Gentle Giants Magnificent Clydesdales at Express Ranch By Hugh Jones

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At 6-1, I'm not accustomed to looking up at many individuals. But I had to look up, way up, to peer into Bob's eyes. Fortunately, he stared back with a benign gaze–Bob weighs a ton. Clydesdale horses are known as gentle giants, according to Donnie Langille, manager at Express Ranch. "It's not their nature to be mean or aggressive. They're social animals. They like people, like the attention, and they know when they're getting dressed up and going to town." The ranch's Clydesdales get dressed up and go often. You may have seen them in parades, at rodeos or other events. They also attend competitions around the country, having recently won the North American All Star Invitational in Indianapolis, a six horse hitch competition for draft breeds. In July, they'll travel to the world championship in Calgary, Canada. But today, all 19 are at home. Head west from Oklahoma City on old 66 to Yukon, and take a trip back through time. Pick your era–the Mother Road, cattle drives of the old West or maybe even knights in shining armor. After driving through downtown Yukon, go north on Garth Brooks Boulevard, nothing special the first mile. But after crossing the North Canadian River, you enter a jaw-dropping landscape. Everything about Express Ranch is BIG–the land, 3,500 acres, the white fences that run on and on, the cattle roaming inside the fences, to the right on a rise, the owner Bob Funk's house, which looks more like a resort hotel, and, of course, the horses. The Clydesdale barn is straight ahead at the intersection of Garth Brooks and Wilshire. When you get out, chances are you'll be greeted by one to three dogs–darned if they aren't big too, but friendly, as is the staff. The barn is open to the public at no charge. I'm also greeted by Linda Briggs, who runs the welcome center. She's well aware of the history surrounding her. There's history in the barn. Now renovated into a very fancy house for horses, it has been sitting there since 1936. There's history in the ranch. The Chisholm Trail, of cattle drive fame, runs right through it. And there's an interesting history behind draft breeds. Before mechanization, they were the tractors and trucks. Going farther back, way back, they were medieval war machines. "English knights," she says, leading Bob back to his stall with little more effort than if she were walking one of the dogs on a leash. She rubs his nose, one of the few areas that's white, along with his legs, in stark contrast to his black coat. "His ancestors were developed to carry hundreds of pounds. You had the rider, his armor and weaponry, plus the horse's armor. The horse, itself, was a weapon as well as a mount." "It took a big horse to do that," says Langille, joining her. "That's one reason for the big feet, better to step on the enemy." And those feet can still pose a problem. "You do have to watch them," says Briggs. "These horses are very docile and friendly. The only intimidating thing is their size. And you have to respect that. They're not thinking, 'Hey, I weigh 2,000 pounds, and you weigh next to nothing.' They're not conscious of it. So you have to be aware, especially when working with them. If they shift their weight, you don't want your foot ending up under theirs." For the uninitiated, including me, a horse is measured from the ground to the withers (tip of the shoulders) in units called hands. Four inches make a hand. A Clydesdale averages from 16 to 19 hands in height, which means my head just makes it to Bob's back. Throw in his head, and you're talking about eight feet. Weight runs from 1,500 to 2,200 pounds. Draft comes from the Anglo-Saxon word dragon–to drag, draw or haul. A draft horse was meant for work. Clydesdales originated in the Clyde valley region of southeast Scotland during the 1700s when the Sixth Duke of Hamilton imported heavy Flemish stallions from Flanders (northern Europe) to mate with local mares. There's other blood mixed in, including the Shire, an even bigger horse. The Clydesdale is considered the most refined of the drafts and is very active for its size. A versatile breed, it was a boon to farmers who needed a horse with great strength, good balance, sound legs and big feet. And it was a mainstay for industry, hauling coal from Scottish mines. Introduced to America in the 1870s, Clydesdales continued to earn their living hauling goods, pulling barges on rivers and farming. But time was catching up. Gunpowder long ago ended their warring ways, and trucks and tractors doomed their peaceful labor. "We just about lost the draft horses," says Briggs. "Farmers grew tired of having to sling that heavy harness up there, and half their crops went to feeding them. They could have gone extinct, but a few diehards held on. And there are some serious breeders." Now run the clock forward to the last decade. Bob Funk is a man with his cowboy hat in many rings. To mention a few, he's the founder of Express Personnel Services, with offices worldwide. He's a big time cattle rancher. Most recently, he's the new owner of the Oklahoma City Blazers hockey team. Several years ago, Briggs, then working in the Yukon Express Personnel office, had an idea–how to use the old barn. The Clydesdales would be a great public relations tool. And she and Funk had a mutual affection for the black and whites; their color is rare in the breed. Next came the Canadian connection. That's where most of the horses come from, along with Langille. Born and raised in Nova Scotia, he grew up around draft horses. In a soft voice and with a modest smile, the 34 year old says, "Showed my first team when I was 9, drove my first six at 15." He knows what he's looking for in a horse, and finding the right one is a challenge. "We go for a matched look, uniform and balanced. In North America, only about 10 percent of the Clydesdales are black and white; that's a number in the hundreds. So, it's a small group to select from. Of them, the majority don't have the right markings, the good white face or all four white legs, or the right temperament." And when they make it into a team in front of a wagon, they have to be balanced in size. In a six horse hitch, the most common, they range from the biggest in back to the smallest in front. "The lead team is a little more active," says Langille. "The more athletic ones are usually the smaller ones. Then you have the swing team in the middle, a little larger. And next to the wagon, the wheel horses. They're the biggest and strongest, because they do most of the work in pulling it, backing it, turning and acting as the brakes when going downhill. They have to learn to work together and how to respond to each other." Before making the team, of course, there's training. Express buys them as three year olds. By then, they've had some schooling, getting used to people, handling, the halter and harness. Langille takes it from there, allowing them to grow comfortable with their surroundings, noises, traffic. They start out on an 800 pound sled, becoming familiar with the gear, learning how to pull and work together. As they progress, they pull bigger loads with more horses. They have to get used to asphalt and concrete. Eventually, they advance into a parade hitch, then a show hitch.. Yes, they work, and they have to be good at what they do. But somehow, I doubt, if they knew the toils of their ancestors, there'd be any desire to trade places. No bloody battles or heavy duty for these Clydesdales. They're celebrities and live the lifestyle–a nice home, plenty to eat (and they eat plenty–12 to 15 pounds of grain a day and the same in hay) and lots of pampering. "Oh, they love the attention," says Briggs. "They'll even get jealous if one is getting more. And I love being here with them. This is just one of the ways Mr. Funk gives back to Oklahoma. That's why he shares them with the public. They're great ambassadors for Express and a wonderful educational tool for the children who come and learn about them. You can't beat them as a draw; they're just magnets for people. And we get visitors from all over the country, all over the world. There's a lot of nostalgia. We not only tell stories, we hear them from the elderly who talk about their experiences when they worked with such horses. It's an honor to be a part of it." Langille agrees. "They do bring back memories. We're here to promote goodwill and for people to come out and enjoy. It's an opportunity to see something they don't often get to, especially in this part of the country. For me, the reward is that I like horses; they're fun to be around, always happy to see you. It's a nice feeling to see them working as a unit–the power they possess and the way they respond. And I like the appeal they have to people, the look in their eyes when they're up close and get to touch them. There aren't too many jobs where you can say that." Back to Archives

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