It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my father and one of the owners of Bellwether Irish Draughts, Alfred Shapiro. My father was very passionate about Irish Draughts. He purchased our first draught, Manufortis Rakish Lad (pictured) from Doug and Simone Mackay in 2004. Aston was meant to be a family riding horse, but he was so lovely we decided to run him on as a stallion. We spent a lot of time discussing the importance of preservation and we later imported a Silver Japser colt and a Cork Arthur colt. From there we purchased RID stallions Celtic Moon and Foxglen Himself. He believed the Irish Draught to be a foundation breed contributing to the ultimate performance horse, the Irish Draught Sport Horse. He did not think the draught should become a sport horse. This did not mean the purebred should be heavy or course, but it should have good conformation and be true to type. From there the horse could move well and jump well and perform as a superstar amateur or junior mount. He sent me to England to watch stallion gradings and meet breeders. I later went to Ireland to do the same. We even visited the Isle of Man to see a very rare and wonderful stallion, Music Maker. My father believed in the Irish Draught Horse Society as an organization and he believed in the importance of a registry. He gave generously in sponsorships and advertising. He brought in several respected people from Ireland to lead our rare breed symposium last year at his own expense. He let me serve on the Board while working for him which took considerable time from my duties at work. He served on the Societys Finance Committee. When I went into his office every morning, he said, so, what is happening with Irish Draughts today? Tell me everything. He has been my role model in life and how I approach my work with Irish Draughts. I miss him terribly.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 12:48:00 +0000