About Our Farm
Welcome to the Jenson Shire Farm located on the Missouri River Bluffs overlooking the beautiful Loess Hills of western Iowa. Our farm is only 18 miles north of Epply Airport in Omaha and just across the Missouri River from Interstate 29 and 680. We pasture nearly 150 acres of grass land that provides our Shire herd feed from May through Nov. We average a herd size of 40 to 50 shires on the farm.
A LITTLE HISTORY ON THE HERD
In the 1980's Clark and June raised Belgians. They had a modest herd of 12 mares and a stallion. The Belgians served as the farms primary source of sleigh rides during the winter holiday season. They offered a delightful nostalgic atmosphere that brought back the days of old and joy of collecting the perfect Christmas tree from the Jenson's Christmas tree farm.
Then in 1990 Clarks son Dean was traveling with Sue when they stopped to admire a Draft horse Show and were awestruck as a majestic Shire hitch trotted in. The crowd was stunned by the rare beauty and astonishing presence made as they circled around the arena. Not long after a few young shire foals & yearlings made their way to the homestead & Clark made the hard decision to sell his Belgian beauties to focus on raising the ever fading breed of Shires. But it wasn't as simple as going out and purchasing a horse, as there were very few registered mares available in the US at this time. He began working with ASHA, the American Shire Horse Association, and Lowell Waganer to help build a program for the Shires. As the numbers of mares increased the need for quality stallions of different bloodlines became apparent. Clark and June began travelling to the England and other areas of the UK. Over several years eight trips were made and new stallions began making their way to the US creating a very strong influence in the Shire community you know today. Because of the time and energy spent to bring in the highest quality Shire bloodlines and conformation, Jenson Shires is proud to be the home of a strong breeding program that everyone can enjoy today.
Three generations of the Jenson family are currently working on the farm today to enhance the breeding technology as well as improve upon the recording system and genetics research for each horse cared for on the farm. Currently, we are working with a leading geneticist to enhance our knowledge of the Shire DNA and its genetic mapping. We are continuously updating our facilities to accommodate the large draft breed and its reproduction necessities. We also work closely with several equine veterinarians to ensure the most effective vaccinations for our area, and maintain a healthy energetic herd. With 30+ years of experience and hard work we look to ensure a bright future of each and every Shire for many generations to come.
Read, Ponder and enjoy your virtual visit to the largest quality Shire Breeding facility in the US. This is demonstrated by the top placing of our stock in the show ring.
In our reproduction barn we freeze semen. We collect semen and do A.I. (artificial insemination) for all mares in our breeding program at this location. It is our desire to further educate the reader of this web site to the over all picture of what is involved in the production and maintenance of quality Shire horses.
So come on in browse the Farm and enjoy the amazing creatures God has blessed to work at our side and under saddle. Please check us out on Facebook, email, or give us a call. We would love to hear from you.
Our Mission
We are devoted to the care and preservation of the historically majestic Shire breed, producing some of the highest quality horses in America. Years of genetic studies and continuous work with universities is an ongoing effort made to better understand this majestic horse of past centuries.
A LITTLE HISTORY ON THE HERD
In the 1980's Clark and June raised Belgians. They had a modest herd of 12 mares and a stallion. The Belgians served as the farms primary source of sleigh rides during the winter holiday season. They offered a delightful nostalgic atmosphere that brought back the days of old and joy of collecting the perfect Christmas tree from the Jenson's Christmas tree farm.
Then in 1990 Clarks son Dean was traveling with Sue when they stopped to admire a Draft horse Show and were awestruck as a majestic Shire hitch trotted in. The crowd was stunned by the rare beauty and astonishing presence made as they circled around the arena. Not long after a few young shire foals & yearlings made their way to the homestead & Clark made the hard decision to sell his Belgian beauties to focus on raising the ever fading breed of Shires. But it wasn't as simple as going out and purchasing a horse, as there were very few registered mares available in the US at this time. He began working with ASHA, the American Shire Horse Association, and Lowell Waganer to help build a program for the Shires. As the numbers of mares increased the need for quality stallions of different bloodlines became apparent. Clark and June began travelling to the England and other areas of the UK. Over several years eight trips were made and new stallions began making their way to the US creating a very strong influence in the Shire community you know today. Because of the time and energy spent to bring in the highest quality Shire bloodlines and conformation, Jenson Shires is proud to be the home of a strong breeding program that everyone can enjoy today.
Three generations of the Jenson family are currently working on the farm today to enhance the breeding technology as well as improve upon the recording system and genetics research for each horse cared for on the farm. Currently, we are working with a leading geneticist to enhance our knowledge of the Shire DNA and its genetic mapping. We are continuously updating our facilities to accommodate the large draft breed and its reproduction necessities. We also work closely with several equine veterinarians to ensure the most effective vaccinations for our area, and maintain a healthy energetic herd. With 30+ years of experience and hard work we look to ensure a bright future of each and every Shire for many generations to come.
Read, Ponder and enjoy your virtual visit to the largest quality Shire Breeding facility in the US. This is demonstrated by the top placing of our stock in the show ring.
In our reproduction barn we freeze semen. We collect semen and do A.I. (artificial insemination) for all mares in our breeding program at this location. It is our desire to further educate the reader of this web site to the over all picture of what is involved in the production and maintenance of quality Shire horses.
So come on in browse the Farm and enjoy the amazing creatures God has blessed to work at our side and under saddle. Please check us out on Facebook, email, or give us a call. We would love to hear from you.
Our Mission
We are devoted to the care and preservation of the historically majestic Shire breed, producing some of the highest quality horses in America. Years of genetic studies and continuous work with universities is an ongoing effort made to better understand this majestic horse of past centuries.