REGINA – Three tonnes of horse cut hard to the left, then back. A hay rack wagon spins so tight and quick that the driver, Don Davis of St. John, North Dakota, has to grab whatever he can to keep his boots on the deck.
The handler finds no grip and takes a sudden seat on a bale of hay. The Super Team Final is under way.
In its second year of sponsorship, the North American Equine Ranching Information Council’s “chore horse” competition drew about 350 spectators to the stands at Regina’s Canadian Western Agribition. It’s a good crowd for any opening-day event at one of the world’s largest livestock shows. In less than eight minutes, these heavy horses manoeuvre through an obstacle course that would defy a small farm tractor with a good driver.
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“These aren’t the heavy horses you see in the other shows. These are working horses that go out every day to do the chores on the farm,” said Don Butterfield, of Laurier, Man.
A day after the competition Butterfield’s Beauty and Pearl, a pair of three-year-old Perch-erons, leave the city on their way back to the farm chores, a five-hour trailer ride away.
Allan Krieser is the sideman and handler with Butterfield’s team.
“Unlike the other heavy horses you see at events like this, these aren’t used to indoor show rings and crowds of people. These girls aren’t used to coming to town,” he said.
Butterfield’s 55 years of driving heavy horses have paid off in the new competition. He took home a second-place award this year. Last time he won the event.
Participants say the horses are not trained to perform the figure eights, keyhole turns, parking, backing and other manoeuvres specified in the rules.
“These aren’t tricks they learn. These are just the same skills they use on farm to do their jobs,” said Krieser.
NAERIC, an industry association of pregnant mare’s urine producers and processors, sponsors the competition of eight teams.
Krieser said the resurgence of heavy horses on the Prairies is mainly because of the PMU industry.
“They say there are more heavy horses on the Prairies today than there was when they farmed this land with them.”
Despite the fact that these working horses aren’t known for bringing the high prices some of their purebred kin in the other Agribition shows might, Butterfield turned down a “pretty damn good offer” from someone right after the day’s competition.
For their travel and effort, those who participated received $500 appearance money. Butterfield got $300 for his second place.
The Scott Ferguson team from Minnedosa, Man., placed first in the competition.
