|
|
|
|
The Family History of the Bovard family and the legacy of the Percheron.
Kendra’s great-grandfather Elmer Thorp remembers coming to the Kansas -Nebraska
territory in a covered wagon as a child. In the 30's he had a farm in
Severence, KS, on which he broke and trained draft horses. During the Great
Dust Bowl, however, as did many farmers, he lost his farm and was forced to move
to Liberty, Mo. where he found work on a ranch. Kendra’s father Tom would also
come to have the same love for horses and trained cutting horses for the family
cattle farm.
It is no coincidence that many farms relied on these animals and the Great Depression yet again confirmed to Americans that draft horses were still the most economical source of farm power and freight haulers. However, a 1930 census shows that 70% of the draft horses in America was the Percheron. Like our great-grandfathers, the Percheron symbolizes an enduring breed that toiled over the land, faced bitter hardships and disappointment and still survived.
Yet again, there was another young lad in the late fifties, 15 year old Larry
Bovard grew up on the
thoroughbred racetracks. Larry had a love for the horses and
the competition, and although times were lean (on many occasions they would mix
ketchup and water to make tomato soup); he thrived on the fast-paced excitement
of the track. In later years, thanks to some very dear Amish friends, he would
discover a new appreciation for the Percheron, which he has passed on to his
family. Shaun has inherited the love of the horses, the thrill of competition
and the two together have gone on to a new level...a six-horse hitch. Look for
the Paradise Percheron team at a draft horse competition near you! We would like to
include on this page a thank you to all of our family in .............driving our dreams and imagination. Copyright 2004 Paradise Percherons, LLC
all rights reserved |
There are five generations of Percheron draft horse breeding and training in our
family. Shaun’s great-grandfather Theodore Stumpenhorst had about 30 head of
Percherons on his farm in Blue Hill, Nebraska in the 1930's. The Percheron is
one of the most ancient and pure of breeds and Theodore favored them for extreme
intelligence, gentle temperament, and versatility. During these lean years he
would load up his stallion, Lee, into his old model A pickup and travel around
to the local farms for stud services. The fee was nominal but it made him a
living. Roma and Lydia recall when Grandpa Stumpy would say he still remembered
how that stallion used to lean left or right as they would make their way down
the old country roads.
