The Sugarbush Hitch Company

10/05/2025

This is a letter to all you good folks at the "American Sugarbush Draft Horse Association". I apologise for this very long letter, but I intend to leave no stone unturned, But many will be.
As you know I seldom post anything now on our page. The truth be known I am now in the winding down stage of my career and life. I spend most of my time now grieving the loss of my Shirley Ann, and to simply have a purpose I have taken on a project of just downsizing my house to a more, one person household. In this last project I have marveled at how one lady could accumulate so much in one lifetime.
The quandry is I really have a problem with removing a thing that She placed there, for I hear her say " Better save that, I might need it". It is the help of my family that saves the day for me.
I do have and have had an unending need to chase rainbows and slay dragons and to go from one project to another since I was a child.
And as Shirley often commented "I think you are ADHD because you never stop"
". I think she was very much on the money with that diagnosis.
Recently I have noticed that I have changed projects ten or twelve times in one day, all I have to do is walk past something that needs done. And I have changed jobs. In my working career I always have worked 50 + hours a week and had a major project going at all times.

I once overheard my Veterinarian say, "I always try to help Everett as much as I can, for he tries to do it right." To Her Dr. Mary Toothman I owe much gratitude, for she always gave her best. ASDHA owes her a great deal, I valued her professional council. And she was a good friend to me.

I was driven by things built in my mind, for example when I was 13 years old, while riding to school on the bus I spotted a 1933 Plymouth in the weeds. It had a blown engine! However I bought it and put an engine in it in about 3 weeks. Pay no mind that I was 13, had no license the license plate was at least 10 years old on that old car. I drove that thing all over 3 counties of Indiana for several weeks, until I had found another project. And away we go!

I chased rainbows all my life and so happy on the way I met many fine people, Married the most beautiful woman in the world. Had a fine family of 4 daughters eight grandchildren and a great grandson.

Shirley Ann passed away on our 69th wedding anniversary.
And I will grieve the rest of my days.

To the people of ASHDA.
Thank you for carrying on my breed of horses I love you every one!

All I had to do was come up with an idea, and my mind would come up with a project to fit. These two were the culmination of that!
It started like this,
it was a hobby I had been dreaming of for years when I bought a pair of Percheron mares that were full sisters, Sired by an absolute giant of a horse, Sawmill Acres Dewey that tipped the scales at 2650 pounds. I then realized I had no farm. So I sold My new A frame house and found a 100 acre farm in Southern Ohio. Mind you it was not as easy as just telling what happened. the A frame house was entirely too big at 3900 sq. ft. on 3 floors, for Shirley and I were
"home alone", our brood had fled the nest.
I was building my herd with some Quality stallions, when suddenly the Owens Illinois glass Co, ceased operations in Huntington W, Va. I retired at 58 years of age. I bought my first carriage And Started a horse drawn carriage Company and named it The Sugarbush Hitch Company.

I was looking for something special to draw some attention to my business. It turned out to be so much more! One day as I was looking through my quarterly Draft Horse Journal when I came across a most beautiful pair of mares that was owned by a Mister Michael Muir, they were named Stella and Blanche. They fitted with everything I was dreaming of, I was overwhelmed and called Mr. Muir that day to find out if he had a stallion of that bloodline, he said yes he had one but he would not be ready until next year. He was very excited that someone was eager to take it to the next stage. That day an agreement was reached where he would ship next year chilled semen from a stallion named Rascal as soon as the mare Felina Del Noche was ready. Dr Toothman worked her magic, and it went like clockwork. And I made a lifetime friend in Michael Muir, And today I respect his dedication to his craft and his life as a pioneer. He has gone where others only dream of.

The product of the deal made that day was Sugarbush Harley Quinne, and a breed was born. On March third, 1999 a 75% Percheron and 25% Appaloosa draft horse. This story includes my thanks to every member of my family, they helped carry that heavy load.

The rest, you all know is history and it's name is American Sugarbush Draft Horse Association.

I want to thank every person in this association for following and adding your expertise and made my dream your dream too. The list is endless of people that have made up my wonderful life.

The best to all of you!
You are doing it right!

Sugarbush Hitch Company.
Everett C. Smith

10/01/2025

One of the questions we are frequently asked is what makes a breed? Sounds like a simple question, but it's really not simple to answer. The first thing that makes a breed is a bunch of like minded people creating a registry. This is usually done with a definite type in mind as well as purpose. Once the registry is created then breed rules are applied and foundation stock bred forward to produce the desired type. As breeds grow in numbers, and age, they often close the books or limit outcrossing, in order to maintain type. There are pure breeds, such as Arabian and Thoroughbred, and composite breeds such as the Quarter Horse, Appaloosa, Paint and American Sugarbush Harlequin Draft. Simply because a breed of horse is made up of other breeds does not mean it is not legitimate. The largest horse registry in the world, the American Quarter Horse Association is built on a composite breed. So to address the concerns about our breed validity point by point;
1) Everett Smith set out to create a breed by crossing two other known breeds, the Percheron and Appaloosa. His creation was the Sugarbush Harlequin Draft. He didn't JUST cross Appaloosas to Percherons. He bred back to draft blood to increase the draft percentage. So the first generation of Appaloosa to Percheron produced a foal, which was bred back to a Percheron and produced a foal, which was bred back to a Percheron and produced a foal and you arrive at Sugarbush Harley's Classic O, 93 percent draft with LP coloration. Is he JUST an Appaloosa to Draft cross, certainly not. He's a draft with LP markers. When you get to 93% you're pretty close to being 100%. However, due to his LP markers he's also not a Percheron. He has a distinct body type, coloration and several different traits, such as less feather, lighter muscling over the shoulder and gaskin and a conformation closer to a big riding horse than a plow horse. Is he a breed? Well if the Quarter Horse is a breed and the Appaloosa is a breed, then the Sugarbush Harlequin Draft is a breed. There are registered QHs out there today, 80 years after the registry started that are 7/8s Thoroughbred and have full AQHA breeding rights, show records, produce ETC. So if we're going to call those horses breed representatives for the Quarter Horse then a 93% LP marked draft is certainly a breed representative for the Sugarbush Harlequin Draft. We are a breed. We're small, we're allowing outcrossing at this point to increase numbers and avoid the intensive inbreeding that has caused so many problems other rare breeds and we're restrictive, we require 50%+ Draft in order for the horse to be placed in the main book. That's more than Quarter Horses or Appaloosas require to be in their registries.
2) Everett Smith created the Sugarbush Harlequin Draft Horse Registry, SHDHR. The Stonewall Sporthorse Registry was developed by Michael Muir (formerly Hanna) He was a long time Appaloosa breeder that owned and stood Appaloosa racehorses Apache Double and Ocala Flight. Due to changes within his life he decided to start crossing drafts and Appaloosas to create spotted driving horses. He was searching for a lighter more warmblood style of horses. He bred an Apache Double daughter to Charlie Degas, a Percheron stallion and Stonewall Baby Jane was born. She was half draft/half Appaloosa. She was bred back to a Percheron stallion, Stonewall Showmaster and produced Stonewall Rascal. Rascal's blood was then brought into Everett's program and he was crossed on Sugarbush Felina Del Noche to produce Sugarbush Harley Quinne. The two men worked in concert together as both had the goal of a heavier spotted horse, with the first few generations being warm blood type and the next ones being draft. Types within any registered breed are the norm not the exception. Even purebred breeds like the Arabian have types. Arabian has 5; Spanish, Russian, Polish, Crabbet and Egyptian. All distinct but all easily recognizable as Arabian. Thoroughbreds have two types, racing and field hunters. Quarter Horses have one for each discipline it seems. And therein the flaw of the by blood registration systems come to light. Because by blood they are certainly Arabs, Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses, but by type they are not cookie cutter. Unless a registry has a conformation approval system, it cannot maintain a cookie cutter type of animal. And most registries don't employ conformational approval for horses that meet bloodline standards.
3) As for the different registration designations, they are not uncommon, and anyone who has dealt with color breeds certainly knows that there are different designations within. ApHC has had over 15 different registration designations, now they use 3: #, N, CN. Their hardship horses, like ours, are non breeding animals so they go in the main book #. The nature of a registry's growth will eventually remove some designations as attrition removes the older horses from the gene pool. ApHC used to have BN (breediing stock non-characteristic) ID, PC, F, P and other designations, which are no longer being issued, but can still be found on pedigrees. We wanted to make our papers easy to read and understand. Since this is a registry reboot, more than a creation, there are no foundation horses beyond the ones bred by Everett, so in honor of him all his founding stock has an E designation, and ONLY horses descending from his stock can carry it. Horses added in (after genetic testing and conformation review) now are given an I designation, signifying they are not foundation stock, but meet the criteria to be used as breeding Improvement stock. Main book horses are # or N, they are either geldings or spayed mares brought in through hardship or foals of E or I horses. Heritage horses H* have Sugarbush blood but not enough percentage of draft, so they are not in the main book, and to produce an eligible foal they must be bred to an Approved Cross draft or a Sugarbush. AC horses are Approved Crosses, they can be used to create a foal with an E, I or Approved Cross Draft.
4) The objective of ASHDA is a high quality, versatile Draft horse with a preference for LP. It's also for a genetically tested clean animal. We require a genetic 6 panel for all AC breeding stock. Any Belgians or Suffolks used must test for JEB1 and PSSM and any other draft breeds for PSSM1. In this early stage we are approving horses conformationally by type, and color restrictions, no pintos or greys.
5) People have asked us about rare breed conservancy. I looked into this when I was on the ApHC BOD, because Appaloosa numbers have fallen off to a HUGE degree, less than 2500 horses registered a year. The rare breed conservancy takes the position that any composite breed, such as the Appaloosa, Quarter Horse, Paint, National Show Horse, Azteca etc, always has the ability to increase its gene pool through the use of the various allowed crosses. Since there are Appaloosas and draft horses abounding we don't qualify.
6) Who is ASHDA? We are an incorporated registry in the Commonwealth of Virginia, we have our tax IDS and we are a non-profit. It's not a private business. ASHDA has a board, officers, rulebook, show system, genetic testing requirements etc. We are a registry and intend to be around a long long time. We are the stewards of this breed, and through our efforts and yours the American Sugarbush Harlequin Draft will be around for a long, long, long time!

Pictured is E-Designation stallion, HexenBiest, bred and owned by Trinity Appaloosa Farm.

08/26/2025

Cassian is a descendant of Rosamunde

08/26/2025

Conde is a descendant of Rosamunde

08/26/2025

Rascal is a descendant of Harley Quinne

Rascal is growing up so fast! And definitely living up to his name. You can’t see the bite marks from Baggins.

08/26/2025

Citadelle is a descendant of Harley Quinne

After losing Versailles, Citadelle took it very hard 💔🐴. We moved her to another mare, our wonderful Scarlett, who is Puff's dam. But it was clear that she was depressed. We did our best to distract her and give her opportunities to entertain herself, but it was slow going.

It took her several weeks to perk back up, to play again, and to do more than stick with her adopted mom, eat, and sleep. She was grieving the only other horse she had ever known, her beloved dam. We haven't posted her as a result, because we don't like to make a spectacle of suffering. Our animals deserve a little more dignity than that.

In the last week or so, she has finally been socializing with the other babies, been playing, and leaving Scarlett's side to explore the paddocks. Baby steps for our beautiful little girl, but things are looking up 🌈

07/29/2025

Monnie and Harley have met so many fans at Breyerfest this year, it's been incredible! So many models, autograph cards, and hats have been signed and many, many pets, hugs, and peppermints have been given to Harley and Rip!

Photo by Ky Roberts

07/29/2025

07/29/2025

07/29/2025

What’s in a name? Ever wonder how the name Sugarbush came to be associated with the breed? The term Sugar bush refers to a forest stand made up of Sugar Maples or Black Maples, which are utilized for maple syrup. They can be found all over the birth place of the American Sugarbush Harlequin Draft. The farm where the breed originated is known as The Sugarbush. Breed founder, Mr. Everett Smith, had a successful horse drawn carriage business called the Sugarbush Hitch Company. Over time, his flashy Lp (appaloosa) spotted horses became known to his customers and fans of his horses as the “Sugarbush Drafts”.

Pictured is a herd of Percheron's and American Sugarbush Harlequin Draft horses owned by Everett Smith. A beautiful sight indeed! His beloved horses grazed in the lush pastures of The Sugarbush surrounded by the very trees that gave the breed their name.

We at ASHDA treasure these photos, giving us a look back to the early days of this wonderful breed.

Photo credits to Mr. Everett
Smith, founder of The Sugarbush Hitch Company and the American Sugarbush Harlequin Draft Horse breed.

07/29/2025

Swann is a Harley Quinne descendant

Swann’s new ‘do.

07/29/2025

Conde is a Rose descendant