River Run Percheron farm welcomes you

Written by Kari Sundberg, Eagle Editor

“Over the river and through the woods, to Ostby’s house we go; the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh, through white and drifted snow!”

Picture-perfect is how one might describe the setting when pulling into the yard of Shannon & Denise Ostby. The River Run Percheron farm is located just outside of Grygla. When going down the drive and crossing the Mud River, your eyes are given such a treat. A serene gazebo sits next to the river bank, while a beautiful log home overlooks neat and tidy barns that house some pretty majestic horses. 

Picture-perfect is a great description, indeed.

Expecting eight foals this spring, the Ostbys currently have ten Percherons on their farm; all are mares with the exception of one stud and one stud colt. “Spring is a really exciting time for us around here,” Denise smiled. Of the eight foals, six will remain on the farm.

The Ostbys have owned Percherons for the last 35 years. Shortly after they were married, the first team was bought to assist with barn cleaning as Shannon & Denise milked cows at the time. It wasn’t long before a good friend, Warren Torgerson, from Clearbrook, got them into showing. Back in the 90’s, the Ostby farm had up to 50 head of Percherons at one time with the family staying very active in the show business. Venturing up to Canada, to Colorado and Florida, down to the Minnesota State Fair, to Iowa, the road was very well-traveled with their team of horses. Years ago, they also showed at two different World Percheron Congresses and are thinking about going back to it this year! The event is held every four years all over the world. This October, it’s not too far away in Des Moines, Iowa, which is why Shannon is thinking about hitting the road again. “It’s so close to home that we’re thinking about bringing our best yearling stud to show potential buyers. If it doesn’t pan out or we don’t get what we want, we’ll plan to keep him for our own replacement,” he said. That yearling stud, along with two other horses, are currently in Madison, Wisconsin, getting ready for sale. 

What does that mean exactly?

The Ostbys are in partnership with John Wayne Kauffman, who gets the horses ready, meaning he drives them, gets them shot up, puts shoes on them, brushes them and gets them real pretty. Basically, he puts the finishing touches on them before they hit the show ring. John Wayne Kauffman is a well-known name in the business as he had the top selling mare in Madison last spring; it was a 3-year old that sold for $50,000.

“The market for the high sellers are the rich people, plain and simple,” Shannon and Denise agreed. The highest horse they’ve ever seen sell at a sale was for a 3-year old stud that went for $115,000! “Basically, two millionaires wanted the same horse,” Shannon laughed. (That horse was purchased with the prospect to ship semen off him and breed outside mares.) Interesting fact: Other people without a stud can have semen shipped to them in just 24 hours for artificial insemination.

Right now, the draft market is the highest Shannon has ever seen with an average Percheron selling for $13,000. The market varies with horses being sold for hobby-related purposes or to the guy that wants to skid out a few logs in the winter time. The biggest market includes the draft horses being sold into top hitches for promoting purposes. You’ve probably heard of Young Living Essential Oils? The owner has farms all over the world with one of the lavender farms being located in Mona, Utah. The farm has a hitch of Percherons that they use year-round for promoting purposes. Last summer, the Ostbys took a trip to that farm, describing it as unbelievable, and attended a big rodeo show on site. 

None of Shannon & Denise’s draft horses have been sold for the Young Living hitches, (YET!) but they have raised and sold Percherons used for other top hitches in the country, such as Ames Construction, out of Burnsville, MN, Cedar Farms, out of Michigan, and Cape Cod Percherons, out of Nova Scotia, to name a few.

Back in 2001, their daughter, Keesha, was the National Percheron Queen. The family went to Indianapolis, where there was a national show that year. As queen, Keesha promoted the Percheron breed and gave out awards.

These days, while not showing like they used to, Shannon likes to do some judging. He was asked to attend the Provincial Percheron Show up in Canada this summer where he’ll judge the halter and hitch classes, as well as the cart and team classes. He enjoys doing this for many reasons, but mainly to keep his skills honed.

The Ostbys have done hundreds of sleigh rides and parades over the years, but have gotten away from it, due to the time and work it takes to prepare for such events. Nonetheless, they still enjoy driving their horses through their woods trails, saying it’s very quiet, relaxing and enjoyable to them. All of the horses on the farm are in harness by the time they are two years old. Some people also breed by the age of two, but the River Run draft horses aren’t bred until three or four years of age. 

“For us, this is a hobby that pays its way,” Shannon explained. “Sure, the ultimate goal is to ring that bell…to breed and raise the one that sells for 70-80 thousand, but we are proud of where we are at. We’ve been at it a lot of years and are finally established where people are calling us to buy our horses. A guy in Georgia bought three and already spoke for two more next year,” he added.

The Ostbys have every right to be proud of their horses. They spend a lot of time and energy in the barns, although both are also employed full-time, Shannon at Polaris and Denise at Digi-key. They say they are out in the barn more now than when they milked cows! “That’s my downtime. I don’t think of anything else when I’m out there,” Shannon admits. 

It’s a hobby they truly enjoy…and one they welcome others to enjoy with them!

Denise says this is the best time of year – when all the foals are due to arrive. Last year, they only had one visitor on the farm to see the babies. “Shonda Jelle was the only person to come out to the farm last year,” Denise explained. “We welcome ANYONE to come on out – we’d love that,” she says.

More than happy and willing to show you the horses, Shannon and Denise can be reached at 218-686-0033 or 218-686-1714. “Give us a call,” they say. “We’ll make sure we’re around for anyone to come out.” Because the mares are so docile, visitors are able to go right into the stalls and play with the babies, if they so wish. 

Of course the foals are fun to see and play with, but the Ostby’s stud, Dekota, is a sight to be seen, as well. Standing at over 18 hands high (there are four inches in a hand), he just about takes your breath away! 

The Ostbys have a camera system set up that has made life a lot easier for them. They can both be at work and check the birthing stalls via their cell phone. As of press time, no foals had been born yet, but should be arriving at any time. In fact, a couple are overdue so stay tuned for an update! You might even be lucky enough to help name one as Denise says they are running out of names and considering running a “name that foal” contest! “We enjoy this time of year so much. Since we aren’t into the show business anymore, the foals are the next best thing! We just want people to know they are welcome to visit and enjoy them, too,” she invites.

Stay tuned for updates on the arrival of the foals and consider taking some time to visit River Run’s beautiful farm one afternoon – the Ostbys welcome you and your family.