DECOY MARE MAKES SHIRE HISTORY

by Diana Zeuner

This article first appeared in Heavy Horse World - the only magazine devoted entirely to Heavy Horses.


Graham Ward with Decoy Charm, left, and her 1998 foal Decoy Lady Luck.
Seventeen-year-old Shire mare Decoy Charm has entered the annals of the breed’s history for her exceptional fertility.

Graham Ward’s black mare has produced 15 foals in 15 years on his Decoy Farm, Gorefield, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. Charm’s record achievement has been confirmed by Shire horse historian and author of the definitive breed history, The Shire Horse, Keith Chivers, who keeps a keen eye out for such facts.

“I feel sure I would have come across some report if the record can be shown to have been beaten,” said Keith Chivers. “Charm must be congratulated but, even more so, her owner, in somehow managing never to miss a year. This is worthy of the Book of Records.”

Decoy Charm (141547) was born in 1981. Her dam was Graham Ward’s Decoy Dark Lady (139862) and her sire, Edingale Mascot (45594) who was exported to the United States where he became an important sire at Thomas Smrts’ legendary Shire stud. When he died Smrt was heartbroken and had him buried upright facing his home country across the Atlantic.

Charm began to live up to her name in 1984 when she produced her first foal, Decoy Alice, by Ruskington King William. She followed her grandfather to Smrt’s stud, along with three other Decoy foals. Fourteen years later she is again in foal to Wright Bros’ Nottage Trump Card, with the birth expected this April. Two of her foals, Decoy Gem and Decoy Lady Luck have remained at Decoy Farm; the rest have been sold to other breeders and Shire enthusiasts, some overseas, with sales amounting to £15,000.

1987 colt Southern Roller Jim spent several years with Yorkshire breeder Ted Dunning. Decoy Prince Nathan (foaled 1988) went to Disneyland, Paris. Decoy Harold (1989) followed him to France where he was champion gelding in 1997. Decoy World Class (1996) recently won championships for her owner Terry Sandling of Cornwall and he has high hopes for his second Decoy purchase last year, Decoy Lady-in-White.

This year’s foal was a black filly, an unusual colour for Trump Card, the sire. A big rangey foal with four white legs she took the championship both times she was shown, at Soham and Market Deeping. Provisionally called Decoy Ace of Diamonds, the family was unconvinced, and she has been renamed Lady Luck. Graham Ward has high hopes for her next year.

In 1982 Charm herself was destined for the United States when Arlin Wareing said he would buy her if he could not find sufficient white-legged fillies for his planned plane-load. He did, and Charm remained at Decoy Farm.

Graham Ward is from a distinguished family of Shire horse breeders and enthusiasts. His brother, John, is the Shire Horse Society’s field officer and his son, Stephen, who is continuing the family’s Shire breeding activities, is a frequent winner of championships himself. Graham Ward has been a member of the Society’s Council for many years and serves on its executive committee.


Decoy Charm with her 1996 foal, Decoy World Class, now with Terry Sanding.
Historical note: Keith Chivers, a regular contributor to Heavy Horse World, found two other samples of exceptional fertility from the past. although neither matches Charm’s performance.

“In his stud card for Mansetter, which he himself had bred in 1813, William Massey of Ilam, Staffordshire, claimed that the great-great dam (‘Mr Massey’s mare’) was “barren only two years out of twenty.” She would take us back into the 18th century. Without any further evidence, we can discount this because stud cards in those days were notoriously fabulous - there was no way of disproving boasts, especially when a stallion was travelling in an area some distance from the owner’s headquarters.

“We can, however, rely on Joseph Flintham’s Diamond, which had 15 foals in 16 years 1862-1877. She missed in 1875. She was later allotted the number 400, which was useful to identify her, as there were 622 Diamonds in volumes 2-25. She was not given any pedigree, nor was her breeder stated. He is now unidentifiable. Incidentally, Joseph Flintham joined the Society in October 1878 and remained an annual member until 1905. If Diamond had another foal after 1877, he would have recorded it because her entry in the Stud Book did not of course appear until the 1881 volume.

“Decoy Charm has therefore already beaten Diamond’s record in having the same number of foals without missing a single year. I look forward to hearing of a sixteenth successful foaling this Spring which would complete the triumph.”

Keith Chivers reports the “runners-up” as 79067 Oldport Grey Lassie, breed by C S Williams in Montgomery. For Charles and Percy Hobbs near Oswestry she had eight foals in eight years 1917-1924. She was sold to H P Gregory nearby - he was not a pedigree man but she is known to have had “a smallish stumpy colt, castrated and sold” (as the late Dick Richards told Keith Chivers) and six others (three actually registered, 1928 and 1930-1934 0- a total of 15 in 18 years).

DECOY CHARM’S FOALS -
THE FULL LIST

(The list below details the date, name, sire, and owner/whereabouts respectively)

1984 - Filly Decoy Alice - Ruskington King William - Export Smrt, USA

1985 - Colt Decoy King Arthur - Ladbrooke Courage - D Fairbanks

1986 - Colt Decoy Oliver - Hainton Jim - A Rule

1987 - Colt Southern Roller Jim - Nailcote Sir Rodney - G Mallion

1988 - Colt Decoy Prince Nathan - Stanley House Aristocrat - S T Ward

1989 - Colt Decoy Harold - Stanley House Aristocrat - S T Ward

1990 - Colt Bay Colt - Stanley House Aristocrat - A Ross

1991 - Filly Decoy Gem - Stypewood Earl - G T Ward

1992 - Filly Decoy Lady Mary - Eastfield William - Holland

1993 - Filly Decoy Double Dee - Moores Gay Ambassador - Germany

1994 - Colt Decoy Copper - Nottage Trump Card - Mr Griffin

1995 - Filly Decoy Rosie - Nottage Trump Card - S T Ward

1996 - Filly Decoy World Class - Nottage Trump Card - T Sanding

1997 - Filly Decoy Lady-in-White - Nottage Trump Card - T Sanding

1998 - Decoy Lady Luck - Nottage Trump Card - G T Ward

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