Mothers and daughters often have pet projects they do together, but not too many revolve around animals that weigh a ton with feet the size of dinner plates.

Brenda and Michele Moore of Inola, Okla., have an interest that fits that description; Shire horses.

Since 1999, the two have operated Dapplewood Shires and are actively involved in both showing and raising the huge horses.

“Michele got her first Shire, a gelding, when she was eight,” Brenda said.

“His name is Tango. I got him for Christmas,” Michele said.

While the business focuses on the Shires, Michele also shows and trains other breeds, does cutting, jumps and rides sidesaddle.

“I train for other people, mostly light horses,” Michele said.

Michele, who was home schooled, finish when she was 16. She has since lived and worked in Texas, Missouri and Stillwater, Okla. She moved to Stillwater to train for a farm that imports, breeds and exhibits Frederiksborg horses. She plans to enroll in college this spring, but continue training and jumping on her own as well as showing their Shires.

“I love the shows, all the show prep, all except the actual spotlight in the show ring. That is certainly Michele’s venue. Her strength, not mine,” Brenda said.

Their show circuit in the U.S. includes Ohio, Colorado, California, Oklahoma and Kansas. There has been a Clydesdale show in Oklahoma for some time and while Shires have always been allowed as well as other draft breeds, it will be a regional show for the Shires this year. The National Western Livestock Show in Denver includes Shires.

Their horses are shown to a cart and at halter.

“They can be shown up to six horses in a hitch, in tandem or a unicorn,” Michele said. “My favorite is either a single or a unicorn. I don’t show the Shires under saddle but do ride them around here. We show pairs and then separate the babies and show them. In 2005, we had the champion get of sire at the National Show.”

Even though the Moores reside outside of a small town in Oklahoma, their horses have a more cosmopolitan background. Prince, their stud, was purchased from Bob Gardner in England.

“Phoenix came from Paul and Walt Bedford in York. I really appreciate them selling her to me. She has been a great addition,” Brenda said.

Shires are a draft breed, 18 hands at the shoulder, usually black with white markings. They have been used as draft horses and in the military. At the shows they are shown to a cart, under saddle and in fancy dress classes. Brenda focuses on the breeding and raising of the horses.

“We have one stud right now and five babies due this spring. I do the foaling. I have had as many as six,” Brenda said. “They are double registered, England and the U.S. There are several Shire studs in the U.S., but only three or four of the quality I would choose to use to breed mares. We send about half of our mares to an outside stud.”

In addition to breeding her own mares, she furnishes semen to others.

“I plan to ship more semen,” Brenda said.

As they upgrade their operation they rely heavily on imports from England and Ireland. They plan to expand the number of mares.

“About a dozen mares, the best we can get,” Brenda said. “We’ll probably have to import them to get what we want.”

None of this comes cheap especially with the goal of having only the best. Regular trips are made to England to the stud farms and Brenda keeps up with the performance of the various lines. Selecting an animal to be purchased and then imported isn’t a snap decision.

“I’ve been to England a number of times and never gotten to see anything except the stud farms,” Brenda said. “Sometime I would like to go and just be a tourist.”

While the horses are the focus of the farm they have also run cattle and sheep. Now it is down to sheep, something Brenda raised and showed during her high school days.

“We raise hay, Bermuda and native grasses. We’ve been buying feed already mixed, but are considering mixing our own. We’re feeding a very good premixed feed. We feed a low starch feed to the adult show horses and a mare/foal/growth ration to the mares and foals,” Brenda said.

From small, white sheep to very large black horses the Moore operation is a good example of the diversity in Oklahoma agriculture.

Anyone interested in their gentle giants may contact them at dapplewoodshires@gmail.com, or call Brenda at 918-341-8167 or Michele at 918-770-6657.