source: Farm and Food Report
Like many parents with children in minor hockey, Bill Aulie spends a fair bit of time around arenas. A hockey scout once asked him what he did for a living. He answered: “I do what you do… with Clydesdales.”
“These scouts go around and look for the best athletes that will fit their team, and I travel Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba — get a little bit out in Ontario — I just find the best athletes that are going to fit into our program, and bring them in, and hopefully they’ll work out.”
Aulie farms 2,800 acres of grain land at Rouleau. He also raises and trains Clydesdale horses for a living.
“If they do work, they stay until they are four year-olds, and they move on to the big leagues down in the U.S. or to some other big hitches in Canada. Or if they don’t work, they stay in the semi-pros or the junior leagues at somebody else’s farm, or with somebody who wants a nice show horse or pleasure horse — that’s where they’ll go.”
This love of Clydesdales started a long time ago. “Back when I was a young kid, my dad had Clydesdales, but he got rid of them when I was four or five years old. I got back into them when I was 13 — got my first team and just kept on driving them.”
Then Aulie found out that his grandfather, who had passed away at an early age, had also had the bug. “Everything he had was Clydesdales. He brought horses up from the States in rail cars, and would train them and sell them in Saskatchewan. Funny thing is, now, I’m gathering horses in Canada, training them and sending them down to the U.S. That’s my business.”
Indeed, Aulie has shown horses to international audiences at Canadian Western Agribition since 1985. In 1995, a buyer from the States came up and asked him to put together a hitch for him. “And since 1995, I’ve sent down 175 horses to the United States based on that connection. I have trained for him, and set up a world-class hitch for him and his operation down there.”
How did Aulie get so good at what he does? “It’s all about looking for the right attitudes; get them to work the right way; and get them to just perform at a top level. I’ve been lucky so far. We have had some good horses. We ended up with a U.S. National Champion six-horse hitch and eight-horse hitch from a bunch that I sent down. Budweiser has four of my horses off my breeding down there. And Budweiser Clydesdales are a pretty big hitch.”
Of course, nothing gets rewarded without effort. “As soon as I put the combine away, I start driving the horses. Every morning, they get hitched to haul their feed in for the 50 head and I drive all day long in the wintertime. I usually start by 7:00 a.m., I harness by 9:00 and drive through to supper time. I switch teams and start with the next team. I clean the barn with them everyday. When there is snow on the ground I use the sleigh, and a horse drawn manure spreader. I enjoy doing it, and every now and then you just get a good horse - you get a real thrill out of working with him. The next horse maybe is not so good, and he is not going to make you any money.”
Aulie is passionate not only about his horses, but also about the equipment he uses as well. “A good show harness costs between $5,000 and $6,000 dollars per horse. We have a source for it with the Amish farmers in Ontario. There are a couple of manufacturers there that specialize in making harness and tack for draft horses. I order all my harness from there and I spend the extra money to get the extra good stuff. Consequently, it’s been holding up real well.”
Synthetic, it seems, is the best. “Nylon and Biothane materials are a little tougher than the leather, more durable, easier to clean, easier to work with. The same with halters - very seldom do you ever see a leather halter anymore. It’s nylon… so the tack is relatively easy to find right now. Thanks to the Amish.”
Aulie has a soft spot for his training outfit. “At the farm, my dad rebuilt a dray wagon that was used in Assiniboia. It is a delivery wagon that was used to deliver goods — like a semi-truck 80 years ago, pulled by a team of horses. It would pick up goods at the rail car or the railway station and deliver to the various businesses around town, whether it would be lumber, salt or flour. This wagon was left rotting away when we found it. I took it home to my dad, with a load of steel, and told him I needed a real tough wagon. These horses are young and pretty anxious — we’re going to have some pretty fast rides. So, that’s my main training piece, this big dray wagon.”
Next time you drive around Rouleau, just remember to keep an eye out for Bill Aulie’s hot teams. Or you can always wait and watch them on TV, when they enter the world of professional athletes.
For more information, contact:
Bill Aulie
Aulie Farms
(306) 776-2275
Like many parents with children in minor hockey, Bill Aulie spends a fair bit of time around arenas. A hockey scout once asked him what he did for a living. He answered: “I do what you do… with Clydesdales.”
“These scouts go around and look for the best athletes that will fit their team, and I travel Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba — get a little bit out in Ontario — I just find the best athletes that are going to fit into our program, and bring them in, and hopefully they’ll work out.”
Aulie farms 2,800 acres of grain land at Rouleau. He also raises and trains Clydesdale horses for a living.
“If they do work, they stay until they are four year-olds, and they move on to the big leagues down in the U.S. or to some other big hitches in Canada. Or if they don’t work, they stay in the semi-pros or the junior leagues at somebody else’s farm, or with somebody who wants a nice show horse or pleasure horse — that’s where they’ll go.”
This love of Clydesdales started a long time ago. “Back when I was a young kid, my dad had Clydesdales, but he got rid of them when I was four or five years old. I got back into them when I was 13 — got my first team and just kept on driving them.”
Then Aulie found out that his grandfather, who had passed away at an early age, had also had the bug. “Everything he had was Clydesdales. He brought horses up from the States in rail cars, and would train them and sell them in Saskatchewan. Funny thing is, now, I’m gathering horses in Canada, training them and sending them down to the U.S. That’s my business.”
Indeed, Aulie has shown horses to international audiences at Canadian Western Agribition since 1985. In 1995, a buyer from the States came up and asked him to put together a hitch for him. “And since 1995, I’ve sent down 175 horses to the United States based on that connection. I have trained for him, and set up a world-class hitch for him and his operation down there.”
How did Aulie get so good at what he does? “It’s all about looking for the right attitudes; get them to work the right way; and get them to just perform at a top level. I’ve been lucky so far. We have had some good horses. We ended up with a U.S. National Champion six-horse hitch and eight-horse hitch from a bunch that I sent down. Budweiser has four of my horses off my breeding down there. And Budweiser Clydesdales are a pretty big hitch.”
Of course, nothing gets rewarded without effort. “As soon as I put the combine away, I start driving the horses. Every morning, they get hitched to haul their feed in for the 50 head and I drive all day long in the wintertime. I usually start by 7:00 a.m., I harness by 9:00 and drive through to supper time. I switch teams and start with the next team. I clean the barn with them everyday. When there is snow on the ground I use the sleigh, and a horse drawn manure spreader. I enjoy doing it, and every now and then you just get a good horse - you get a real thrill out of working with him. The next horse maybe is not so good, and he is not going to make you any money.”
Aulie is passionate not only about his horses, but also about the equipment he uses as well. “A good show harness costs between $5,000 and $6,000 dollars per horse. We have a source for it with the Amish farmers in Ontario. There are a couple of manufacturers there that specialize in making harness and tack for draft horses. I order all my harness from there and I spend the extra money to get the extra good stuff. Consequently, it’s been holding up real well.”
Synthetic, it seems, is the best. “Nylon and Biothane materials are a little tougher than the leather, more durable, easier to clean, easier to work with. The same with halters - very seldom do you ever see a leather halter anymore. It’s nylon… so the tack is relatively easy to find right now. Thanks to the Amish.”
Aulie has a soft spot for his training outfit. “At the farm, my dad rebuilt a dray wagon that was used in Assiniboia. It is a delivery wagon that was used to deliver goods — like a semi-truck 80 years ago, pulled by a team of horses. It would pick up goods at the rail car or the railway station and deliver to the various businesses around town, whether it would be lumber, salt or flour. This wagon was left rotting away when we found it. I took it home to my dad, with a load of steel, and told him I needed a real tough wagon. These horses are young and pretty anxious — we’re going to have some pretty fast rides. So, that’s my main training piece, this big dray wagon.”
Next time you drive around Rouleau, just remember to keep an eye out for Bill Aulie’s hot teams. Or you can always wait and watch them on TV, when they enter the world of professional athletes.
For more information, contact:
Bill Aulie
Aulie Farms
(306) 776-2275
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