OklahomaHorses Magazine March 2023

14 OklahomaHorses • March / April 2023 mane is rolled, and the tail is made into a bun and decorated. From a spectator and horse person’s view, the Express horses are always presented in a five-star way.” Easy Temperaments There are four main breeds of draft horses, Percherons, Clydesdales, Belgians, and Shires. During preindustrial times, draft horses were integral to agricultural needs. They are muscular, very large and strong, and capable of pulling heavy loads, including artillery. Each horse tends to weigh about 2,000 pounds. When North American industrialization came into place, draft horses were no longer needed to the same degree as in previous eras. The Percheron and Clydesdale breeds are called Gentle Giants because of their easy temperaments. Percherons originated in France. They tend to be peaceful in disposition, easy to train, and docile, so they get along well with other horses. Their ancestors were war horses. Percherons crossed the big pond into the United States during the nineteenth century. Clydesdales originated in Clydesdale, now the county of Lanarkshire, Scotland. They stand 17.5 to 19 hands high. Large numbers were exported from Scotland to North America beginning in the 1840s. Growth from the Ground Up Born and raised in small-town Duvall, Washington, Funk came from modest beginnings, developing his love of cattle by working on a cousin’s dairy farm during his teen years. He went on to higher education, snagging numerous university degrees. Although he kicked off his career from the ground up, Funk is now cofounder, president, and a board member of Express Employment Professionals, which has more than 800 franchises with almost 7,500 staff members in the United States, Canada, and South Africa. The Express Employment Professionals Philanthropic Foundation has contributed more than $11 million to Oklahoma charitable organizations. Funk remains active in Express affiliated companies, including Express Ranches, Express Clydesdales, Express Percherons, Express Sports, Funk Companies, and Express UU Bar Ranch, which was founded in 1848 and is located west of Cimarron, New Mexico. He is involved in every aspect of the cattle industry. In addition, Funk has received many accolades and has been inducted into innumerable halls of fame, including the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2017. During spring 2023, he will be inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Each year, the Express horses represent the Sooner State by traveling across North America as goodwill ambassadors for Express Employment Professionals and Express Ranches. And Funk, who has made Yukon his home for decades, provides opportunities for employment, invests himself in the cattle industry as a food producer, and provides the public with pleasure and fun. Admission to the Express Clydesdale Barn and Express Ranch Percheron Barn is free of charge, and visitors may get up close and personal and pet the horses. Sometimes, guests might even nab a ride on the wagon. There’s a spacious parking lot. So guests may get out of their cars and watch the amazing Gentle Giants in the pastures. Besides free do-it-yourself tours of the barns, Express offers guided barn tours for a small donation to the Children’s Miracle Network. Express also hosts barn wedding and birthday packages and books educational tours. Express Clydesdales is at 12701 West Wilshire Boulevard, Yukon, telephone (405) 350-6404. Tabitha Hageman is barn manager. Josh Minshull drives a team of Express Clydesdales in front of the Express Clydesdales barn in Yukon.