Joe Swartzentruber

Joe Swartzentruber and Rebecca Swartzentruber are Percheron breeders in Polk, OH, western Ohio and the Dayton area. They have been raising Percheron horses for over ten years and maintain registry status with the American Percheron Horse Association. Breeding stock undergoes regular veterinary inspections, joint screening, and metabolic evaluations.

Nutrition is built around high-fiber forages with seasonal supplements tailored for draft horses to foster steady growth and maintain ideal body condition. Foals are raised on mature grass pastures with shelter access and daily pasture rotations that support healthy hoof development. Each horse receives gentle, hands-on handling from birth and exposure to farm machinery sounds for early desensitization. Retirement paddocks offer mares space to socialize with gentled geldings under natural grazing conditions.

The family farm reflects three generations of draft horse breeding, blends traditional horsemanship with modern caregiving practices, and has produced foals that placed in regional draft-horse classes.