Draft horse showing

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Percheron Ladies' Cart

Draft horse showing is a competitive sport in North America where exhibitors present their draft horse(s) to be judged in harness, pulling various types of carts and wagons. These events are somewhat akin to fine harness classes at horse shows for light horses, though the four horse and larger hitch classes also resemble some aspects of combined driving. Draft horse shows are different from draft horse pulling competitions, where teams of horses compete to determine who can pull the most weight.

Exhibitors of a draft horse show must follow a pattern for each class in which they participate. The pattern is the same for every class. The hitches enter the arena one at a time, following one another. They travel to the right, along the rail in a counter-clockwise direction. A hitch is a unit consisting of the exhibitor, his or her horse(s) and vehicle, being a cart or wagon. The judge is observing each hitch from the middle of the ring where he or she is standing. All of the hitches make a few laps in this counter-clockwise direction and then reverse. A lap is completed when a hitch travels the entire way around the arena next to the rail. When the reverse is made, the hitches diagonally cut the ring in half in order to go the opposite direction. This allows the judge to see the other side of each hitch. A couple more laps are made going in this clockwise direction. While making these laps on the rail, the horses are trotting and usually asked to walk for a few steps only once during the entire class. Next, all of the hitches line up, coming to a complete stop in the middle of the ring, all facing the same direction. The judge then looks at each hitch individually and has them back up. This requires the driver of each hitch to direct his or her horse(s) to back either the cart or wagon a few feet, stop, and then step forward to the original position. Finally, the judge places all of the hitches in the order of his or her preference.

1 Types of classes
2 Requirements
3 Preparation for a show
4 Judging
5 Major draft horse shows
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Types of classes

There are several different classes in which an exhibitor may compete. The main classes that all shows have include:

Ladies Cart -- One horse driven in a cart by a woman
Men’s Cart -- One horse driven in a cart by a man
Team -- Two horses hitched side by side on a show wagon, driven by a man or woman
Unicorn -- Three horses hitched as a team with one horse in front of the team, driven by a man or woman
Four -- Four horses hitched as two teams, one pair in front of the other, driven by a man or woman
Six [1] -- Six horses hitched as three teams, one in front of another, driven by a man or woman
Eight -- Eight horses hitched as four teams, one in front of another, driven by a man or woman

[edit] Requirements

There are many requirements that are needed to compete at a draft horse show. Depending on what classes an exhibitor would like to enter, the first requirement is a horse or team of horses. In the United States and Canada, only four breeds of draft horses are shown, including:

Belgians, Percherons and Clydesdales tend to be the dominant breeds seen at draft horse shows. The cost of a draft horse depends on the level of competition at which an exhibitor would like to compete. If an exhibitor would like to compete at the highest level, receiving first place honors at the toughest shows, a great horse could cost anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000. A draft horse shown as a hobby and competing only at local or county fairs would start at approximately $1,000. Next, an exhibitor will need the appropriate equipment, beginning with a semi-trailer truck to haul the draft horses to the show. A show harness, a show wagon, and a show cart must be purchased as well. These three items are only used in the arena while a hitch is performing. Another set of work harness and a practice wagon is used at home for training. Along with the costly equipment, decorations that are put up at the draft horse shows and miscellaneous tack items must also be obtained.

[edit] Preparation for a show

Prior to a draft horse show, exhibitors perform a variety of tasks to make their draft horses look their best. Draft horses usually get a bath a few hours ahead of the show to remove all of the dirt from their coats. This gives their coats a nice shine. Right before the show, all draft horses are vacuumed to remove the layer of dirt that has accumulated on their coats since their bath. Next, their hooves are painted black with the exception of clydesdales. Clydesdales naturally have white hooves, which are preferable for their breed. Therefore, their feet are not painted. All horses’ manes are braided and tails are tied. Finally, the draft horses are harnessed and hooked together on a wagon or cart depending on the class in which they are competing.

[edit] Judging

A hitch is judged the moment it enters the arena. Usually, there is only one judge for an entire horse show. The hitches are judged on a variety of aspects including:

How long and thin the horses necks are
How high the horses pick up their feet
How well the horses work together as a team and as a hitch as a whole
How well the horses are in shape
How well matched the horses are
How tall the horses are (the taller the better)
How large the horses feet are (the larger the better)
How clean the horses are
How clean the harness and wagon are
How each horse’s conformation is (equine conformation)

There is no standard or uniform way to judge. All judges have their own opinion on what they like, putting more emphasis on certain aspects than others do. This is what makes draft horse showing so unique; the outcome of a show can never be predicted.