| We bought our first Percheron in 1996. In 1999 we expanded our herd of Percherons to include a six-horse hitch of black mares, a breeding stallion and several brood mares and fillies. With the increased commitment to this breed came the desire to participate in conformation competitions at draft horse shows. There was a lot to learn! One of our mares won first in her class at each show we entered that initial year, and our stallion was Supreme Champion Draft Horse at the California Draft Horse Classic in Grass Valley. In our hitching debut, at the 2000 Santa Clara County Fair, the Hames Valley Vineyards Percherons were the Champion Hitch. The same year we traveled to the Calgary Stampede for the World Champion Six-Horse Hitch Competition and were the featured exhibition hitch at the Grand National Rodeo in the San Francisco Cow Palace and at the Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles. 2001 brought honors in competitions from the National Western Stock Show in Denver, the Calgary Stampede, the Los Angeles County Fair and the California Draft Horse Classic in Grass Valley, where we took first in both the six-horse and eight-horse hitch classes. The Hames Valley Vineyards Percherons also enjoyed another year as exhibition hitch for the Grand National Rodeo at the Cow Palace. One of the Denney family's favorite parts of hitching Percherons is sharing our love of these wonderful horses, and of the history of agriculture, with the general public. We never tire of hearing people's amazement and admiration of the draft horses. L. D.'s Prince Classy Pedigree (click to view)  L.D.'s Prince Classy with 2001 foal Sassy
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