Horse Pulling
by Cecil Darnell
published in The Draft Horse Journal, Winter 2000 - 2001

Horsepulling is just about as direct and basic as competition can get. Hook a team of horses to the load, the team that can pull the heaviest load wins. That is the essence of horsepulling... but it is so much more.

Even before the big hitch horses were setting new price records in the auction ring, pulling horses were bringing eye raising prices by private treaty. Today, talk around the pulling circuit puts the price of a “good” pulling horse at between $15,000 and $20,000, and $40,000 to $70,000 is mentioned when pulling teams are discussed. Some people who are involved in pulling estimate that there are between 170 and 200 pulling teams in the state of Michigan alone.

Horsepulling is competition, it is equipment, it is horses, it is attitude, it is timing, it is experience, it is teamwork in every sense, and it is an adrenaline rush for those who do it.

For folks who have never experienced horsepulling, watching the first contest may not seem as high energy as NASCAR racing. Draft horses are not touted for their speed. They are called “gentle giants” because they are big, strong and easy to like. Draft horses have assisted humankind by helping pull the load of life for generations.

When one looks at the pulling horse industry today it is a different picture than a couple of generations ago when many folks predicted the end of the “draft horse” within our culture. Those bidding on the horses at the recent Sterling horse sale in Gladwin, Michigan, proved that the draft horse market didn’t die as once predicted. Anyone looking for a pulling horse will be reminded of the health of the industry, both in difficulty of discovery and the dollars asked when a horse is found.

Horsepulling is a small segment of that draft horse industry. Pulling horses have been bringing top dollar for years, but they have special characteristics more in line with professional athletes. One observer commented, “pulling horses have heart”.

Determining just how many pulling horses there are is as difficult as coming up with a specific number of pulling contests. In Michigan alone, there are four different organizations that manage pulling events. Many pullers have memberships in all the organizations so they will have a complete schedule of contests.

In the old pulling pictures, there are a great number of Percheron horses shown. Some believe that there were so many more Percherons available that that is why they were predominant. Some old timers believed that a horse that was Percheron/Belgian mix was the best farm horse one could have. Today about 98% of all horses pulling are Belgians. Why is this? We don’t really have a single answer. Michigan State University (MSU) sold their last draft horse in 1963, twenty years after the Michigan Dynameter Association (MDA) was formed. MSU didn’t own any draft horses from 1963 up until 1998. Perhaps we will have more answers than questions soon. Because of their white legs, Clydesdales and Shires were largely considered city horses where they were used making deliveries and didn’t pick up so much field dirt. Even today, the “city horses” are more apt to be seen on a beer wagon than a plow or a stone boat.

There is a large overlap in membership throughout the horsepulling organizations so a complete schedule of events can be maintained. There are some common threads woven into the scheme of things. All organizations consider the legal distance of a full pull as being 27 1/2 feet. If a contest is classified as “open” that means that any team may be entered into the competition. A “lightweight” contest will include only teams of two horses that weigh less than 3200 or 3300 lbs. A “heavyweight” contest may include any size animals but will often be the biggest teams available, and weighing “heavies” is not required for most contests.

The reasoning for the rules governing horsepulling contests goes back to the earliest studies of draft horses by the universities. Research indicated that 27 1/2 feet was a safe distance for a draft horse to pull a heavy load without hurting itself, thus that became the length of the contest pull.

At one time, the “lightweight” contest was limited to teams weighing 3000 lbs. This was raised a few years ago to accommodate the larger horses of today. It is likely that there are more and better trained and cared for draft horses in the “pulling horse pool” than ever before. In the earlier days, the only consideration for a pulling horse was “will he pull?”. In recent years, other things have been added to the recipe.

The “desire to pull” that was sought by early pullers may be something that can be bred into animals. There are a couple of stallions that have produced some horses that will pull. Some of the horse pullers are testing the possibility of breeding that “spirit” into the young animals. The results of this testing will be interesting to watch.

Every horsepulling contest has a distinct personality. That personality is a combination of the community within which it is held, the sponsoring agency, the weather, the condition of the pulling surface, the time of day, the crowd (horsepulling is one horse activity where silence is sought until the task is completed), the pullers participating and the horses that they have available in this particular contest.
Photo 2

When things are humming, it is harmonious. The whole team consisting of two horses, a driver and a hooker on each end of the eveners approaches the load. As the horses swing around, the evener hook is fastened to the load..the horses hit it as the hookers back out of the load path...for about eight seconds the only sound is the grunt of a lugging horse, the harness chain and leather, the sound of the moving load, the whistle when the distance chain tightens and the approval of the crowd when the pull is completed.

That eight seconds of intense pulling is the only actual work the horses do. If additional weight is added to the load seven different times, and the winning team crosses with the load each time (7 loads x 8 seconds = 56 seconds of total pulling or thereabouts). The balance of time is spent resting, traveling to and from the load and waiting for the other teams to pull.

Each team has three opportunities to pull a particular load. Early in the contest, almost every team will complete the 27 1/2 feet on the first hitch. As more weight is added, teams are eliminated until only the “fittest survive”. Life is like that.

The seasons in the midwest are quite distinct. Horsepulling is a sport of the warmer months, beginning in May and running into October. A few years ago some of the Michigan pullers were having “horsepulling withdrawal pains” during the winter months. Mike Hughs had a building, some cement blocks and a stone boat he used for exercising his horses. He put the pieces together and began some winter pulls that have collected a crowd of folks who need the “fix” during the winter months.

If horsepulling is so regimented, then why doesn’t one team win every contest? The answer is the same as it would be if asked of a professional athlete. Usually the same teams will win often, but on any given day, everything can change. Just like professional human athletes, a horse may have a cold or a sore leg or just an off day. Another animal may be feeling especially powerful on a specific day. This makes a difference.

Horsepullers are always trying to improve their chances. They do this by buying, trading and experimenting with different animals...always looking for a mate to their strongest horse. Conditioning is important. Each teamster believes that he can get a horse to pull harder than the current owner. That self confidence, that wish to improve chances, the desire to take home another blue ribbon drives the teamster on.

Broken equipment, from harness straps to eveners will not dampen the horsepulling spirit, nor will a bad tire on the trailer or a funny sound in the truck engine. The horsepuller will haul horses to wherever the pull will be and will compete for dollars, a bucket of grease, or for a local cause that needs the support.

Horsepulling is something that is learned and often learned from family. Colleges and universities do not offer a lot of classes and even fewer degrees in horsepulling. If an interested person doesn’t have a dad, an uncle or a special horsepulling neighbor, learning how is not likely. In spite of this, there seems to be a good number of younger people participating in horsepulling contests.

Often younger folks will get excited with the lightweight competition. The horses must be fed and watered and trained on a rigid program to keep the horses under the 3200 or 3300 lb. limit. The team must be weighed at designated scales at a particular time to be eligible for the contest. With maturity, this procedure loses a lot of its youthful charm and the more mature teamsters will move up to heavyweights. There is much less hassle getting the heavies ready for a contest.

Additional information on horsepulling contests is available in most states by contacting the official sanctioning bodies. Usually a contact can be identified by talking with someone on the fair board or someone working on a draft horse program. In Michigan there are four different sanctioning bodies, three are like the big leagues in professional sports, and the fourth is more like the minors.