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Show i Percivals' pasture on Glover's Lane Clydesdales find a home in Farmington FARMINGTON If the original settlers of Glover's Lane had been present last Saturday, they would have been pleased to see ground that has been tilled for years by mechanical means was once again being worked with a team of horses. John PercivaTs son, John, pur- J, v i"- h 11 Wl chased some Clydesdale horses last year. Saturday, he transported Babe and Buddy, a young, strong team, from their pasture in Clinton to the Percivals pasture on Glover's Lane. Behind the new cart that was made for the horses to pull for pleasure and show, the Percivals attached a set of harrows. With no effort at all, the Clydesdales circled the one-acre pasture, allowing the harrows to dig into the earth, smoothing rough spots, breaking up the ground so that the grass could grow better and removing undesirable weeds. The entire procedure pro-cedure took about one-half hour, good time when you consider that only two-horse powers were being used. Percival didn't purchase his large horses to use as draft animals. He said, "I've always liked horses and I decided to try some Clydesdales." He started with two and has since purchased two more. The animals were raised on a ranch in Idaho. Percival said Clydesdales are becoming more popular as draft animals and as horses raised for hobbies and pleasure. He works the animals at least once a week with the goal of entering enter-ing them in local parades. He had a special cart built for them to pull. The set of harnesses he was using Saturday date back about a century although he has another show set that are of modern vintage. 'I hope one day my Clydesdales will be as famous locally as the Budweiser horses are nationally,' Percival said. His daughters, Misty and Sharlie, who were helping their father harrow, smiled in agreement Misty and Sharlie Percival helped lead Babe and Buddy, two Clydesdale horses owned by their father, around their grandfather's pasture in Farmington. The horses were pulling a set of harrows. In less than an hour, the horses had completed harrowing, one of the first farm chores of spring. |