L.D.'s Prince Charles #275252 DOB: 5/29/1995 Sire: M.G.s Prince. Dam: T. Ranch Patsy

Charles was born on May 29, 1995, and is all black, with a few white hairs on his forehead. Barefoot, he stands at 17.2 hands of pure muscle and action. Charles joined Cielo Azure Percherons in January of 2006, arriving from the small family stable and breeding operation of Alvin and Sheila Huffman in Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada, where he has serviced local mares for the last seven years.

L.D.s Prince Charles is the only intact full brother to the World Champion Percheron Mare in cart and hitch, Kauffman's Princess Peggy, who was also lead mare in the World Champion Mare 4 and 6 up hitches.

As a two year old under Cameron Shantz of Shananagn Park Farm (Ontario, Canada), he took the purple as Grand Champion Percheron Stallion at the 1997 Canadian National Exhibition. Mr. Shantz' unfortunate stroke shortly thereafter led to Charles' sale and transfer to the Huffman's farm where he led the quiet life of a stay-at-home. Charles went back into the show ring at the 2006, World Percheron Congress. He took first in the aged State Class!

Although L.D.'s Prince Charles is very modern and correct, with the characteristic excellent topline, headset, and front action that M.G.'s Prince offspring are renowned for, what distinguishes him from most other M.G.'s Prince get is Charles' excellent hock action.

Charles' notable offspring include daughters Northlea PC Valerie, sold in the 2003 Mid-America sale for $17,000 and subsequently exported to France, Valinvilla Flora and Valinvilla Celeste who stood 2nd and 3rd at the 2005 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, and Valinvilla Shania, whose progeny took 1st place in the Progeny of Dam class at the 2004 and 2005 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

His renowned (but unfortunately deceased) sire M.G.'s Prince needs no introduction to the Percheron aficionado, but the feature article on M.G.'s Prince in the Annual Holiday & Stallion issue of The Draft Horse Journal (Winter 2005) entitled “Princely Architect of the Modern Percheron” provides a great overview of the exceptional contributions that this 1999, 2000, and 2002 Premier Sire has made to the Percheron breed. To quote the Journal, “To state that M.G.'s Prince sired a pile of contemporary champions is like saying Seabiscut was fast. Prince is the sire of 25 individual horses that have attained All-American, Reserve All-American, or 1st Honorable Mention status, which is more than any Percheron stallion in the history of the program.”

However, seasoned breeders know that in selecting a stud, the maternal lineage is as critical as that of the sire. As demonstrated by his unusually well developed hock action and famous full sister, Charles benefits from an excellent dam. The Canadian publication Feather and Fetlock has provided a nice summary of her background "...his mother is the Rolling Acres Ric Koncarlaet mare, T. Ranch Patsy, whose maternal grand-dam was a daughter of the British-bred horse Pinchbeck Victor. Horsemen will find it of interest to note Pinchbeck Victor descended from Halifax and Americain, stallions once owned at the Bar U Ranch in Western Canada; from Etudiant, Imprecation and Rectorat, horses shipped to America from France early in the century; and from Schenley Serverie, the famous British mare shown in the United States before World War II."

Cielo Azure Percherons thanks the Huffmans for allowing Charles to relocate to our farm. He is available to provide live cover during the 2009 breeding season.

Stud fee: $500. Live cover. Mare care $15. day.

Contract available upon request.

Ami DeGroot

© Copyright (all webpages, photos, writings and original works), Jill Glasspool Malone, PhD. Jan, 2006