A few weeks ago I attended a Draft Horse event. Every team had a forecart. Drivers had to pull in between orange highway cones, back up turn back up again, pull ahead, turn, back up, all between cones. Then drive around, more backing and turning. Judged by time with knocked cones added to time.
Then they had teams pulling a big sled and a team member sitting in a rocking chair on the sled with 20 ears of sweet corn, husk and all. The teamster was to circle 4 barrels and his team mate was to throw corn into each barrel. Timed for speed, with extra points for number of ears into the barrel.
The final contest had the horse teams hooked to forecarts, circling the fenced arena. In the center were poles on the ground representing parking spaces, entry from either end. 10 teams, 10 spaces. Horses circle until the music stops and every team heads to a parking space. Then one space is removed, 10 teams, 9 spaces. Equine version of muical chairs. Team without a space is eliminated and another space removed until it got down to one space and 2 teams. What a lot of fun.
Years ago, I did an obstacle course with highway cones. I pulled 2 small logs around the cones, without going "out of bounds" or hitting a cone.
In a few weeks there will be single horses with Medowbrook carts in an obstacle corse at the Michigan Great Lakes International Draft Horse Show and Pull. Hardest one is driving onto a piece of plywood and turning around with one wheel staying on the plywood.
What sort of horse competition did you see? A horse pull? Two types. Pulling a flat bottom sled loaded with weights or a Dynamiter that uses a truck that provides resistance..
