Ames Percheron Farm

04/11/2022

Ames Percheron Farm updated their business hours.

Ames Percheron Farm updated their business hours.

10/21/2021

One of my favorite fall activities is photographing the Ames Percheron Team!⁠
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R5, RF70-200 at 84, ISO: 1250, f4, 1/1250⁠
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One of my favorite fall activities is photographing the Ames Percheron Team!⁠
⁠
R5, RF70-200 at 84, ISO: 1250, f4, 1/1250⁠
⁠

09/22/2021

We want to recognize Simpsons Hammer Time. He was our entry in the 2021 Central Region Classic Cart Finals. He has had an exceptional show career with World Percheron Congress Cart wins in 2014 and 2018. He was in the lead of the 2011-2012 NASHHCS Champion six - horse hitch, as well as many other successful 6 and 8-horse hitches. At 13 years of age, his show career is winding down, but we just want to celebrate Hammer for the amazing athlete he is and all he has accomplished for Ames Percheron Farm.

09/22/2021

CONGRATULATIONS Ames Percheron Farm!!! The Central Region Classic Cart Finals were held at the Minnesota State Fair this weekend and the full results were as follows:

1st- Ames Percheron Farm
2nd- Shining Stars Percherons
3rd- Zubrod Percherons
4th- H&M Draft Horses- Merv Hershberger
5th- Heritage Hill Farm- Mike Loveland Jr
6th- Steffen's Belgians
7th- Welton Ridge Farms
8th- Heritage Hill Farm (2nd Cart entry)
9th- Maker Farms
10th- Pittman Percherons

An honor to make the Regional Finals, it was a great turnout! Thank you to the Minnesota State Fair for being such gracious hosts!
Gentle Giants

09/22/2021

Thank you NASHHCS members for honoring Dick Ames and Ames Construction with a Hall of Fame Induction.

09/22/2021

YOUNG LIVING FALL FESTIVAL 2021

The Ames Percherons will be competing at the Young Living Fall Festival, this weekend. We look forward to seeing our western friends out there!

05/28/2020

Scott County Fair Updates - Scott County Fair

We regret to inform everyone that the 2020 Scott County Fair Draft Horse Show has been canceled due to COVID-19. We hope to welcome all exhibitors and spectators back in 2021!

THE 2020 SCOTT COUNTY FAIR IS CANCELED! May 28, 2020 Cancellation Statement: Due to the evolving COVID-19 situation and its impact on the community, the fair board has made the difficult decision to cancel the Read More

12/22/2019

We want to wish everyone beautiful Christmas and a blessed 2020! Enjoy the holidays!

08/01/2019

http://www.cedarridge.givesmart.com/

02/11/2019

Thank you to Jolene Bertrand of Avalon Photography for capturing these beautiful photos of the Ames Percherons giving Dick Ames his final ride.

02/09/2019

We would also like to thank everyone that has remembered and honored Dick's passing, over the last 10 days. From the ribbons worn and displayed last week, in Florida, to the out pouring of prayers, we have seen Dick's love of the draft horse industry and it's people, come back to us many times over. We have received many caring and thoughtful calls, emails and texts. Thank you all for your heart felt condolences.

02/09/2019

We were honored to give Dick Ames one last ride, yesterday. With him we buried not only a gracious boss, but our coach and lead encourager, a mentor, someone who was like a grandpa to us, and a kind and generous friend. Travis and I will miss him, deeply.

Special thanks to everyone who made the role of Ames Percheron Farm, in the funeral proceedings, possible. Brad and Clint Schreiber, Tracy Hanson, TJ & Stacey Kiefer, Kyle Savage & Lindsay Carbaugh, Joe Dolan, Ron & Jeanne Savage and Justin & Trixy Krentz.

Dick always stressed the most important part of the plan was the people that made it all come together. He would have been proud to see the teamwork, yesterday.

02/02/2019

Richard J. Ames.
May 4, 1929 – January 30, 2019

Richard J. (Dick) Ames, born May 4, 1929, passed away on January 30, 2019, leaving an enduring impact that will echo for generations through his family, business, and community. As founder of Ames Construction, Dick was a driving force to a multitude of successful construction projects in the commercial, energy, transportation, mining, rail and water & wastewater industry sectors.

Dick was born and raised in Farmington, Minnesota, the eldest of eight children born to Chester and Ruby (Reisinger) Ames. He and his siblings worked the family farm, where they learned the value of hard work, honesty, and a commitment to “family first” that would carry through a lifetime.

Dick loved sports and excelled as a competitive athlete, playing football, basketball and track in high school. With an ambition to become a coach, Dick sought a teaching degree—the prerequisite for coaching—and enrolled at Mankato State Teachers College after his high school graduation. However, Dick left school the following year to farm with his grandfather in Taopi, Minnesota. At the age of 22, Dick was married with two sons and his father encouraged him to find stable work outside of the family farm. Starting as a day laborer for a local highway construction company, Dick dedicated himself to the company and quickly advanced to become the owner’s right-hand man.

In 1962, Dick founded Ames Construction, and he considered his thirteen-year-old son Larry—who lent an extra pair of hands after school and on weekends—to be his first employee. Within months, Dick’s brother, Butch, became a partner in the business, and over the next several years, their brothers John, Tom and Ron, along with their nephew Mark Brennan, joined the company. Together they built Ames Construction into one of the premiere heavy civil and industrial general contracting companies in the nation. A proud and dedicated industry advocate, Dick received many industry honors over the years, including the AGC of Minnesota Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.

Dick married twice and had five children. It was with his second wife, Georgeanne “Lollie” Ames, whom he married in 1968, that he pursued an interest in Arabian horses, founding their Cedar Ridge Farms, in Jordan, Minnesota, in the early 1970s. They have been prolific breeders, principally of Arabian English Pleasure and halter horses, and have shown extensively in most divisions, with Dick excelling at amateur driving. In the late 1970s, he was one of the founders of the Minnesota Medallion Futurity, and later, as he enjoyed competing in reining, he became one of three founders of the Arabian Reining Futurity. A former recipient of the APHA Amateur Showman of the Year, Dick is also a nominee for the 2018 APHA Show Ring Accomplishments. Along with his wife, Lollie, Dick is being recognized as a 2018 leading breeder in the Arabian industry.

In the late 1980s, Dick renewed a relationship with raising and showing championship Percheron draft horses—a tradition deeply rooted in the Ames family history. Today the Ames Percheron Farm is located adjacent to Cedar Ridge Farms. As symbols of strength, a strong work ethic and teamwork, the Ames Percherons have served as official ambassadors of Ames Construction since 1993, appearing at countless community events. The stately 4-, 6-, and 8-horse hitch teams deliver award-winning performances in competitions and exhibitions throughout the United States and Canada.



Perhaps the only thing that overshadowed Dick’s big personality was his big heart. Dick and the company have given monetary support, countless hours of volunteer time, and pro bono construction work to worthwhile causes in the communities in which it works. In addition to “giving back” through the company, Dick’s genuine desire to lend a helping hand led him to invest in local businesses, schools and churches, donating his time and attention to help his community thrive. He brought a world-class draft horse competition to the Scott County Fair in his hometown of Jordan, which rivals some of the best national competitions. He led the revival of the charm and nostalgia of the OK Corral restaurant, which was renamed the Jordan Supper Club. He joined others to bring a locally based business back from the brink of failure, saving countless jobs in the community. Thanks to the loyalty and dedication of its employees who were determined to make it succeed, that company is now a thriving business.

Dick valued loyalty and was dedicated to his faith, family, friends—and football. Perhaps imagining himself as the coach he once aspired to be, he was one of the University of Minnesota’s biggest cheerleaders and faithful supporters of the Golden Gophers football team. Dick became the first Director’s Award recipient, presented by the University’s Athletics Department to honor a lifetime of support for Gopher Athletics.

Dick was as comfortable in the boardroom as he was on his Green Isle crop farm, where he loved working the land, watching things grow, and maintaining a friendly rivalry with his brother, Butch, to see which of them would bring in the bigger crop each year.

Dick stayed physically active until he was hospitalized in early January for a backache and remained sharp as a tack until the day before he passed away from pneumonia. “I’ve lived a fairytale life,” he observed just a few days before. “I’ve surrounded myself with remarkable people and lived a very full life. In fact, I can’t even believe this isn’t a dream.”

For all of his accomplishments, Dick was known for simply being Dick—larger than life, well-meaning, fearless in saying what he believed, and supporting causes he cared about with a legendary reputation for his generosity. Dick had a quick smile, infectious laugh, and always extended a warm handshake to everyone he met. We celebrate Dick Ames—an unforgettable character who lived every day of his life to the fullest.

Preceded in death by his parents, Chester and Ruby, and his son Bruce, Dick is survived by his wife, Lollie, brothers Butch, Tom, John and Ron, sisters Audrey, Peggy and Mary, sons Larry and Alan, daughters Marilyn and Lara, stepsons Dave and Richard Thomas, and stepdaughter Toni Walsh, 16 grandchildren and 29 great grandchildren.

Memorial donations may be made to: Mayo Clinic Pulmonary Research, Attn: Department of Development, 200 1st St. SW, Rochester, MN 55905; specify: “in honor of Dick Ames”

Visitation: Thursday, February 7, 2019, 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Mount Olivet Church, 5025 Knox Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419

Service: Friday, February 8, 2019, 10:00 a.m. Visitation, 11:00 a.m. Service, Mount Olivet Church, 5025 Knox Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419

Celebration of Life: Following the service, join us at the University of Minnesota Athlete’s Village, Bierman Field Athletic Building, 516 15th Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455

Interment: Private burial will be at the Farmington Cemetery

Arizona Celebration of Life: A Celebration of Life to honor Dick will also be held on February 12 at the Midwest Training Centre, 9707 E Cactus Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260, starting at 4 p.m.

02/01/2019

01/31/2019

Ames Percheron Farm's cover photo

01/31/2019

Dear Friends of Dick Ames,

The funeral arrangements for Dick are being finalized. Here is what we have so far.

Visitation
Thursday, February 7,. 2019
3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Mount Olivet Church
5025 Knox Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419

Service
Friday, February 8, 2019
10:00 a.m. Visitation
11:00 a.m. Service
Mount Olivet Church
5025 Knox Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419

Luncheon
A luncheon will be held following the services
The location is To Be Determined

Interment
Burial will be at the Farmington Cemetery
Weather Dependent
Date and Time To Be Determined

01/31/2019

12/19/2018

World Percheron Congress 2018

12/19/2018

Ames Percheron Farm's cover photo

12/19/2018

Winter fun!

12/27/2017

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and we wish you a blessed New Year!

11/10/2017

Ames Percheron Farm's cover photo

11/10/2017

07/07/2016

Ames Percheron Farm

We will be showing at the Murray County Classic in Slayton, MN this weekend. Come out and see us!

Saturday, July 9--Gates open at 9 am

Sunday, July 10--Gates open at 9 am

There will be Farm Team demonstrations at 10 am.

Draft Horse Show starts at 2 pm on Saturday.

Draft Horse Show starts at 12:30 pm on Sunday.

07/07/2016

We will be showing at the Murray County Classic in Slayton, MN this weekend. Come out and see us!

Saturday, July 9--Gates open at 9 am

Sunday, July 10--Gates open at 9 am

There will be Farm Team demonstrations at 10 am.

Draft Horse Show starts at 2 pm on Saturday.

Draft Horse Show starts at 12:30 pm on Sunday.

06/24/2016

Come out this weekend and watch us show in Brookings,SD! show starts at one o'clock Saturday and Sunday with all the hitch classes!!

05/11/2016

Ames Percheron Farm

05/11/2016

Ames Percheron Farm

05/11/2016

Ames Percheron Farm's cover photo

02/09/2016

Profile Pictures

02/09/2016

Ames Percheron Farm's cover photo

01/22/2016

National Western Stock Show and Rodeo | Find your western spirit!

We are at the National Western Stock Show and start showing today!
Friday, Jan 22, 2016:
Noon--Gelding Unicorn
7 pm--Open 6-Horse Hitch (Heat A)

Saturday, Jan 23, 2016:
1 pm--Ladies Cart, Gelding Team, 4-Horse Hitch
7 pm--Men's Cart, Open 6-Horse Hitch (Heat B), Ladies Team

Sunday, January 24, 2016:
1 pm--Classic Cart, 8-Horse Hitch

www.nationalwestern.com

01/14/2016

Big Thunder Draft Horse

The Ames Percheron Farm will be showing at the Big Thunder Draft Horse Show January 15-17, 2016.

Friday, January 15, 2016:
5:30 pm--Group A: Ladies Team
Group B: Men's Cart
6:30pm--Group A: Team, 4-Horse Hitch
Group B: Ladies Cart, Unicorn, 6-Horse Hitch
Saturday, January 16, 2016:
1pm--Group A: Men's Cart
Group B: Ladies Team
1pm--Group A: Ladies Cart, Unicorn, 6-Horse Hitch
Group B: Team, 4-Horse Hitch
Sunday, January 17, 2016:
2pm--NASHHCS 6-Horse Hitch & 8-Horse Hitch
www.bigthundershow.com

01/14/2016

Scam alert: The Ames Percheron Farm has just been the subject of attempted fraud through DraftsForSale.com.
The "buyer" Mr. John Stone from Fort Lauderdale, FL emailed and indicated that he came across our ad and was interested in buying our horse for his daughter.
He indicated that he would pay with a cashiers check which would clear in 2-3 days. He also indicated that he would send the money for shipping agent and would give us the bank details for the shipper--Red Flag (we do NOT pay for shipping). Shipping address was to Weirsdale, FL.
When we did get the check, we could see that it was definitely fraud (all the info on the check was printed at a slight angle).
The check was from "Pumping Unit Resources, LP" out of Midland, TX.
***Do Not accept overpayment for a horse and then transfer money to someone else's account***

10/06/2015

Ames Percheron Farm's cover photo

10/06/2015

Ames Percheron Farm