Training

John Billings trains all of the Descansa Percherons horses himself. John has attended several world class training seminars and has spent untold hours out in the barn figuring out what works best to gain the skills that he uses.

All Descansa Percherons are halter broke when they are babies, John then goes on to ground break them to harness by the time they are two years old.

As yearlings John spends a few good sessions teaching them about the feel of the harness, what it is like to have a bit in their mouth and leaves them to think about what they have learned as they get turned out for the winter.

When spring comes and they are two years old John spends time ground driving them, single and double. Then they start pulling a sled, which is a wonderful tool to teach them "jee" and "haw", "whoa" and "go".

As two year olds their load is always light because this is the time for them to learn. There is plenty of time for hard work next year.

When the show season starts in late summer, they learn to be traffic safe and how to put their heads up "and go to town". We put on the patton leather harness, ribbons in their forelocks and tails, stand-ups and rolls in their manes and they're ready to please the crowd.

John trains these horses to drive single cart, teams, unicorn, four horse, six horse and tandem hitches. There is nothing more exciting than to see these horses figure out what they are meant to do, what you are asking of them, and then doing it.

The above picture illustrates how John breaks a team by pulling logs at Jade Hills Farm. A log of this size is typically work for a mature team. However young horses start pulling smaller logs as yearlings and two year olds.