IDHMA Members:
The Iowa Draft Horse and Mule Association will be holding the winter meeting!! Mark your
calendar now for Sunday, January 12, 2025, at the Norwalk Fire Station, 1100 Chatham, Norwalk IA. We will have a potluck meal at noon followed by our annual meeting. Please bring a dish to share and table service.
Enclosed you will find the 2025 Membership form and Iowa Draft Horse Journal Ad. The dues are $20.00 with $10 going to the State Association and $10 going to the local chapter. The Draft Horse Journal Ad will be $75.00 this year. One check may be written for entire total.
We will be electing our youth ambassador(s) for 2025 at the winter meeting. If you have youth interested in this position, please contact Martha Burton at 319/269-6889 or email at marthann64@msn.com for more information about the duties and requirements.
The youth Scholarship form is also available; let me know if you would like an application. This is available to college students, enrolled in an agricultural course, whose families are members of our organization The deadline is March 1, 2025.
Reminder, IDHMA sponsors and elects’ honorees for the IA Draft Horse Hall of Fame. Nominations come from the membership and then the executive board makes the choice. Please nominate someone you know that has had an impact on the draft horse industry in Iowa.
The IA Classic Draft Horse show for 2024 was very successful and the plan is to host this show again in 2025 on May 30-31. We will need volunteers for the show in many areas and membership to support and participate as they can. More details at the meeting.
The IA Farm Team Classic show series was an amazing success also. Many thanks to Jim Stuart for
organizing and making this work. The show created many opportunities for our members to be involved and enjoy their teams.
Our email address for the association is iadhmba@yahoo.com. My direct email is najanssen@hotmail.com.
Merry Christmas, Happy Trails & here’s to a Very Prosperous New 2025!
Sincerely,
Nancy A. Janssen,
IDHMA Secretary/Treasure
Our calendar for 2025 is already getting some dates filled in.
Here is a list of events we have planned for the year so far. If you are planning any draft horse related events and would like to add them to our list, please contact Jim Stuart at iowadrafthorsejim@gmail.com and I will add the event to our website and facebook page. Please include as much information as possible. Event description, date, time, place with address for GPS and contact information for questions. If you see a mistake in this calendar of events or can add more information to a listing, please contact me.
Draft horse events 2025
March 26-28 -Waverly Horse Sale
March 21-23 - Iowa Horse Fair, Des Moines, “Iowa Farm Team Challenge” show on Friday & Saturday. Contact Jasmine Winkler 641-344-3751.
April 14-15 -Kalona Draft Horse Sale.
April 26, Play Day, Noon, 1370 Linn Ridge Rd., Mount Vernon, Iowa, 52314
The ECIDHMA is having a spring play day at Randy and Deanna Lagos’s farm. Practice an obstacle course, log skidding, feed race, etc. There will be assistance with harnessing and hitching. Forecarts and wagons available. Lunch will be potluck, bring a favorite dish! If area is muddy, this event will be canceled. For questions call Deanna Lagos
319-270-4441
May 17- Driving clinic at Maasdam Barns in Fairfield.
May 30-31- Iowa Classic, Iowa Falls, hitch show both evenings, farm team show Saturday afternoon, driving clinic Saturday morning. Contact Mark Bower 712-830-5928 or Jim Stuart, 515-971-1254
June 6-8, Wagon Train rides, Ox-Bow Club, New Virginia, Contact Duane Stewart, 515-249-6036
June 7- Iowa Farm Team Challenge show at the Hausbarn Heritage Park in Manning, Iowa. Contact Jim Stuart
June 8 - Iowa Draft Horse and Mule Breeders Meeting, North East, Iowa TBA
July 6- Iowa farm team challenge show in New Virginia, Jim Stuart
July 12 - New Virginia Old Settlers Parade at 6:00
July 26-27 - Brown Farm Pioneer Days, 1361 Sawyer Rd, Central City, IA
Featuring steam power, this year! Bring your family out for a walk back in time! Steam threshing, plowing, sawmilling, horsepower, displays of all kinds, corn shelling, combining, and more! Buffalo Fork Settler encampment. Food on grounds. Free admission, donations welcome. Open 10am to 5pm both days. All proceeds help maintain the historic Brown Farm.
Aug 5th- Kalona draft horse sale
Aug 8 -Farm hitch classes at Iowa State Fair
Aug 10-12 -Belgian\Shire Show at Iowa State Fair
Aug 14-17 - Percheron\Clyde Show at Iowa State Fair
Aug 16 -Iowa State Fair draft horse pull. 6:30 in the pavilion.
Aug 24- driving clinic in New Virginia, Jim Stuart, 515-971-1254
Aug 30-31 - Britt Draft horse show
Sept 20 - Hand Corn Husking contest in Emerson, Jeff Christiansen 712-542-0011
Oct 1-3 - Waverly Horse Sale
Oct 13-14 - Kalona fall sale
If you are planning any draft horse events, please send me the information and I will try to help get the word out. iowadrafthorsejim@gmail.com
Following are the events we had in 2024. Look through to get an idea of what we may have in store for 2025
2024
March 22nd - 24th: Iowa Horse Fair @ Iowa State Fair Grounds
May 4: Team Barrel race in Bloomfield, IA , Davis County Fairgrounds,
Contact Drake Christe- 319-759-3443
May 25th: Farm Team Show, starting at noon at the Manning Hausbarn-Heritage Park, Manning, IA , contact Jim Stuart 515-971-1254
May 31st - June 1: Iowa Classic Draft Horse Show @ Iowa Falls, IA , Hitch show, Farm team show and driving clinic
contact Mark Bower 712-830-5928 for the hitch show
contact Jim Stuart 515-971-1254 for farm team classes.
June 22nd: Farm Team Classes @ Douds, IA at 1:00 contact Dirk Metcalf 319-677-0666
June 29: Farm Obstacle and log pull, Linn County Fairgrounds, 201 Central City Rd. Central City, starting at 10:00, contact Martha Burton 319-269-1163.
July 11th - 13th: Cream Draft Horse Association Meeting; @ Iowa Falls, IA
contact Butch Sowers 515-209-9265
July 14 - Cedar County Fair, farm team classes, 11:00, contact Martha Burton 319-269-1163
July 28th: Hitch classes for cart and team, Men's, Women's, and Youth. Ride a draft and Farm Team Classes @ New Virginia Saddle Club arena, starting at 10:00am.
Contact Jim Stuart, Iowadrafthorsejim@gmail.com, 515-971-1254
August 9th: Iowa State Fair Farm Team Show @ Iowa State Fairgrounds
contact Jim Stuart, iowadrafthorsejim@gmail.com 515-971-1254
August 11th - 12th: Iowa State Fair Belgian/Shire Show @ Iowa State Fair
August 15th - 18th: Percherons/Clydesdales Show @ Iowa State Fair
August 17th: Iowa State Fair Horse Pull @ Iowa State Fairgrounds
August 25th: New Virginia Driving Clinic from 10:00 to 2:00 @ New Virginia Saddle Club arena. Jim Stuart 515-971-1254
August 28 Horse pull at Mt. Pleasant
August 29 - September 2- Mid-West Old Threshers in Mt. Pleasant. Draft Horse Demonstrations each day.
Sept, 27-29 Eldon Old Iron Show, horse plowing contest on Friday, draft horse domonstrations each day.
October 6th "Iowa Farm Team Challenge" championship show 10:00 at the saddle club arena in New Virginia.
October 19th: Iowa Hand Cornhusking @ Hastings, IA , contact Jeff Christiansen 712-542-0011
October 20th: National Hand Cornhusking @ Hastings, IA