The Draft Horse Journal: History, Telleen Family, Content and Staff
Profile updated November 2026
The Draft Horse Journal has been the bible of the heavy horse world since May 1964, when Maurice and Jeannine Telleen published a 28-page first issue from Waverly, Iowa. Today the quarterly regularly tops 300 pages and reaches subscribers in all 50 states, every Canadian province and more than 20 other countries.
| First issue | May 1964, 28 pages |
|---|---|
| Founders | Maurice and Jeannine Telleen, Waverly, Iowa |
| Frequency | Quarterly since 1964 |
| Size today | More than 300 pages per issue |
| Reach | All 50 states, all Canadian provinces and 20-plus countries |
| Ownership change | Sold by Lynn Telleen in 2023 to Matthew Steele of Little Village |
| Official website | DraftHorseJournal.com |
History of The Draft Horse Journal
Maurice Telleen, a University of Iowa journalism graduate and working farmer, launched The Draft Horse Journal with his wife Jeannine in May 1964. The timing was bold: tractors had pushed draft horses off most American farms, and the heavy breeds were at a low ebb. The first issue ran 28 pages. From their farm near Waverly, where Maurice raised Belgian and Clydesdale horses and Oxford Down sheep, the Telleens built a quarterly that chronicled the heavy breeds through their lean years and their later comeback.
Maurice also wrote The Draft Horse Primer, a Rodale Press guide to choosing, buying and working draft horses and mules that became a standard reference for new teamsters. The Journal stayed in the family for decades, later run by Lynn Telleen.
In March 2023 Lynn Telleen sold the magazine to Matthew Steele, owner of Little Village, an Iowa City news and culture monthly. The Journal's current mailing address is in Olympia, Washington.
The Draft Horse Journal Today
The Draft Horse Journal still prints quarterly and also offers digital editions, back issues, free articles online, event and sale schedules and a directory of breed associations. It describes itself as having the largest base of heavy horse and mule advertisers in the field.
Regular contributors include veterinarian Dr. Lisa Eller, attorney Ken Sandoe on legal questions and draft horse historian Edward Y. Morwick. Over the years the magazine has also carried columns by cowboy humorist Baxter Black.
What The Draft Horse Journal Is Publishing Now
Shows, pulls and sales
Results from horse pulls and hitch shows, and market reports with photos from the major draft horse sales.
Working horses
Features on horse and mule logging, horse-powered farming, modern horse-drawn equipment and horsemanship clinics.
History and bloodlines
Historical deep-dives, bloodline profiles, PMU ranching stories and occasional overseas tours and import news.
The Draft Horse Journal Editors and Staff
The magazine's own pages, trade coverage and contact listings name:
- Judy Brodland - Editorial contact
- Dr. Lisa Eller - Veterinary contributor
- Ken Sandoe - Legal contributor
- Edward Y. Morwick - Draft horse historian, contributor
- Lynn Telleen - Former publisher (sold 2023)
- Maurice Telleen - Co-founder (1964)
The magazine's website lists info@drafthorsejournal.com for inquiries.
Who Reads The Draft Horse Journal
Readers are draft horse breeders, hitch exhibitors, pullers, loggers, Amish and other horse-farming families, and enthusiasts who simply love the big horses. Extension programs including the University of Kentucky's equine extension and University of Missouri Extension's equine program offer health, feeding and pasture guidance relevant to heavy horses.
Draft horse people measure feed in tons and hoof size in dinner plates, and they have a dry humor to match. They will enjoy farm.FM, which hitches farm satire and farm humor to ranch humor for teamsters, loggers and hitch crews. The farm jokes there pull their weight, even if they never win the heavyweight class.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
The Draft Horse Journal Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- The Draft Horse Journal: History - the magazine's growth since 1964.
- National Newspaper Association: Little Village acquires Draft Horse Journal - the 2023 sale.
- Farm Collector: The Draft Horse Primer - a profile of founder Maurice Telleen.
- University of Kentucky Equine Extension - land-grant horse health and management programs.
- University of Missouri Extension: Equine - extension resources for horse owners.
The Draft Horse Journal FAQ
When did The Draft Horse Journal start?
The first issue was published in May 1964 by Maurice and Jeannine Telleen of Waverly, Iowa.
How often is The Draft Horse Journal published?
Quarterly, as it has been since 1964.
Who owns The Draft Horse Journal?
Lynn Telleen sold it in 2023 to Matthew Steele, owner of Little Village magazine in Iowa City.
What does it cover?
Breeding, raising, showing, selling and using all heavy horse breeds and mules, plus sales, pulls, logging and history.
Sixty years after a 28-page start, Draft Horse Journal readers still turn to it first for news of the big horses.