Connor Lalande
Shawville June 24, 2023
With the late June humidity hanging in the air, competitors, spectators and a wide selection of horses gathered at the Shawville Fairgrounds this past Saturday for a draft horse pull.
Draft horse pulling is a contest where horses, under the control of handlers, compete to pull weight over a distance.
Organized by the Eastern Ontario Draft Horse Pulling Association (EODHPA), the region’s primary competitive and recreational draft horse pulling body, the event drew participants from throughout the Pontiac and eastern Ontario.
EODHPA Board Member Cheryl Bezoine says the event was put on as a fundraiser rather than as a traditional competition.
“The money we raise today will go into the Eastern Ontario Draft Horse Pulling Association. It will go towards things like prize money, end-of-year celebrations and things like hitch money,” Bezoine said.
Bezoine explained that transporting horses to competition is expensive, and so competitors are allocated funds to help offset the cost of competing, known as hitch money.
The event had several different brackets involved: pony pull, light-draft class horses, heavy-draft class horses and a horse drawn truck pull where teams would compete to move a commercial transport truck.
As handlers brought their pairs of harnessed horses to the staging area, the horses’ anticipation and excitement were palpable. While the handler driving the horses skillfully steered them into position, the other gingerly hooked them to a metal sled loaded with concrete blocks. With the clank of the hook dropping into place, the horses lurched forward, pulling with all their strength to the shouts of their handlers, trying to drag the weight. With more weight added in successive rounds, teams unable to pull the full distance are eliminated.
The event also featured a silent auction, with items donated by businesses and members of the community, and all proceeds going to EODHPA.
