On July 4, 2014 ASHDA was founded with a group of like-minded people dedicated to live the dream and ensure its future. As the owner of Sugarbush Harley’s Classic O, with the full blessing and support of Everett Smith and Michael Muir, I joined with the owner of Stonewall Rascal, Tracy Meisenbach and together created a new registry with a group of interested breeders. With respect to Everett’s original registry we named it the American Sugarbush Harlequin Draft Association, or ASHDA. The Sugarbush is a rare original American breed and has a recorded history that spans 50 years. Preserving it became the mission of the dedicated owners.
You can’t get a Sugarbush Harlequin Draft just by
crossing an Appaloosa on a Draft horse, or a Draft
horse on any other spotted breed. Those are just
crossbred drafts. A Sugarbush Harlequin Draft
horse is not a name that can be applied to any draft
with spots. It's not a generic term, as a true
Sugarbush Harlequin Draft is a horse bred of many
generations from the original stock owned by
Everett Smith, or a horse registered in the original
Sugarbush Harlequin Draft Horse Registry
(SHDHR), or a horse registered in the American
Sugarbush Harlequin Draft Association (ASHDA).
An American Sugarbush Harlequin Draft must
meet either the pedigree criteria of parents
registered with the original SHDHR or ASHDA or
be approved by ASHDA by passing the
conformational and genetic testing requirements
of the breed. Our standards are high and our
approval process is rigorous, requiring
conformational analysis, genetic testing and
pedigree assessment. We want only the best to
carry forward the work of the breed founders. The
American Sugarbush Harlequin Draft was created
from the visions of two men, who separately and
then together, created a unique American draft
breed combining stellar conformation, good
disposition, fluid movement and eye catching
color. They are heavy enough for the stoutest rider,
gentle enough for the smallest and
sweet enough for the whole family.