2016 Calgary Stampede - Winner of the World Championship Six Horse Hitch Competition

2016 World Champion Six Horse Hitch
Photo:  Show Champions

Today was the final day of the Heavy Horse Show at the 2016 Calgary Stampede.  Brian and Colleen Coleman of Eaglesfield Percherons presented the Mark Messenger Memorial Hitch of Cheyenne, Wyoming.  The Eaglesfield Percheron crew brings the Messenger hitch first place wins in Percheron Team, Percheron Unicorn, Four and Six Horse Hitch, and the World Championship Six Horse Hitch Championship.  This year was Coleman's seventh World Championship win. 

Click Photo Above ~ Stampede Blog, Madeline Babinec

We thank the crew for all their efforts, and the Messenger family for entrusting us with their talented and hard working Percherons as the 2016 show season launches in Canada.

2016 Championship Buckle

Last year, the Calgary Stampede interviewed Brian for their blog as to what it takes to prepare a hitch for competition.  That interview can be read by clicking the working horses below.

Getting Work Done While Working Together
Photo:  J Ann Brodland

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Saturday Night's All Right

Gelding Team Win

Soon-To-Be-Mom, Dakota Haller, is All Smiles Competing 

in Ladies Team, Who Later Won the Class of 11.

Raedene Messenger competing in Ladies Cart

Brian Coleman, Head of the Wagon Train on the Rail.

Winner, Open Six - 2016 Big Thunder Draft Horse Show

Thank you for all the fabulous well-wishes for our win of the
Open Six of the North American Six-Horse Classic Series competition with the Mark Messenger Memorial Hitch. The 2016 Big Thunder Draft Horse Show was terrific, and we appreciate being chosen as "Fan's Choice" on Friday night.  Onward to compete at the National Western Stock Show in Denver this weekend. We're already missing Big Thunder's heated barn!

If you're in Denver, stop by to visit the horses.

Calgary Stampede 2015 Six Horse Hitch World Champions!

Six-Time Calgary Stampede 

World Champion Teamster of the Six-Horse Hitch,
Brian Coleman of Eaglesfield Percherons,

on the box for the Mark Messenger Memorial Hitch

North American Six Horse Hitch Classic Series Winners ~ Olds, Calgary Stampede and Lloydminster 2014 ~ Thiel Hitch / Eaglesfield Percherons

Thiel Hitch
Olds Regional Exhibition 2014

Central Alberta Draft Horse Classic Show

Olds, AB

Thiel Hitch
The Calgary Stampede 2014

North American Six Horse Hitch Classic Series

World Champion Six Horse Hitch Championship

Calgary, AB
[Click Photo Above: Calgary Stampede Press Release]

Thiel Hitch
Lloydminster Exhibition Colonial Days Fair 2014

North American Six Horse Hitch Classic Series

Lloydminster, AB/SK
(Click the photo above for 2014 Lloydminster Show Results)

Supreme Champion Percheron in Lloydminster 2014: Champ

The handsome hitch wheeler, Champ, was awarded Champion Gelding

and Supreme Champion Percheron in Lloydminster at the 2014 Colonial Days Fair.

Congratulations to the Thiel family on this win.

It was an honor to present this big gentleman to the judges

and Champ will always be a champ in our eyes.

Photo Credits:  J. Ann Brodland

.•°*”˜☆˜”*°•.˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•٠·˙.•°*”˜☆˜”*°•.

2014 World Champion Six Horse Hitch - Calgary Stampede

Lights!   Camera!   Action!

There were 12 hitches competing this year at the 

Calgary Stampede World Championship Six-Horse Hitch Class.

Click on the lamp above to view the Stampede's short video highlighting all the competitors!

The faces of the teamsters reflect the intensity of the moment . . while on the move . . .

and in the line up before Judges Chad Cole, Gary Nebergall and Jerry Wismer.

We appreciate the enthusiasm of the many people who were spectators at this year's competition.

We were very happy to see new competitors in the Heavy Horse Show from

Canada and across the United States competing in the
North American Six Horse Hitch Classic Series competition.
A huge thank you to the Calgary Stampede Heavy Horse Show staff
who made sure the show went on with the greatest of ease, and
finally, thank you, Bruce Roy!  You were as entertaining as always.

Our thanks to the Thiels for entrusting their beautiful horses they placed in our care and training program,
our 24/7 Eaglesfield staff members, Joe Dolan, Photographer J. Ann Brodland, and Stephanie Gray,
along with the Eaglesfield volunteers who helped make the show what it was.

And finally, a hearty thank you to all the members of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.  

Their symphonic cadence along with the stomp and jingle of harness 

brought even more excitement to the Saddledome 

on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening.

Photo Credits:  J. Ann Brodland

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."

The 2014 Sydney Royal Easter Show

 

The Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales hosts The Sydney Royal Easter Show every year since 1823.  Each year, this event touts close to 30,000 entries across 40 competitions and over 5,000 competition classes, all scrambling for a chance to win a prestigious Sydney Royal ribbon.  This show offers the largest agricultural prize pool in Australia with more than $750,000 awarded in prize money and over 15,000 trophies, certificates and medals awarded.

 

 

April 10th through the 23rd is when the competitions begin, which includes an enormous array of human skill, talent and accomplishment.  Judging, awarding and applauding the tastiest of edibles, the finest alpacas, the best show jumpers, the most skilled wood choppers, the ultimate rural achiever, cake decorators, finest wines, cheeses, coffees, and the list goes on and on and on.

 

 

The Royal hosts competitions that are world championships enabling the best of the best to compete determining the ultimate champions for 2014.  By continuing these annual competitions, the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales helps maintain a level of agricultural excellence as well as promotes a forward movement in its rural communities towards healthy and prosperous futures for generations to come.

 

Eaglesfield Percherons is pleased and honored for the opportunity to graciously accept the invitation made by the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales.  Brian will be judging draft horses at this incredible event in less than 60 days.  Thank you, Bruce Roy, for spotlighting this memorable occasion for us in this month's issue of Saddle Up.



Busy Day at 2014 National Western Stock Show

The morning brought us a surprise visit from RFD-TV's Gentle Giants' hosts, Pam Minick and Kadee Coffman.  They came for a visit with Eaglesfield's Lexandra (NWSS Champion of Champions). 

What an honor it was for Pam and Kadee to interview Brian for the RFD-TV series as we readied for the day's competitions.  The Gentle Giants 2014 show begins airing mid-March.
 

.•°*”˜☆˜”*°•.˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•٠·˙.•°*”˜☆˜”*°•.

 

The Ladies Cart competition was intense this afternoon. 

Congratulations to Randi on a job well done with Pride earning first place!

.•°*”˜☆˜”*°•.˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•٠·˙.•°*”˜☆˜”*°•.

 

 

Tonight was the Open Six and was a super show!  Congratulations Greg & Mike Rowe of Flat Rock taking first place with a great, great drive.

A Big Thunderous Thank You to Our Hitch Crew!

We are both proud and humbled to place among the greatest teamsters and horses one could possibly admire and respect. We always hope we deserve it. This could never be accomplished without those behind the scenes, our unsung heroes: our remarkable crew. 

Lack of sleep, lack of comforts, missed meals, aching backs and sore feet are only a few of the special rewards of crewing, but without our crew we would not "be." 

 

We don't just like our crew, we love them. And we thank you so much for being a part of Eaglesfield.

--  Brian & Colleen.