Saturday, I went to the Big Sky Draft Horse Expo in Deer Lodge, MT. The horses were big, the mules were intelligent and the teamsters (drivers) were able to get their teams to do what they would have been doing many years ago, when horses ruled the road.
I have watched in amazement as a current teamster has parked his truck in a narrow space with a foot of clearance on either side. I have stood next to a running truck with its 600 hp engine rumbling and waiting to take over the road, to deliver its load. Semi trucks are the work horses of our current life. The name “Teamsters” came from drivers of teams of horses. I have a bet with myself as to which is harder to do. I’m partial to horses, because they think.
There were several classes held on each day, each class highlighting a particular skill. Watching the horses trot around the arena, with the metal buckles and rings making a wonderful jangling noise that matches the thunder that rises from the hooves stirs the heart. The beautiful shine of the horses, the braiding of their manes and tails, and the gleam of the hooves, all contribute to a wonderful picture of grace and pride in their teams. I’ve seen everyday trucks maintained as well, so it is not surprising to see such pride shown the whole day.
Part of the reason I went was because I love the driving class of a 6-hitch. This is where 6 horses are hitched together (2, 2, and 2) to a large wagon. The wagons were even beautifully shiny and not really appropriate for delivery. But if you’ve seen the Budweiser Clydesdales, you’ve seen the kind of condition of the horses and the wagons.
The teams came into the arena one at a time. The first job is to make a figure 8 around a couple of pylons. It is a tight turn on both ends, but all the teams did it perfectly. They then moved to one of the more difficult challenges, getting to the loading dock. At this challenge, the team gets to the side of the dock, the team is sent out to turn the wagon without moving forward and then the team has to come back in alignment to back the wagon to the dock and hit a post that indicates where the dock would be. At that point, the team can line up and move forward to the final challenge.
The final challenge is the wagon puts its right rear wheel into a small circle and the team makes a 360 degree turn without the wheel leaving the circle. Then the team drives out of the arena.
Because the arena isn’t big enough, a 6 hitch is about the biggest that can be accommodated, but I would love to see an 8-hitch of big draft horses. The sound and beauty of the hitched teams, including the voice commands that the teamsters use to control their teams requires that the audience maintain silence until the whole challenge is completed.
When you see a team perform beautifully with all the horses staying in line and being well controlled it is truly amazing.
I managed to grab some pictures and hope you can see what kind of celebration the show was.