YORKTON - A highlight for horse lovers at this year’s Calgary Stampede had to be a 12-horse hitch of draft horses pulling a vintage earth grader.
A number teamsters and their horses came together to pull the Russell road grader from the early 1900s, a piece of history refurbished by Brett Fulford who typically pulls with it with six to eight horses, explained an article by Cheryl Gostola Western Heritage Agriculture Committee Lead.
But at the Stampede 12 horses joined forces, made possible through the use of a specialized rope and pulley equalizer.
The grader was originally built to be operated by two people, and was designed to shape the roads.
Teamster Brett Fulford drove the 12-horse hitch, while teamster Richard Edmonson operated the grader.
What made the event more special was the collaboration between three different stables of horses, which had not pulled together before.
The team was composed of eight Percheron and four Clydesdales. The Clydes were on the wheel and were from Tailwinds Stables at Yorkton. Involved in the undertaking were Yorkton’s Tywlla and Cameron Newton, along with Lee Anne Toma, Kevin Newton, Brooke Villeneuve, Sharal Cook, Jacqueline Whitmore, Don Feist, Franzi Simon, and Darrel Larsen.
