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Above is Abe and Mary Allebach
When nominating Abe Allebach, the form asked for reasons the candidate qualifies for the Percheron Hall of Fame. I can think of three. The most important is teacher and mentor. Abe gets the most excited about two things: his grandchildren and mentoring others like me. Learning to present our horses, understanding what to look for in a horse, how to evaluate a horse’s conformation, how to breed horses, how to fit and how to feed are some of the things Abe loves to talk about. He is always saying he talks too much about Percherons because he gets excited about horses. My wife, my brothers and I met Abe and Mary four years ago. I cannot express how much knowledge I have learned from this man. He is better than any professor I ever had in veterinary medical school. Many others will agree with me. Every time I talk to him I learn something. Abe’s son Gerald once told me he always tried to learn one thing every time he talked to the great breeders he looked up to like Art Bast. We at Heier Brothers joke about this, but it is true. As fairly new show people I can truthfully say the Abe is an asset to the Percheron breed. I used to look at the ads in the Percheron News and saw the Windermere ads and thought these people would never talk, let alone teach, someone like me. That could not be farther from the truth. Abe welcomes anyone who wants to learn about Percherons. He will tell the good and bad about a horse he is selling you. He is always honest and wants you to get the horse that fits your breeding program. If it is a show horse or breeding horse he tells it like he sees it. If something goes wrong with the horse he will help, not abandon, you after the sale, no matter what. I could go on and on but I honestly think he enjoys watching others he has helped succeed more than winning himself. Don’t get me wrong, he likes to win, but he loves to teach. The second reason Abe qualifies is his desire to improve the Percheron horse. This can be seen by the years of award winning horses bred at Windermere farms, or the years teachingothers, judging shows, arranging shows, helping arrange the World Percheron Congress, serving as a Percheron Association director or on a committee. Abe bought his first Percheron mares 27 years ago and has been trying to help improve the breed since. Many of us in the percheron breed believe he has accomplished this. Innovtor is the third reason I nominate Abe allebach. Abe has brought fitting, nutrition, breeding, and driving techniques from other breeds. Always willing to try new things, Abe was the first in the Percheron breed to incorporate AI breeding. Collecting, breeding, and shipping semen from stallons is something he has perfected. It has changed the breed, allowing access for more breeders to better genetics at a better price than hauling the mare across country and stressing the mare and foal. Honesty, friendship, teacher, mentor and innovator are words that describe Abe. He always greets you with an open handshake. It is interesting to note Abe did not come from generations of Percheron breeders. He started from scratch. He has achieved what many new members of the Percheron Horse Association are trying to achieve. He understands this andtries to help whoever he can. Steph and I will always think of Bingo as our best purchase, not for Bingo, though he was a great horse, but for the chance to meet and become friends and students of Abe and Mary Allebach. The allebach’s and their family represent the best of the Percheron breed both for their horses and the people behind Percherons. Steph, myself, and all of us at Heier Brothers Percherons are proud to know and nominate him for the Percheron Hall of Fame.  Above, left to right are Dr. James Heier who made the nomination, Abe's son Rodney, Steph Heier, Gerald Allebach, Abraham Allebach, and seated are Abe and his wife Mary.  |
he following was written by Dr. James Heier of Denmark, Wisconsin. It is a nomination for Abe Allebach into the Percheron Breeders Hall of Fame. At the annual meeting Abe was inducted. Below are some pictures from the meeting.
