About Us
Northwest Clydesdales is a family owned Clydesdale breeding and showing farm.
2014 was our 48th consecutive year of exhibiting our horses at fairs and events here in the Pacific Northwest.
The Beginning...
Four months after Edwin and Freda Henken were married, Harold Weidkamp, a Lynden Clydesdale breeder passed away in the spring of 1966 and shortly thereafter Edwin and Freda purchased all eleven Clydesdales from the estate and have been exhibiting Clydesdales ever since.
In 1970 they were looking to begin a breeding operation and purchased Belleau Viceroy, the top selling yearling stallion at the only public auction ever held by the Anheuser Busch Company (Budweiser)... Through the years a select number of mares and stallions were added to the herd. In the early 1980's a decision was made to sell the hitch geldings and concentrate on the breeding program while at the same time continuing the hitch - but hitch the breeding stock. As a result, our 2004 hitch consisted of a stallion, one gelding and 4 mares (two nursing foals in the barn), all of which were homebred.
Through the years...
Our animals have become well known nationally through their winnings and the winnings of their offspring. As we are 2000 miles from the National Clydesdale Show in Wisconsin we have enjoyed watching others take Northwest bred Clydesdales and their offspring to Championships at shows such as the National Clydesdale Show and the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto.
Today...
We maintain a herd of 8-12 head of Clydesdales and raise 1-2 foals annually.
Our mares vary from 17.1 to 18.1 hh and take an 8" to 10" shoe the first setting of the year. They are easy keepers and we drive them in the hitch and ride them even while they are still nursing their foal.
Here in
the Pacific Northwest we compete successfully with entries at the Western
Regional Clydesdale Show held annually in August during the Evergreen State
Fair in Monroe, Washington; which is the largest Clydesdale show west of
the Prairies.
During the last few years, as we train the horses to drive, we are riding them as well. We have been riding them in the arena, trail riding, and we created a draft horse riding drill team called the Northwest D.R.E.A.M. Team in 2010.