Grand Champion Percheron Mare - Central Alberta Draft Horse Classic 2014

Nick's Repeat Offender

Owned by David Bailey

Bred by Heidi Carlson + Kerry Troutman

Presented by Eaglesfield Percherons

Sunny Saturday at the Alberta Draft Horse Classic

Show season is on, and look who's at the helm . . . Announcer Bruce Roy and Judge Ross Honsberger kicking off this most entertaining show season!

We are proud of the young Mr. Thiel who managed his first 2014 cart and team classes well ...

As well as the young Mr. Roy, who returns this year in competition.

Rein drove yesterday for Legacy Stables.

The skies were sunny on Saturday afternoon; we are hopeful that its warming rays come back tomorrow!

Photo Credit:  J. Ann Brodland

It's Officially Show Season!

We are catapulting into the 2014 Show Season that begins practically in our own backyard.

Eaglesfield looks forward to the Central Alberta Draft Horse Classic held

at The Olds Regional Exhibition.

We Are 14-Head Deep And Already Headed Your Way!

Saturday, June 28th

9:00 a.m. Gelding Halter Classes (Grass Ring)

11:00 a.m. Junior Halter Show (Grass Ring)

4:00 p.m. Draft Horse Hitch Show (Grandstand)

(Classic Six Horse Hitch, Four Horse Hitch

Junior Team Driving, Junior Cart, Celebrity Team Driving)

Sunday, June 29th

9:00 a.m. Percheron Halter Classes (Grass Ring)

11:00 a.m. Shire Halter Classes (Grass Ring)

4:00 p.m. Draft Horse Hitch Show (Grandstand)

(Six Horse Hitch Championship, Ladies Cart, Team Registered Mares, Men's Cart)

Monday, June 30th

9:00 a.m. Clydesdale Halter Classes (Grass Ring)

11:00 a.m. Belgian Halter Classes (Grass Ring)

1:00 p.m. Best of Show (Grass Ring)

3:00 p.m. Draft Horse Hitch Show (Grandstand)

(Unicorn, Open Team, Mare Cart)

After Hitch:  Mystery Riding Class (Grass Ring)

Photo Credit:  J. Ann Brodland

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Come See the Action and Our Horses ~ We Love Visitors!

Percherons Can Do It All!

At Eaglesfield, we drive AND ride our horses.

 

The Agrium Western Events Centre Ribbon Cutting

Eaglesfield was proud to be a part of the unveiling this past Friday and Saturday of The Agrium Western Event Centre, one of the largest projects in the history of the Calgary Stampede.  After two years of anticipation, this state-of-the-art 20,000 square foot building has become the home of equestrian events and agricultural programs for years and years to come.   

It was nice to head into Calgary with the horses the day before the ceremonies, and dry out from the multi-day downpours we experienced last week. 

And we were all smiles preparing the horses and wagon for the exhibition.

Friday evening's sneak peek into The Agrium was by invitation only ... 

 and our exhibition with the horses were for only several hundred attendees.

Our demonstration went off without difficulty, and we were pleased to have had the opportunity to christen this fabulous venue and escort Stampede dignitaries around the facility over the weekend.  Click on the photo of the docked Percherons (above) to view the awesome time-lapse video of The Agrium being built over the last 22 months.

It was a BIG ribbon!

We look forward to the competitions in this arena next week at the Stampede and seeing all our draft horse friends and family once again.

Market Street in San Francisco in 1906

A view back into the early 20th Century on Market Street in San Francisco while traveling to the Ferry building. 

Four days before the devastating earthquake of 1906, this film was captured by the Miles Brothers on April 14, 1906, with the GoPro of the day, a hand-cranked Bell & Howell camera.  For normal viewing, this 1912 Cinemotor shown below required a labor-intensive 16 exposures per second / 960 per minute, all powered by hand at 120 cranks per minute. We could not find what the Miles Brothers' 1906 version required insofar as exposure needs.

What is consistent to this day are the crazy drivers, bringing to light an appreciation for development of "Rules of the Road."  Think of these crazy days gone by the next time you sit tapping your fingers at 
stop signs and traffic lights, not making that U-turn unless posted, being unaware of hitchhikers, and 
waiting for the "Walk" sign at intersections to safely cross in designated crosswalks.

Bell & Howell 2709 (1912)

(to get an idea of what people were staring at from the street as the street car breezed by)

Bell & Howell 2709 (Early 1900s)

Getting Ready to Head to Calgary!

We're almost ready to hit the road for the Grand Opening Celebration at The Agrium Western Events Centre.  Brian (aka "Dr. Coleman") checks vitals on the truck and offers fluids.

Raining non-stop and the water is rising, but we're Calgary bound Come Hell or High Water!

Thank You, Don Taylor for the SAM Centre Opening in 2016

Click above for a great video talking about this great addition!

Long live Sam Taylor, Don Taylor's father.  The SAM Centre will be a western interactive educational museum for children and adults.  Thanks to the Calgary Stampede's archives, there will be permanent and temporary galleries and educational classrooms to tell the stories of Southern Alberta embracing all people, whether of agricultural or urban descent.  We cannot wait to step foot back into the wonderful regional history of our home with our children.

Eaglesfield at The Agrium!

Say Cheese, It's Monday!!

May the sun shine, all day long,

everything go right, and nothing wrong.

May those you love bring love back to you,

and may all the wishes you wish come true! ~ Irish Blessing

Bee There!

Bees, the pillars of life; they pollinate 80% of our food crops.  The next time you stir a teaspoon of honey into your tea, or spread it on your toast, remember that a dozen bees traveled 6,000 miles to produce that teaspoon of their elixir.  

Eaglesfield does not engage in pesticides that threaten this wonderful keystone species.  The bee in this image might actually be a bumble bee, but like their honeybee cousins, they too are crucial to the earth's pollination needs.  He/she was enjoying the flower plants we hung at the barn.

Eaglesfield's Friday the 13th Blessing

Another filly.  Paige gifted us a lovely baby girl yesterday morning. 

Super strong and sweet, she's quite the tomboy splashing in the rainwater puddles . . .

However, it's awfully tiring.

A glimpse of the view we hope to have of her for a long time.

We love her.

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Photo Credit:  J. Ann Brodland

32 New Edibles for the Calgary Stampede!

Yet another reason to look forward to Stampede Days. . . . Thank you Stampede Blog for giving us the heads up on the smorgasbord of delicacies -- and those of interest!!  Click on the luscious bacon-wrapped corn for more details on the other 31. . .

EP's Treasure Chest: Brian "Risky Business" Coleman's Debut at the Calgary Stampede in 1986

Brian Coleman's Debut in the Draft Horse Show Ring (1986)

Brian "Risky Business" Coleman [yes, we believe he favors a young Tom Cruise in this photo] drives a pair of mares under the "Big Top" at Calgary Stampede that won the light draft team class.  "Stony Creek Lois Ann" and "Highview Prairie Queen" were owned by Audrey Turner of Stony Creek Percherons in Cremona, Alberta.

The "Big Top" was the draft horse show ring at the Calgary Stampede back in the day.  Drafts were shown in front of the grandstand before that, and in the Saddledome for most performances after the "Big Top" years.  The brand new Agrium Western Events Centre (ribbon cutting on June 21st) will be replacing this Stampede icon, but our fondest memories will remain of the striped "Red and White."

More Calgary Stampede News!

Saturday, June 21, 2014, is the ribbon cutting for the long awaited new Agrium Western Event Centre replacing the "Big Top" on the Stampede Park Grounds, which will be full operation for the 2014 Calgary Stampede.

This new Centre will hold 2500 guests + club suites.  All action will be easily seen from any spot on the concourse so that when you're grabbing some grub, you won't miss a thing.  Most importantly, worth the price of admission, are the wider for added comfort and a more steeply pitched seating area so that the spectators can keep their cowboy hats on without blocking the view of those behind.

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From a competitors standpoint, the ground floor animal areas will have performance grade dirt or slip-resistant rough concrete on a level surface.  The arena walls are 6' tall and solid, improving animal and competitor safety, eliminating visual distractions for those shorter, non blinder-wearing animals.

Arena performance floor = 250' x 125'.  A secondary show-ring, warm up arena with performance dirt is in the adjacent Exhibition Hall for a more streamlined warm up.  And finally, direct access from the participant entrance to animal stalls will reduce the need for animals crossing traffic.

Click on the photo above for the press released video giving more details on this great venue.  We cannot wait to show at the Stampede this year!

Boulanger & Jumbo of 1898

A "broadside" was usually a printing on card stock weighted paper which was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, and produced by local printers. 

This is an example of Aaron Patrick's farm's broadside advertising stallions standing for the 1898 season.  Boulanger, imported by C. Bassinger of Columbus Grove, Ohio, opted to stand his stud at Aaron Patrick's farm.  Mr. Patrick took advantage of this opportunity to advertise his stallion, Jumbo, for breeding as well.  Mr. Patrick was mindful of contractual obligations for the $10.00 live foal fee, and included them on his broadside.

Triple Crown Stakes ~ Eaglesfield Percherons Honors its First Winner

Sir Barton (1916-1937)

First Triple Crown Winner - 1919

Jockey:  Johnny Loftus

Trainer: H. Guy Bedwell

Owner: J.K.L. Ross

Breeder:  John E. Madden & Vivian A. Gooch 

Hamburg Place Farm, Kentucky

Sir Barton, a chestnut thoroughbred colt, was the first winner of what would be come to be known as the American Triple Crown.  Bred in Kentucky, Owner/Breeder Madden entered the horse in six races while he was a two-year old and won nothing.  Madden sold the horse in 1918 for $10,000 to Canadian businessman, J.K.L. Ross (only son of James L. Ross of the Canadian Pacific Railway), who placed the colt in the hands of team Bedwell and Loftus.  Sir Barton led the field of 12 horses from start to finish as a three-year-old at the Kentucky Derby by five lengths.

FOUR days later, Sir Barton led the way in Baltimore at the Preakness Stakes, from start to finish, and won by four lengths.

Sir Barton & Johnny Loftus (1919)

Next up was the Withers Stakes in New York which preceded the Belmont, and Sir Barton won them all in a mere 32 days.

As a four-year-old, Sir Barton won 5 of 12 in 1920.  It was the match of all matches on October 12, 1920, running against Man o' War at Kenilworth Park in Windsor, Ontario, Canada that is most remembered.   Sir Barton's hoof ailments deemed him unsuited by Kenilworth's hard surface and he was beaten by seven lengths.  Sir Barton was retired to stud in 1921 at Audley Farm in Berryville, Virginia.

Audley Farm Stallion Barn

Berryville, Virginia

Artist:  Jan Woods

Following his stallion days at Audley, Sir Barton went on to serve as a US Army Remount stallion.  This service procured and trained horses and mules for military use as the function of the Quartermaster Corps from 1775 to 1957.  After serving his country, Sir Barton was transported to Wyoming to live out his days until 1937.

Sir Barton, we salute you for a job and life well done.

Good luck to our reader's choice on the horse you are betting on to win.  

If you lose, don't be mad -- just be glad that you weren't Madden!

Blondes Having More Fun at Eaglesfield!

For our Belgian lovers:  

A nice pair of mares learning how to be great farm horses in training at Eaglesfield.

Teamwork: It's Not About The Horses This Time, It's About the People!

 

In June 2013, our beloved Western Canada experienced a nightmare of two storms converging, held together in the grips of a third, with a downpour that went on for days causing a more-rapid-than-normal snow melt.  

Much of the ground was still frozen below the surface, so the water falling could not be absorbed.  The Bow and Elbow Rivers overflowed, had nowhere to go and were flowing at 12x the normal rate.  This all occurred a short time before the 101st Annual Calgary Stampede, one of the largest rodeos in North America, and a long-standing tradition by Canadians and Americans alike.

Evacuations of the park kicked in on June 20th; some people remained to keep water away from the electrical substation on Stampede property.  A dirt birm was in place protecting the track, while portable flood walls were installed.  Sluice gates were closed preventing upwelling of storm sewers.  Tiger Dams, Flood Sax and sandbags were in place to protect the buildings, track and substation.  In the wake of the natural disaster, the Stampede grounds was covered in contaminated mud, damaged buildings / arenas.  However, determination was made that the Stampede Must Go On. 

The community banded together to do everything in their power to deliver the familiar location for people to gather with family and friends allowing for a pause to give thanks and rally community spirits.

On the morning of Monday, June 24th, the waters began to recede and contractors from all over North America began to arrive to help with the recovery process.   City resources were left to recovery efforts of their own.   

Companies specializing in water removal/flood recovery put forth an effort, pumping water back into the river.  Luckily, the city water supply was never contaminated; however, the mud and deposit debris were not without contamination of chemicals, waste, and/or other harmful substances.  The river left grass and debris in the fenceline surrounding the park that required 200 people-hours to remove. 

Muddy debris had to be removed from the outside and the inside of the Stampede buildings requiring that they be washed and sanitized.  The process was required for the facility to pass inspection for occupancy (barns included).  The armies of workers put forth a 24/7 effort for a period of time from June 22nd until the day the Park opened -- Thursday, July 4th -- a period of 13 days.

Someone in the community created a Stampede-branded image that read "Hell or High Water" that went viral.   The Stampede Consumer Marketing Department made the quote "kid friendly" and printed thousands of "Heck or High Water" t-shirts for all net proceeds to go to the Canadian Red Cross Alberta Flood Funds.  Blake Reid, a gentleman who was a few years younger than Brian who went to the same school as he did, wrote and performed "Hell or High Water" in honor of the Calgarian spirit of recovery and accomplishment exhibited in those 13 days.

Click on the black t-shirt above to hear Blake's beautiful ballad, "Hell or High Water."

By July 9th, more than 100,000 shirts were sold.  Black t-shirts were emptied from all the Western Canadian suppliers, and they looked to the east, and as far south as the Carolinas to get black tees into Calgary.    Every day, three local screen printers printed, boxed and delivered shirts hot off the presses, and every day, 30-40 volunteers showed up to help pack and ship shirts.  On the last day of the Stampede, a check was presented to the Red Cross Alberta Flood Fund in the amount of $2.1M.

We are so proud and thankful of the magnanimous effort for those 13 days ensuring the second century of the Calgary Stampede would go on as scheduled.  We will continue to travel, support and compete at the Stampede, building a lifetime of memories for our family.  Our calendar at Eaglesfield Percherons is already marked for July 4 - July 13, 2014, and we hope to see more draft horse participation this year in the Agrium Western Event Centre.

Click here to view a video that depicts the devastation and the beautiful efforts of recovery.

Photos Shared From:  Calgary Herald & Calgary Stampede