Draft horses helped settle the new world, hauling families across the frontier and tilling their land. They have found their place in movies, most recently War Horse, Elf, The Mask of Zorro and Dracula. Mounted police rely on their massive size and docility. Away from the spotlight, on farms around the world, Belgians and other Drafts pull the load.
Gentle Giants, a series on RFD-TV, premiered in January last year to spotlight the diverse world of these beautiful horses. Pam Minick and Kadee Coffman host the show that airs on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays on Rural TV and Family Net. Gentle Giants is in its fourth season, with 50-plus shows produced to date, and several episodes shot in and around Fort Worth.
Minick and Coffman are familiar faces on RFD-TV. Minick hosts The American Rancher as well as the Tournament of Roses Parade and various specials for the network. Coffman hosts Superior Sunrise for Superior Livestock Auction. She is a national TV host and sideline reporter who can be seen on networks such as NBC Sports Network, MAV TV, Great American Country and more.
"I have found that the entire draft horse industry is much larger than we would ever have imagined," Minick says. "Most people think of draft horses as only the Budweiser Clydesdales, but it has been fascinating to find the stories about these gentle giants and the stories of the people that own them - from spending three days in Ohio with the Amish, to Washington for a plowing competition, to Disneyland, where a lot of people don't realize there is a five-acre ranch right behind Neverland that houses 18 of these horses. They pull the trollies and Cinderella's carriage. They are so gentle that when they come out of their mamas, they are looking for a hug."
Gentle Giants has featured farms across North America that raise draft horses. They've covered draft horse competitions – from The Calgary Stampede to the Nebraska State Fair, from the North American 6-Horse Classic Series World Championships in Oklahoma City to local competitions. And no story on draft horses would be complete without an inside look at the Budweiser Clydesdales.
"People are surprised that there are draft horses in our own backyards," Minick says. "Of course, the definition of a draft horse is "to draw or haul," so some of the horses may not be as big as the Clydesdales, but they are giants in heart."
One of the first episodes of Gentle Giants followed the Budweiser Clydesdales as they got comfortable in Stockyards Stables before appearing on opening day of the Texas Rangers in Globe Life Park in Arlington. "From the caravan of semis, to the tons of feed and shavings, it was a fascinating look," Minick says.
The Fort Worth Stock Show All Western Parade 2014 featured 2,000 horses, including hundreds of Belgians, Percherons and Clydesdale draft horses.
"When people drive around downtown Fort Worth and they pass the carriages, it never registers in their mind: "Oh, that's a gentle giant; that's a draft horse," " Minick says.
"Part of the reason I moved here from California three years ago was because Pam is my mentor. I refer to her as the "Oprah Cowgirl," " Coffman says. "Truly, in a profession that I wanted to pursue in broadcasting in the agriculture industry, she's the pioneer for females. She's also a dear friend and my boss, and I will never be able to thank her enough for what she's instilled in me. She's not only ingrained here in the Fort Worth Stockyards and known as a cowgirl, but to be so prominent in downtown Fort Worth and Sundance Square in the city . . . you can't even wrap your brain around how formidable she is."
Coffman does the show's editing in the Fort Worth Stockyards at Superior Productions, which in addition to being a video livestock sale company has a full production service. Superior also produces and edits Red Steagall's show, West of Wall Street.
"I know that viewers are as awestruck as we have been to learn how gentle and agile these giants can be," Coffman says. "The way the draft horse community has opened their arms to Pam and me, who were both quarter horse girls, has been incredible."
As of August 2013, RFD-TV is available to approximately 41 million households in the U.S. It currently is carried by satellite providers Dish Network and DirectTV, as well as through cable providers Mediacom, Charter Communications, Verizon FIOS, Time Warner Cable and Armstrong. About 50 percent of RFD-TV programming comes from North Texas.
RFD-TV has a sister station, Rural TV/Family net, so the programming can also be seen locally on ATT/Uverse.
Gentle Giants is the No. 1 equine show on RFD-TV. Check RFDTV.com for show times.
