short period of time, well worth the time to travel to Loveland, for the w/e. There are some lodging deals available, check their web site www.bigthundershow.com The NWSS is again hosting the All America Classic Six Horse Hitch National finals that includes 11 Hitches vying for the Championship. A total of 18 hitches are scheduled to appear, the other 7 will compete in the open hitch classes along with Classic entries. The Classic Hitches will make 3 separate appearances in front of 3 Judges, Allen Freitag, Hobo Sound, FL, Make Barie, East Bethany, NY, and Ross Hansberger, Bellview, MI. Each Judges placings will be quantified and a total score will determine the winner on

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Sunday afternoon. The hitches in the Classic include Ames, Express, Rowe(Flat Rock), Gunville(Wilderness Ridge), Jackson Fork, Lipsitt, McLaughlin, Messenger, Paradice, Shining Star, T Star. The others are Blue Ribbon, Black Hollow, Gustafson, Hilton, Knecht, Solomon, and Yoder. Dennis Kuehl, Draft Show Director, says the Farm Class entries closed out very fast with 26 working teams entered . The Feed team entries were filled by November 1st. The Halter Classes begin January 20th, remember that those classes have been unified and are no longer broken down by breeds. The Log Skid class starts Thursday as well. For the complete breakdown on class schedules, we would suggest going to the NWSS web site. While you are there, take a look at our Weber Farm Wagon that will be on display along with a stagecoach in area south of the Paddock area.

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Keep the dates of March 11-13, on your calendar for the Rocky Mtn Horse Expo where the Association will have a lot of involvement. Bob Snodgress is again heading up the committee for us. The current plans call for greater exposure for the club at the event. If you have not attended, is a good place to learn about a lot horse related businesses and products.

Jerry Stockton drives and Son Levy swamps at a previous Big Thunder Show.

Aaron Clyncke with a tandem at an earlier Bid Thunder Show.

My computer is acting up, will stop here.