2011
NY State Fair
Picture by Tori McDonald
Jim
Kyle
2009
2008
Wheel Horse,
Murphy
Blue
Wedding at Fillmore Glen - October 2013
Special Events Hitch Team - Jake & King
Southern Cayuga AG Fair - May 2014
October
2013
2009 NY State Fair
Lead Horse, Fly
There are so many friends and family whom are not listed here, but are not forgotten. We want to thank everyone for their support, efforts, and words of encouragement as we work with the horses every day. We thank you for all that you have done and all that you will do in the future. THANK YOU!
JK Percherons is owned and operated by Jim Kehoe. Jim is an avid horseman with over 40 years of experience caring for, training, and showing various breeds of horses. Jim began his horsemanship with quarter horses which he primarily used for pleasure. In the 1990’s, his passion for draft horses developed when he volunteered to work with a six horse hitch in upstate New York. Since that time, Jim has submerged himself in the draft horse industry gaining immense knowledge and experience. As he learned about the different draft horse breeds, the percheron breed greatly appealed to him and in 1997, Jim purchased 20 percheron colts. Jim spent many hours working with each of the colts to build their confidence, breaking them to work around the farm, and eventually selling some of them. Although this was a rewarding challenge, Jim found that he missed the show ring. In 2000, Jim set a goal for himself and started the process of obtaining quality percheron geldings, harnesses, and wagons/carts for the draft horse show circuit. By 2003, he was ready to hit the show ring with his newly assembled percheron draft horse hitch. Within a couple of years, his “JK Percherons” became a favorite at local county fairs.
As the years’ progressed, Jim met Scott ("Scotty") White from King Ferry, NY. Scotty had been driving draft horses for most of his life and became the perfect fit to drive Jim’s hitch. Together, they traveled to local fairs including the New York State Fair, competing in the North American Classic Series Six Horse Hitch. Eventually, Scotty began showing with his own horses and his great friendship with Jim continues to this day.
In 2010, Kyle Quartaro from Geneva, NY joined the team of JK Percherons. Even with Kyle’s young age, he was very talented and already had 5 years’ experience as a Teamster, beginning his career at the young age of 15. With the addition of Kyle to the team, JK Percherons began showing at national and international venues including: Toronto, The Big E, New York State Fair, and New Jersey State Fair. At the end of the 2011 show session, JK Percherons ranked 19th out of approximately 240 hitches in the United States. Jim values each one of the seasoned team members and drivers that have volunteered their time and efforts throughout the years to elevate JK Percherons to the quality that the hitch is today. It takes a special team to accomplish this feat as they spend many hours traveling and working as a team putting all the pieces together to deliver a great show experience. When the team is not on the road showing, they are often found at local community events providing wagon rides and educating people about the percheron breed. They have enjoyed participating in several local parades in Cortland, Dryden, Spencer, and our home town of Moravia. Some of our greatest honors are being asked to provide carriage rides to a newly married couple or to deliver the bride to her ceremony on her special day.