Birtle-born Percheron wins international Breeder’s Challenge

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/07/2022 (1188 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The best of the next generation of North American-bred Percherons were put on display at the World Percheron Congress, and among the winners is a Birtle-born colt.

Jim Lane, owner of Lone Oak Percherons and the colt, couldn’t be happier, because his colt is a product of his own stock and a testament to the quality of the bloodlines he’s spent years developing.

The colt, named Lone Oak 20 Mike, walked off with the top prize on Monday at the Brandon Breeders Challenge in the Two-Year-Old Cart category at the World Percheron Congress. The product of two of Lane’s livestock, sire (father) Lone Oak 20 Crown Royal and dam (mother) Lone Oak 12 Taylor.

Lane said this win means a lot to himself and Lone Oak because they bred the sire and dam as well.

He explained when the Breeder’s Challenge was announced in 2018, stables could nominate sires to breed, and they nominated Crown Royal for themselves. The mother, Taylor, used to be a part of the lead of the stable’s six-hitch team.

The challenge involved owners in Canada and the U.S. nominating and selling their stallions for breeding services across both countries for three years. Each stallion received one to two breedings at an auction in Ontario. Offspring, stallion and mare were viewed and judged on quality, physical attributes, temperament and overall health. A combined pot of $50,000 in cash was up for grabs, along with the prestige of having a winning horse.

Lane agreed when asked if the win speaks volumes to his breeding program, saying the whole point of the challenge, and breeding and training Percherons in general, is to improve the bloodline so it can continue and, hopefully, Mike will carry on his genes to the next generation. “This should help us tremendously with that win because it is showing what we are bringing out of them,” he said.

“He did really well. He’s only been to town twice, but he has a long career ahead of him. He’s also in the Manitoba Futurity as well, and he has some more place to go, yet.”

He added they ran him through a sale at a breeders’ show in Saskatoon in 2021 and Creelman Farms in Iowa bought half of the ownership rights to him. The immediate plan is to have Mike part of a junior team with a three-year-old from the Creelman’s team. A junior team cannot be older than five years old combined, Lane said.

So far, it’s a good partnership, said Lane, but sometime in the future, one will buy out the other.

“It was nice of them to buy half, and see what we have and stick their foot out,” he said.

Along with Two-Year-Old Cart, there were categories for Junior Current Year Foal, Senior Current Year Foal, Yearling Halter and Two Year Old Halter. Rose Hill Stable in Viking, Alta., claimed top prizes for Current Year Foal and Senior current Year Foal with Rose Hill Elite and Rose Hill Electric, respectively.

A challenge like this is a long wait, said owner Gord Ruzicka, with a lot of variables along the way before the final critical minutes in the ring. But in the end, the challenge has been a great initiative because it stirs up interest between stables, as well as offering a valuable prize to the winners.

This also helps stables set each other up and compare one another’s programs and stock. Everyone is out to win a ribbon and money, but collectively, they are doing this because they want to improve the breed.

“Any time you have a program for young horses, you can stack yourself up against other breeders and see what you need to do and what other sires are doing,” he said. “It gives you an idea of what you need to do and where to go with your next sire.”

He’s been working with horses his whole life, breeding and showing, he said. Shows are important and he goes to as many as he can that are relatively nearby in Canada and the United States primarily to support it, but to also check out fellow stables. The simple act of their presence keeps the industry and breed going.

As people develop their bloodlines, it’s natural to want certain attributes depending on he need, he said. However, it’s not just about show, as many of their horses also work. Some will want slenderer legs and big hooves, leaner bodies and higher steps for showmanship in the ring, while others will want more stocky features for work or aesthetics. Either way, breeding is about improving and adapting to what is wanted at the time.

For Percherons, he said there is still a bright future. Heavy horses are a big time and money commitment, but there is still a demand for them in many areas beyond show. They are still a sought-after workhorse for farming and industry with groups like the Amish, as well as a much-loved cart and team wagons among non-competitive equestrians.

Anderson Farms of St. Thomas, Ont., won the Yearling Halter with Anderson’s Sloane and Two-Year-Old Halter with Anderson’s Songbird.

» kmckinley@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @karenleighmcki1