INVERMAY - “We show people what happened in this area about 100 years ago and how the land was broken for farming. Farmers opened up this area with horses and made it what it is today. Most people today get their food at Safeway and have no idea.”
That’s how Walter Hughes, President of PALS (Performing Arts and Leisure Society) described the importance of the annual Draft Horse Field Days held in Rama on May 20 and 21.
Organizers appreciated being blessed with a dry weekend this year, especially since rain forced cancellation of the event in 2022.
Saturday was fairly warm. Sunday turned out to be a bit chilly for late May.
“Sunday was a little cool, but not bad at all. It was actually better for the horses,” said Nancy Genoway, one of the volunteer organizers. “There was a steady stream of people coming and going both days. I think there were over a hundred each day. We were very happy with the turn out!”
Horse-related activities over the weekend included: discing, harrowing, seeding, and a driving competition.
Teamsters who brought their horses for one or both days included: Ron Turner of Archerwill (Percheron team), Duncan Arthur of Preeceville (one grey Percheron and two Haflinger/Friesian crosses), Keith Neumier of Langenburg, (two Percheron teams), Lloyd Smith of Pelly (two Percheron teams), Cameron Last of Lintlaw (Clydesdale team), as well as Kristina Just and her daughter Jillian of Yorkton, who brought a Clydesdale team and a team of Norwegian Fjord horses.
Among the volunteer organizers, those with a little more experience recall working with draft horses on their family farms in the ’40s and ’50s.
“I remember when I was a kid in the Porcupine Plain area, farmers were still working the fields with horses,” said Walter Hughes. “Horses are quieter than tractors, but then again, they don’t have air conditioning or a radio.”
“I remember still using horses on the family farm at age 14 for cutting and raking hay as well as harvesting,” added Ron Mocyk.
PALS has a full lineup of horse drawn farm equipment which is made available to teamsters during Draft Horse Field Days.
Hughes, Mocyk and Louis Swiderski thoroughly checked over the equipment prior to the event to make sure it was ready to head out to the field.
The field activities included seeding three acres of oats, which will be used for future fall threshing demonstrations.
The PALS drill is a 10-foot, 20-run Cockshutt unit which Mocyk estimates is from the late ’40s.
“We went right through it to get it ready; greased everything, replaced any broken parts and tightened bolts.”
Most farm equipment in the PALS collection was donated by farmers in the region, and they are still open to more donations.
In his mid-twenties, Jeff Pinder is one of the younger volunteers, and Hughes said they encourage more young people to get involved to make sure that Draft Horse Field Days continues indefinitely.
Duncan Arthur has been a regular teamster participant in Rama in recent years, and this year brought a grey Percheron along with two Haflinger/Friesian cross horses.
“I enjoy working with horses. It’s quieter, smoother, and I’ve been doing it pretty much all my life. Dad used horses on the farm.”
Arthur said he enjoys coming to Rama to visit with the other teamsters, and regularly picks up useful tips.
“We still use horses for farm work such as feeding livestock in winter, haying and raking in summer. We also use them for levelling hills in the pasture.”
Jillian Just was driving a pair of Clydesdales, both six years old, that are “still pretty green for a team, and they’re still learning to work together.
“It’s fun coming here,” said Just. “I enjoy the atmosphere and the people; it’s a really relaxing weekend. I’ve always enjoyed working with horses and doing field work, it’s a unique experience.
“I’m a big fan of the historical aspect, how the horses are so important to the history of this region.”
Just said she has learned a lot from the more experienced teamsters that come to Rama, “how to run the different pieces of equipment, what settings work the best and so on. I also get tips on horsemanship, learning how to treat them well while still getting the work done.”
Just’s mom Kristian was another teamster who enjoyed doing some field work at the Rama event. She pulled a set of harrows with a team of experienced 20-year-old Norwegian Fjord horses.
“I like them because they’re good workers, but smaller than some other breeds and a bit easier to handle.”
Kristina said draft horses in the twenty-first century have to be handled more carefully than they were about 100 years ago.
“Today’s draft horses aren’t in as good shape as they were years ago when they were used in the fields all the time, so we try to give them a rest break here and there out in the field,” she said. “But we still use them on the farm for cleaning the barn and the chicken coop, and luring the cows home by having the horses pull the feed wagon.”
Saturday’s events included a friendly driving competition where drivers and their teams were timed right from when they pick up the yoke to hook the wagon to the horses, to when they complete the driving course, including demonstrating control of the horses while walking and trotting.
One of the highlights of the weekend was a horse-drawn coach provided by Norval and Vera Budd of Norva Clydesdales of Kelliher. Pretty much everyone at the event looked to be eager to take a ride.
“I built the buckboard coach 26 years ago for my daughter’s wedding,” said Norval. “I bought the wheels but then designed and built everything else from scratch.”
“It had been in storage for about the last four years.so I decided to contact the Rama organizers and bring it here to give rides around the grounds.”
Sunday’s events included Cowboy Church.
