Why Paradigm is focused on the Percheron

My first memory of a horse is 'Mac', a big old draft horse on Grandpa Evans farm.  Mac pulled the stoneboat through the stable to pick up the cow manure and he gave me hours of 'riding' pleasure in the orchard.  Mac made it so that since I was a small boy, the sight of a big draft horse brought a sense of excitement.

Over the years the black and grey Percheron horse captured my attention and as I began to dream of a day when I might once again have draft horses around me it was these horses I thought of most.  Finally in 2007, Janice and I were in a position to look at alternatives and we began to investigate draft horses.  Bringing Percherons back to the Crossfield property also seemed right because it continued a tradition of using Percherons started by Ron James and his family.

Although the Percheron draft horse comes from the Perche Valley area of northern France where it was developed for military and agricultural activities, in 1909, the Percheron became entwined with the history of Alberta. George Lane, one of the founding fathers and early an entrepreneur in this province, brought the Percheron breed to the Bar U Ranch south of Longview Alberta. From this location, Lane and his colleagues developed the largest herd of Percheron mares in the world and established a program that delivered genetics and draft horses to fuel agriculture and industrial development across North America.

Lane also helped establish programs to recognize the Percheron draft horse in agriculture and industry. These programs eventually culminated in the formation of the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede. It is noteworthy that the Percheron horse has been continuously exhibited in Calgary for more than 100 years.

It was at the 2008 Calgary Stampede that Janice and I connected with Dr. David Bailey, of Paramount Percherons.  David was looking for additional pasture for his brood mares and that is how Paradigm first became connected with Percheron horses.

Today, the arrival of a black or gray Percheron team in the arena or parade still engenders a high level of excitement and a positive emotional response from virtually every demographic. Recent market research conducted for the Calgary Stampede shows the ‘big’ horses have one of the highest interest ratings of any attraction. In the past, marketing opportunities involving the big horses were limited to signage on a show wagon or the side of the Horse Pull team and only the largest and most capable brand holders could consider taking a hitch on the road.  In fact, during the past decade, the relationship between cost and the brand value [visual impressions] generated  by these programs has become less and less appealing.

The developing requirement for a compelling Internet presence has cast new light upon this situation. Now Paradigm can provide  subject matter expertise and innovative methods to harness the positive emotional energy and history of Percheron horses for a brand so the Internet presence of each client is strengthened and the brand equity is sustained both now and in the future.

This is why Paradigm is focused on the Percheron.