On the heels of multiple wins at the World Clydesdale Show in Madison, WI., in October, Linda Banga captured her second Clydesdale Breeders Cup at this year’s Grain Millers Harvest Showdown in Yorkton.
The Cup was a new initiative launched last year in Yorkton bringing the top qualifying horses from a series of summer fair events together for a final judging.
The animals had to be bred in Saskatchewan but could have been owned by someone else.
Last year Banga topped the class with her seven year old mare Banga’s Keeva topped the class to take home the first Breeders Cup.
And this year Keeva’s half-sister, Banga’s Reba took home the honours along with $1000 as owner of the winning horse, and an additional $500 to the breeder.
“I don’t even know what to say. The calibre of the horses is so good,” said Banga after judge Randy Delgaty from Minnedosa, MB., made his selection Thursday evening.
Banga said she has a rather small herd of Clydesdales, 12 in total, so coming out with top animals every year is a challenge.
“It was not easy to come out with another good one,” she said, adding she can’t keep every one of the colts born on the farm, noting she just sent Keeva’s foal to a new home in Texas, something that she admitted caused a few tears at the time.
Reba and Keeva are both from the same mother, a mare that has since passed.
“But I do have another sister (of the mother mare), and she’s 23,” said Banga.
It helped Thursday Reba was in prime show shape. The mare was one of the animals took south to the world show, and was the mare in harness that she drive to the women’s cart World Championship. The work in various driving classes had Reba fit for the Saskatchewan final.
And now the champion mare gets some time off.
“Tomorrow the shoes come off and she’ll be turned out in the pasture to just be a horse,” said Banga.
And then it will be time for Reba to do what mares are meant to do. Banga said she has been offered an opportunity to have her mare bred to the World Champion Stallion, and naturally she has said yes, adding she has already had people enquiring if the upcoming foal will be for sale.
The Clydesdale Breeders Cup was supported and sponsored by David Williams through his business Carpet One.
