The Genesis of Sweet Giant Shire
Or how the passion for Shires was born
A lover of animals since my earliest childhood, I spent my holidays until my teenage years on my aunts’ and uncles’ farms. I had always dreamed of learning to ride, but my parents refused because of my back problems.
At 16, I participated in my first 15-day riding course at a riding center. Despite a fall that resulted in a fractured pelvis, my love for horses grew exponentially. A few months later, another 15-day course allowed me to learn the basics of riding and to care for horses both in the pasture and in the stall. For personal reasons, I was unable to continue riding, but my love for them has remained unchanged.
At 38, I decided to treat myself to my own horse and fell in love with two mares: Xana and Aitana. A few months later, my beautiful Aitana was secretly expecting a foal, and Stella was born.
After reading several articles about rider weight, I thought I wouldn’t be able to ride my mares… but I really loved the Irish Cob breed. Then, I discovered the Shire, a horse capable of carrying me. So I started looking for a breeder in France and found one on the road between our houses. Off I went to see a real Shire!
Kristal & Jac, 2019
Forget Me Not
King
A Story of Encounters
The Arrival of Forget Me Not and King
As nothing happens by chance, I learned that there was a Shire breeding farm on the road between our two houses. So there I was, on the road to the stud farm, ready to see a real one!
After several impromptu visits (stopping by the fields to admire them), we met the breeders at the Bordeaux Fair in 2016 (I recognized their horses!). We started talking about the breed, and I learned they were expecting a foal in the coming days.
I then made an appointment with them to meet their horses and our “August Strawberry,” also known as Forget Me Not, who would become our first foal.
Once Forget arrived home among my “little” horses, I could tell he didn’t quite fit in; their pace of life was too fast for him. That’s why we decided to get him a companion, a second one.
So I contacted Dame Marie’s stud farm. I decided to time my visit to coincide with the day of their stallion’s approval (King’s sire), which takes place with two English judges who travel there for the occasion at most once a year.
At the stud farm, they still had two foals available. I chose King, a little smaller than the other, but his mischievous streak had charmed me, and I thought he would be the right size to form a harmonious pair with our Forget.
I was a little worried because the two judges were very focused on the foals, their conformation, and so on.
But back home, I reserved King, after confirming with my husband.
Kristal, Frikka, and Orva: our mares
For several years, we have followed Gentle Giant’s Facebook page. During our trip to the Shire Horse Show in March 2018, we had the opportunity to meet them and get close to their magnificent horses.
Back in France, we were overcome with a burning desire to start our own breeding program, and we decided to contact Gentle Giant to see if they had any fillies or mares for sale. To our great disappointment, the answer was no. But they put us in touch with a breeder who was one of the judges we had met when we bought King.
After discussing our requirements and seeing photos of his mare, we bought Kristal and entrusted him with the task of breeding her.
When Kristal arrived at our place in July, I couldn’t help but shed a tear: she was so beautiful, even more so than in the photos the breeder had sent.
One day, on a website, I fell in love with a yearling filly living in Belgium: Frikka.
I contacted the owner, who told me she was reserved, but the person hadn’t yet paid the deposit to confirm the reservation. He only had a few days left before the contract was canceled.
He showed us other mares for sale, including Orva, whom we liked very much but who didn’t make me forget the beautiful Frikka.
We asked our judge friend for advice about these two mares, and he approved the choice of Orva.
Luckily, Frikka’s first buyer hadn’t come forward, so we finally brought both mares home.
Kristal
Frikka
Orva
R Bill
R Bill, the stud’s stallion
The stud farm is starting to take shape
After discussing artificial insemination with a few breeders, we started looking for a stallion. But a lot of questions were swirling in my head. For the mares, everything was done with photos and videos, but for a stallion, that wasn’t possible: we had to be sure it was the right one! Should we get a foal, a two-year-old, or a proven stallion?
Every time we found a stallion that seemed suitable, we asked our favorite judge for his opinion, but he always found plenty of flaws. That’s why we asked him to find us a stallion, since he knows our mares’ pedigrees.
After a few months, one evening at 11:50 p.m., we received a message from our judge saying, “Look at this one, he seems perfect for you and your mares.” “And then, we saw an engraving; we couldn’t believe our eyes.
We asked our judge to come and examine this stallion and give us his opinion.
After his visit, we contacted the owner to purchase R Bill, the future stallion for our breeding program.
We would like to thank our judge, because without him, none of this adventure would have been possible!