The Lucknow Sentinel, 1993-03-17, Page 29Farm Progress '93 -Page 13
Son listens to father's advice: never get married to a horse
•from page 12
Allen has been trying to get a
good six -horse hitch together. Get-
ting six horses that work well
together with a lead team, a swing
team and a wheel team isn't always
easy.
"We've been working towards it
(six=horse hitch) but just as soon as
we get three or four someone
comes along and says 'I'd like one
or two of those' and if the money is
right, they go out the gate. That's
how we stay in business."
In 1985 the Greggs had a good
team. They showed them extensive-
ly and they prized well. In June of
1987 Allen got a call from a man in
California who wanted to buy the
horses for a promotions gig for a
hotel he owned in Kaui.
"We sold all seven in one shot."
The man bought the Clydes sight
unseen and handed over a certified
cheque after Allen and his son
A day, in the
life of a
farmer
•from page 11
At 11:30 Tom is back feeding hay
and bringing in the heifers. During
the afternoon he is able to look
after other farm mauers until about
4:00 when he starts the whole rou-
tine over again. By about fifteen
minutes to eight o'clock he is out
of the barn for the day.
Technology is another change
Tom has see in farming. The pur-
chase of a straw chopper signifi-
cantly reduced the time Tom
needed to spend- in the barn.
Like almost anymodern-day
farmer Tom has to be part -business-
man and part -mechanic. Farm
machinery is always great when it's
new but can be temperamental as it
gets older, notes, Tom.
Cleanliness is an important part of
any operation but it's especially
important for a dairy farmer.
Inspectors take regular stock of all
dairy operations.
Tom and Catherine Ryan have
three boys and a girl. They are
Shawn, 8, Kevin, 6, Brendan, 3 and
Eliscia, 1. - •
A summer student who works at
the Ryan farm helps the family get
a few days away from the oper-
ation. But farming allows very few
holidays or days• off. It's seven days
a week, 365 days a year, notes
Tom.
But he says he does it because he
likes it.
"If you don't like it'you probably
won't do a good job at it.
The family life is an important
part of why Tom is a farmer.
"It's--a–lot–of–work–but it's the—
best way to raise a bunch of kids,"
he said. "The boys help out a lot,
they help feed the calves, they have
chores to do...it's important to
know they have a job to do, are
pitching in, and helping out and
being responsible."
trucked the seven horses to Califor-
nia. The Clydes where flown to
Kaui and in September Steven went
for 10 days and got the team
together for the new owner.
Allen said he has no regrets about
giving up the horses because the
`price was right. At times it's hard
to give up an animal he'S gotten
attached to but Allen listens to his
father's advice,'never get married to
a horse.'
Training
Marguerite said Allen has a skill
that allows him to picture what arl�
untrained horse could be like if he
gets his hands on it.
"He can see something wrong and
project in his mind what it might
look like in two to five years from
now," said Marguerite.
When Allen is purchasing a horse
he wants a Clyde that needs work.
"We don't like to buy mature
horses that are already fit and ready
to go. You pay tap dollar and there
is nowhere you can go with them.
Money -wise they start to depreci-
ate."
Once Allen purchases a horse the
preparation for showing the animal
takes some time. Once a week
Allen uses motor oil and sulphur to
stroke through the horse's leg hair.
The mixture keeps the horse hair
moist. It also keeps the horse from
scratching and breaking off hair that
is very important to judges because
the Clyde's trademark is the
feathered foot
"Most judges will. look at the
legs, up at the head and neck and
then he'll look at the bottoms (feet).
If he sees a bottom he really likes
_ he'll take another look."
The day before and day of the
show, the Clyde is washed exten-
sively with soap and dried with
sawdust. Legs are covered with leg
wraps to keep the horse's hair tight
to the bone. The look, Allen said,
makes the Clyde's ankle appear
longer which makes the horse look
taller.
At the show, Allen rolls their
manes with a cheese cloth. The
maneis partially braided with the
cloth and the left over hair is swept
to the side of the horse's neck. The
tails are also tied up. This routine is
done with about -six horses for
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every show. The Gregg families
attend 15 to 32 competitions a year.
An average Clydesdale stands 17-
2 hands high (close to six feet)
from the back of the neck to the
ground, and weighs 1,800 pounds to
a ton. Allen said a yearling or two-
year-old that hasn't been broke
could cost $1,500 to $3,000. A
three or four-year-old gelding that
is the right color, size and is broke
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lifespan of the Clyde is 20 to 25
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