The Wareing’s
(Dua He Chi)

I (Arlin Wareing) became involved in draft horses in 1966 with the purchase of two Shire mares, one of which was over twenty years old and both were in foal. We got into Shire horses as a family activity. At that time, my wife, Maxine, and I had four young children. Julie and Wendy were the oldest, followed close behind by Wayne and Todd. The goal with the horses was to have a family activity, which has remained so to this day with eleven grandchildren. All are involved to some degree. At one time Julie and her husband were breeders with the prefix of Country Roses. Wendy’s family bred and sold horses under the name of Rockford Meadows. Todd and his wife Stephanie promoted the breed under the name of Wareing Shire Breeders. Julie’s three sons Casey, Travis and Jeremy have a keen desire to improve and promote the breed in their own right. They show under the name Howell Brothers, and are still a part of our family efforts. Wayne has taken the lead in all of our showing and training, as well as the glue that holds us all together. We all live in the Blackfoot, Idaho area except Todd who lives in Gig Harbor, Washington, near Seattle.

In 1967, I brought a new member to our breeding operation with the importation of Jim’s Chieftain, from England. He was the first Shire imported to the US since the 1930’s. His arrival made international news which began a resurgence of the breed in both the US and England. Numbers increased at a tremendous rate over the next twenty-five years. Jim made a huge impact on the breed in the US, not only in numbers, but even more so as to type and overall appearance. The importation of Jim brought on a whole new endeavor for the Wareing family. Arlin, and sometimes Maxine and other family members, have been to England over sixty times buying and shipping Shires for breeders from coast to coast. We lost track of the numbers brought to this country, years ago. We have estimated that well over four hundred have passed through our hands in one way or another. There are few Shires in the US today whose pedigree does not trace back to some of these horses.
The increased interest in Shire horses created a need for an active and fully funtional registry. In the early 1950’s the American Shire Horse Association (ASHA) had become inactive with many of the records being destroyed. It was revived again in 1965. In 1968, Arlin became a Board member and was appointed Vice President. He was President from 1973-1978, and continued to be a Board member or serving on the committees for nearly twenty years. Todd served on the Board from 1993-1997.

The Wareing’s breed prefix, Dua He Chi, came about in the beginning, and is often questioned as to the meaning. Blackfoot is next to the Shoshone-Bannock Indian Reservation. In the native Shoshone language the name Maxine, which means “Little Great One”, translates, as near as we can tell, to “Dua He Chi”.

The number of horses bred by the Wareing’s is too long to provide a detailed account. However, the records will show the horses registered under the prefix maybe one of the largest in the studbook. However, the number of stallions used is very small, which is a breeding design. As noted, Jim’s Chieftain was our first stallion. We used him for thirteen years before he became related to all the mares in our breeding area. We gelded him at age 15 and he spent the rest of his life on the farm. He was followed by Ryton Majestic, who was imported in 1976. He was used alongside Due He Chi’s J.R., a son of Jim, born in 1980. I believe he has sired more registered foals than any other stallion in the US. He served mares until his death at age 23. Providence Jake was imported as a yearling in 1996, but failed to become a good producer. He spent most of his life on the wheel of our hitch. Hillmoor Double Diamond was imported as a foal in 2000 and continues his duties as of this writing. Each one of these stallions has been awarded Grand Champion Shire Stallion at the National Shire Show one or more times. I can only think of three mares we have ever bred to an outside stallion. We pride ourselves in our effort to follow a long term program.

Showing has been part of our efforts from the beginning. I had always had a desire to have a six horse hitch, starting with showing Jim in a cart class. Pairs and a four-up followed through the 70’s and 80’s, where we used mostly mares. In 1989, with Wayne on the lines, we put out our first six-up of geldings. We have maintained and shown a six-up since. In order to be competitive with other breeds, this undertaking has required much of our time and efforts. There seems to be no limit to the work that can be put into this project. However, the reward for the family and the breed is well worth it.
Probably the biggest joy in having involvement with Shire horses comes from the many friends we have made in North American and Great Britain. It is a reward the family would never have had if we did not have the horses. I grew up on a small farm, established by my father, and I still live there. My working life was spent in local government in various positions.