The spring edition of the 2018 PALS (Performing Arts and Leisure Society) Draft Horse Field Days was held in Rama and May 19 and 20.
Nancy Genoway of Rama, one of approximately 30 volunteer organizers of the event, said not only is it a tremendous amount of fun for those involved, the gathering is also educational, especially for young people.
鈥淚t shows how farmers used to do their field work before tractors came along, and how the land in this part of western Canada was opened for farming,鈥� said Genoway. 鈥淧lus the teamsters who bring their horses to this event are proud of them, and rightly so.鈥�
Providing teams of horses for the event were: Lloyd Smith of Pelly with Percherons, Kristina Just and her daughter Jillian of Yorkton with Belgians, Twylla Newton of Yorkton with Clydesdales, Michelle Newton of Moosomin with Clydesdales, Glen Zulyniak of Yorkton with Percherons, Duncan Arthur of Preeceville with Percherons, Royden Crone of Humboldt with Clydesdales, Keith Neumier of Langenburg with Percherons and Rick Lockhart of Sedley with Percherons.
Smith said he has been involved in draft horse events such as this one for a number of years, and thoroughly enjoys it. Under his direction, Smith鈥檚 team of four Percherons did some road work with an antique eight-foot road grader which was just recently added to the Draft Horse Field Days equipment lineup. Smith鈥檚 team of Jiggs, Beauty, Fisher and Tom are all siblings, which may contribute to their ability to work well together.
Michelle Newton brought her four-horse Clydesdale team of Cassie, Bunny, Peaches and Lassie to the event, and had them pulling a double disc. For a period of about 20 minutes, Newton hooked up a month-old filly named Tail Winds Fontana on the team next to Lassie, her mother. Newton said this was the filly鈥檚 first experience at doing field work. The plan is to slowly increase the time in the field and eventually build up the horse鈥檚 strength and stamina to the point where she can become a skilled member of a team when she is older.
Zulyniak worked a spring-toothed harrow with his Percherons Cole and Bart. He said he has been attending this event for a number of years and loves doing field work with his horses, especially when he鈥檚 surrounded by other draft horse enthusiasts with the same interests.
鈥淚 figure I was born about 70 to 80 years too late,鈥� said Zulyniak.
Jillian Just and her mother Kristina took turns on a spring-toothed harrow with their Belgians Bill and Charlie. Jillian said she has always enjoyed working with horses, and started driving teams about four years ago. She said she enjoys the people at these events and always seems to learn something new, including how to hook up four-horse teams. Kristina said she also thoroughly enjoys the Draft Horse Field Days. She said they keep the horses in shape and working as a team by using them to feed cattle during the winter.
Neumier brought his white Percherons Gravel and her daughter Surprise to the event, and did field work with his horses for the first time. He said he found it to be fun and relaxing, and an enjoyable challenge at the same time. When asked why he would name a horse Surprise, he said it was because he didn鈥檛 know Gravel was pregnant when be bought her at a meat sale in Yorkton. One reason he liked the idea of owning Percherons was that he remembered using Percherons to clean barns as a youngster.
Musical entertainment at the event was provided by Nancy Genoway and her brother Shelden Landstad, both of Rama, Elaine Chamberlain of Sturgis, Judy Johnson of Preeceville, Eugene McKenzie of Wynyard, Don Kulcsar of Ebenezer and Marilyn Fredsberg of Wynyard.
On May 20, an outdoor church service was held at the Draft Horse Field Days site. The service was led by Jeremy Willment and his wife Melody of Nut Mountain, accompanied by their six children.
After the field demonstrations on May 20, a teamster competition featured three different events.
A pole bending competition was held using a row of eight equally-spaced posts. Neumier finished first, followed by Zulyniak in second place and Smith came in third.
In the post pounding event, the competitors had to drive their teams to each post, stop, and hit each one four times with a sledge hammer. Crone came in first, with Arthur second and Smith third.
Crone picked up another first place finish in the barrel racing event. Neumier finished second and Arthur came in third.
A total of three acres were seeded to barley as part of the Draft Horse Field Days event. That crop is scheduled to be harvested during the fall edition, planned for late August.
