I had never heard of the Priefert Percherons until I was sent a copy of this promo video for “Texas Thunder”:
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Impressive, eh?
Intrigued, I did a little reasearch and found the following information on the group’s website:
Under the guidance of talented horseman and experienced driver Jason Goodman, the Priefert Percherons have emerged as one of the premier draft horse exhibition attractions in the nation. This amazing team travels coast to coast, bringing their Texas Thunder and Roman Riding performances to arenas and expo centers all across North America. Jason, his wife, and their talented staff travel the country with eight massive Percheron draft horses, performing live for over six million people a year.
The ground rumbles with Texas Thunder when Priefert’s award-winning six-horse hitch enters the arena. Jason guides the horses through a series of impressive maneuvers. This exhibition includes a simulated “docking” of the freight wagon, a skill that was once necessary for the loading and unloading of freight. The performance also includes the team’s signature “spin the top,” with the horses emerging from the spin at a full gallop known as the stagecoach run. Jason also performs a thrilling Roman Riding act in which he rides standing on the backs of two horses, driving four more in front of him.
The Priefert Percherons have appeared at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the San Antonio Stock Show, the Calgary Stampede, the Denver National Western Stock Show and Rodeo, Cheyenne Frontier Days, Bishop Mule Days, and many other major horse fairs, parades, and PRCA rodeos.
The Priefert family acquired their original team of six Percheron draft horses in 2002. Since that time, Jason and the hitch have been booked with a full schedule. Among the original six horses purchased by Priefert was a horse named Goliath. He went on to hold the Guinness World Record for Tallest Living Horse in 2005 at 19 hands, 1 inch. Today’s hitch horses stand, on average, over 18 hands, 2 inches high, with an average weight of 2,200 pounds each. The Priefert freight wagon is an authentic freight wagon, with the undercarriage, or running gear, of the wagon dating to the late 1800s, when it was used to haul freight in downtown Denver. The box, or upper portion, of the wagon was rebuilt in the early 1990s, by master wagon builder Bob Olson. Together, the Priefert Percherons and their beautiful freight wagon are a spectacle that shouldn’t be missed!
Their upcoming appearances: Equine Affaire in Columbus, Ohio, April 7; the Midwest Horse Fair in Madison, Wisconsin, April 15; Ranch Outlet in Lafayette, Louisiana, May 28; the Mount Pleasant Rodeo in Mount Pleasant, Texas, June 2; the Reno Rodeo in Reno, Nevada, June 16; the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo in Vernal, Utah, July 7; Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming, July 22; the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis, Indiana, August 5, the Oklahoma State Fair in OK City, Oklahoma, September 15; and the Tulsa Fair in Tulsa, Oklahoma, September 29.
The Slower Road 
March 30, 2011 at 11:36 pm
Jennifer, you’ve found my weak spot. I’m a real sucker for the big, heavy horse hitches.
Up until 2006 HJ Heinz Company fielded an 8 up Percheron hitch that traveled the country. I saw them many years ago at a Cincinnati Reds Opening Day Parade. I went to see driver, John Dryer, at the end of the parade route, and swinging the team around in very crowded conditions, the leaders went either side of a “no parking” sign on one of those U shaped poles with all the holes in them. The sign went down like half cooked spaghetti and the horses never missed a step.
Here’s a video of the Heinz hitch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUAN_uv-IUs
In 2007, the Heinz company donated the hitch to the Old Guard Unit at Arlington National Cemetery where some of the horses still participate in the full honor military funerals 6 days a week.