Odie & Abe (Left)
This is a
picture of two of our Belgians taken several years ago. Odie (left
horse) is a sorrel Belgian Draft Horse who stood 18.2 & weighed
about 2100 lbs. He currently resides outside of Orland. Abe
(right horse), who began as our standing
stud on the farm, was the father to 4 other horses currently living on
the farm including our current standing stud as well as several other
horses off the farm. If you rode on the
farm wagon any time over the last 12 years, Abe was most likely one of
the horses providing the horse power. Sadly, Abe passed away just
after Christmas in 2007. He is greatly missed by all our
family and those who loved him!
Book Family Farm
Draft Horses
The Book Family Farm has owned,
breed & trained Draft Horses for over 25 years. This
tradition started back in the early 80's when Bruce worked on a
ranch in Utah. He bought his first team of Belgian Draft
Horses to feed cattle on the ranch and discovered that they were
much more economical than tractors, as well as much easier to
start in the winter. Having been a true horse lover
all his life there was an instant love between Bruce & the draft
horses. They are now a large part of our family and a
tradition that is passing down through the generations.
Over the years, we have gained a
tremendous amount of experience in breeding & handling these gentle giants. A large percentage of the horses we
own have been born, raised & trained on the farm. Having
learned what we believe to be a large part of our history as
well as how this country was originally farmed we enjoy sharing
that information. We enjoy talking about and teaching
people the history and capabilities of the draft horse.
For more information or
questions regarding the draft horses or the services we provide,
please contact us by phone or by email at
drafthorse@bookfamilyfarm.com.
Horses For Sale
We do not
currently have any horses for sale here on the farm.
If interested in
any of the horses listed below, please email
draft@bookfamilyfarm.com for
further pictures and details. If you have a specific interest please let me know and I will
be happy to share the horses we have available or direct you to the right
location for other possibilities. Thank you for your interest. All our horses become family and even though it is hard to
give them up, it is nice to know when they go to good homes.
Attention Horse Lovers or New Draft Horse
Owners:
Did you fall in love with a draft
horse or already own one but have never had the experience of being able to
drive it? We offer training for both you and your horse.
Even if you are interested in just learning how to drive & don't own a horse
yet, we have the experience for you! Men, women & children are all
welcome. One warning - once you get into this, you will fall head over heels
and find yourself wanting to buy another horse and do more and more
activities with them. :-) Please call or email if you're
interested or just have questions about the Draft Horses and their amazing
qualities and benefits.
This is Star (a grand-daughter to Abe) &
she is one of the farms miracle babies. After a fence line leg
accident at a year old, she fully recovered and has turned into a big
beautiful girl. In 2008 at the age of 8 she stands at 18 hands tall
and 2,000 lbs.
She is owned by Helen & John Mulcahy of
Mulcahy Draft Horses.
Joseph (right & below left) is a 5 year old Belgian gelding. He
currently stands at 18'2 and weighs approx. 2,000 lbs. He shows
the potential to be full grown at around 18'3 and 2,100+ lbs. He
is light blonde with a medium thick white blaze and the most beautiful
curly white mane and tale.
This horse is one of my rescue projects and is ready for training.
He is still very green and has had no driving experience, however
with time he has the potential to become a great horse.
Price (as is) = $500 obo or (with
training) = $2,500
Our interest in draft horses is in the traditional
farming side of the breed, so several years ago we purchased 2
Brabant Belgian Draft Horses to join our crew.
Bess (upper left just 1 month after delivering her 1st colt) is now 9
years old. This is the traditional European Belgian you would see
today if you were to travel in Europe. She stands 16.2 and weighs
over 2000 lbs. We have a stunning 2 year old gelding out of Bess and
an beautiful filly born in May 2009. Heidi (upper right) is
the mother of Bess. She stands 16.1 and weighs about 1850 lbs.
Both of these mares are 100% Brabant which means their lineage goes
directly back to Europe rather than through the American Belgian.
In addition to these two beautiful mares, we acquired the father to Bess.
His name was Eminent's. He was one of the most gorgeous horses I have
ever seen in my life. Many of the Brabant's in the United States have
lineage connected to this horse. He was a very popular stud in his
age. He was also one of the most loving studs I've been around & I had
the pleasure of being able to take care of him on a daily basis.
Sadly, he passed away in the winter of 2007. His age got the better of
him but he enjoyed romping around the farm with his girls and living on the
green pastures to the end of his days. If you know of this horse, or
have ever had a mare of yours breed to him, I would love to see any pictures
you might have. His mass and beauty in his youth must have been
magnificent to see! Please email me at
drafthorse@bookfamilyfarm.com. Thank you.
I am
very proud to say that we have the next generation of Brabant's here on
the farm. We had our first 50% Brabant stud colt born here on the farm
in June of 2007. There are a couple pictures of him on our
Picture Gallery page. I look forward to being able to share him
with you as he grows into what I hope is a magnificent example of the
Brabant breed.
Andy (above) - Our 12 Year Old Blonde Belgian Stallion
At first glance this stud doesn't seem like a whole lot.
He is beautiful and a fantastic mover, but there is just not a lot of mass
to him. Looks are deceiving! This horse throws big beautiful
babies and with a blonde sire and dark sorrel dam, there is every chance you
could get either depending on your mare. The mare listed above (Star)
is out of Andy and the yearling Brabant colt listed on the Picture Gallery
page (Moose) is also out of Andy. All of his offspring have proven to be big and beautiful.
If you have a mare and are interested in finding out if this might be the
right stud to cross your mare with, please don't hesitate to contact me.
I will be happy to discuss our process and pricing with you. We do not
breed to first time mares and will no longer breed to anything under 16
hands. My only caution to you is, if you are just looking for another
horse, please research all of the other available horses out there.
There are thousands of horses that need good homes all across the country
and to breed horses just to have another baby doesn't seem right. If
you have a plan in mind and know what you are looking for - go for it.
Otherwise, please keep in mind all the horses that are available...
some of which can be brought home for free!
SOLD
Thank you Chafin Farms of Oregon!
