About Us
Pat & Tanya Connors Family
From left to right: Jessica, Pat, Tanya, Irish Thunder Royal Ashley, 2007 filly foal, Ashley and Jennifer
When Pat brought Tanya out to show her the farm four years ago he was hoping to buy it for a family retreat. The property is naturally beautiful with rolling hills, aged oak, birch and cedar trees. It was blessed with abundance of wildlife such as rainbow trout, turkeys, deer, Canadian geese, ducks and pheasant. Tanya saw the property as perfect place for her horses. At the time Quarter Horses were the sole breed of horse in the family. That was soon to change.
Cleaver Creek Farm is located on 125 acres in the hills east of Elroy, Wisconsin. Cleaver Creek is the headwaters to the Wisconsin River and originates on the farm property. The farm hosts a 3 acre spring fed pond loaded with rainbow trout. The property is also a federally licensed trout farm. It is in this unique setting that Pat, Tanya and their three daughters decided to start their Clydesdale business. Pat was anxious to have the Clydesdales that he had always wanted and soon purchased his first filly foal from Barb and Devere Clay in 2004.
In the spring of 2005 the first broodmare was purchased. With the first foal due in the spring of 2006, one of the first priorities was to select a prefix for the farm. Pat wanted a name that reflected the joy and excitement he felt as the mares “thundered” down the hills in the morning and afternoon at feeding time. It wasn’t long before they settled on including the family’s Irish heritage and hence it was decided that Irish Thunder Clydesdales would be the farm’s prefix. The first year brought one Clyde stud foal and two paint foals. The second year brought four Clyde foals and no paint foals! Nine Clyde foals are expected in 2008 from paternal bloodlines such as Solomon’s Beauregard , SBH Phoenix and Dillars Striker. Maternal lines include the likes of SBH Phoenix, Armageddon’s Lord Elijah, Ellengowan’s Sensational Randy,Greendykes Reflection, Greenleaf Perfection, Live Oak Sensational Thorn(Doura Sensation) and Collessie Ulsterman. Cleaver Creek Farm currently stands two stallions, Ozark’s Royal Essex(Sonny) and Soloman’s Beauregard(Beau) and plan to accommodate outside mares for the 2008 breeding season..
In the Exhibition area, Irish Thunder appeared in nine parades in 2006 and expects to appear in four events in 2007.
Irish Thunder Clydesdales first year of showing was successful in 2006 with three horses in line classes and Lady’s Cart. This year the farm has a six horse hitch and five line horses.
Cleaver Creek Farm is a family owned and operated business and with out the help of many good people that we have met along the way we surely would not have had the success that we have experienced in the last two years. Tim Schwartz is our parade hitch manager. He is also in charge of sales. He and his wife Dawn have been critical assets to our farm operations.
Glen and Shelly Lewis trained and showed NDF Forest’s Brody during the 2006 show season and were kind and patient mentors. Finally our show hitch manager, Joe Detweiler and his wife Bonnie have been instrumental in putting a competitive hitch together for the 2007 show season. Joe is also our farrier and provides guidance for our breeding program.
Our family is very grateful to be involved with the Clydesdale breed and to have met so many wonderful people from Scotland, Canada, and throughout the US. We would also like to extend a special thanks to the office of the Clydesdale Breeders of the USA for being so supportive and welcoming to newcomers like ourselves.
Visitors are always welcome at the farm and we are hoping that people will take advantage of our close proximity to Madison in October.
See you all at the World Show!