By Debbie Adams
The first Pine Spur Hunt Club Draft Horse Pull was a jaw-dropping sight to behold. Pairs of
powerful Percheron and Belgian Draft Horses pulled up to 7,000 pounds of concrete blocks
behind them on a sled while the crowd sat in dead silence (good horse etiquette) until the
finishing whistle blew.
Pine Spur was promoting equine opportunities in Southwest Virginia at the Spring Festival and
very first Draft Horse Pull on April 12. They hope to make the pull an annual event. They are a
non-profit group made up of horse owners/appreciators, and friends, located off Route 24 just
outside of Vinton.
The day started with the festival which included equine breed demonstrations showing off the
many different breeds of horses in the area, vendors, a quilt show (Jan Dickens of Vinton won
first place), and more. There were horse-related activities for the kids–lassoing, face-painting,
and the very popular corn pit (like a large sandbox, but with corn kernels).
Late in the afternoon came the draft horse pull. Teams of horses lined up within the ring,
appearing as “quiet, gentle giants” until the competition began.
Basically, a draft pull is a contest to see who has the strongest team of pulling horses. The teams
compete in rounds and weight is added at the end of each round. Teams try for a full pull in each
round—at Pine Spur on April 12, that was 27.5 feet. The winner is the team that has pulled the
heaviest load the furthest. Teamwork between horses and their teamster is the key.
The teams were hitched to a flat-bottomed boat/sled loaded with 500-pound concrete blocks.
Weight increases as the contest advances.
At Pine Spur there were two divisions—lightweight (starting with a sled filled with 4,000 pounds
of concrete blocks) and heavyweight (starting at 5,000 pound of concrete blocks). When the pull
ended, the sled held 7,000 pounds of blocks.
The “teamster” drives the horses to the boat, assisted by two “evener” men who are responsible
for carrying the metal evener bar with a hook that attaches the horses to the load. Sometimes that
takes more than one attempt. This is the place where the most suspense comes in—will the
horses start pulling before the bar is hooked, causing a great deal of gasping from the audience.
As soon as the horses hear the sound of the evener in contact with the boat, they are off and
pulling. The teamster shouts encouragement to his team until the whistle blows, signaling a full
pull. Spectators are encouraged to remain quiet until the whistle is blown so the horses don’t
prematurely think they are finished.
The most common horses to see in the pulling ring are Belgians, which are typically chestnut
with flaxen manes and tails and occasionally roan as well. Percherons are less common but also
seen in the United States, typically black or gray. Lightweights are generally under 3,000 pounds
of combined weight between both horses and heavyweights are over 3,000 pounds of combined
weight.
The horses are extremely large. One of the Percherons in the competition Saturday weighed
2,250 pounds; his owner says the horse consumes 75 pounds of hay and four gallons of grain
daily.
The winner of the Lightweight Division on April 12 was Odell Coley, with horses Hoover and
Barney, from Statesville, N.C. Their top pull was 6,500 pounds, 21 feet.
First place in the Heavyweight Class went to Russell Harmon of Vinton and his horses Jim and
George, whose top pull was 7,000 pounds pulled 23 feet.
Other winners in the Lightweight Division included: second place Stanley Chaffin of Floyd with
Barney Fife and Flame, and third place Blane Chaffin of Riner with Mike and Charlie.
Other winners in the Heavyweight Division included: second place L.W. Calton of Mt. Airy,
N.C., with Jack and Buster; third place Josh Stevens of Trinity, N.C., with Sonny and Roy;
fourth place Vernon and Jeremy Herring of Broadway, Va., with Bill and Bob; fifth place Alan
West of Vinton with Bill and Barney;and sixth place Marshall Cofer of Bedford with Pete and
Barney.
Jan Dickens of Vinton won the Quilt Show contest with her horse-cowboy-farm-themed quilt.
Quilt Show.
The 72nd annual Pine Spur Hunt Club Horse Show is coming up on July 19. Add it to your
calendar.
