Draft horse showing (UK and Commonwealth; draught horse, dray horse or carthorse) refers to

horse show A horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer ...

s exclusively for

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

s of the

draft horse A draft horse (US), draught horse (UK) or dray horse (from the Old English ''dragan'' meaning "to draw or haul"; compare Dutch ''dragen'' and German ''tragen'' meaning "to carry" and Danish ''drage'' meaning "to draw" or "to fare"), less oft ...

breeds. In

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

, though a small number of draft horses are also shown under

saddle The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not kno ...

, the term "Draft horse showing" refers to a specific

competition that primarily features

driving Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses, and bicycles. Permission to drive on public highways is granted based on a set of conditions being met and drivers are required to ...

exhibitors presenting their horses to be judged in

harness A harness is a looped restraint or support. Specifically, it may refer to one of the following harness types: * Bondage harness * Child harness * Climbing harness * Dog harness * Pet harness * Five-point harness * Horse harness * Parrot harness ...

. Worldwide, some draft horse shows also feature riding classes. The driving events at these competitions are somewhat akin to fine harness classes at

s for light horses, though the four horse and larger hitch classes also resemble some aspects of combined driving. Draft horse shows are different from draft horse pulling competitions, where teams of horses compete to determine who can pull the most weight.

Driving Competitions

Exhibitors of these classes must follow a pattern for each class in which they participate. The pattern is the same for every class. The hitches enter the

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...

one at a time, following one another. They travel to the right, along the rail in a counter-clockwise direction. A hitch is a unit consisting of the exhibitor, their horse(s) and vehicle, being a cart or wagon. The judge is observing each hitch from the middle of the ring where they are standing. All of the hitches make a few laps in this counter-clockwise direction and then reverse. A lap is completed when a hitch travels the entire way around the arena next to the rail. When the reverse is made, the hitches diagonally cut the ring in half in order to go the opposite direction. This allows the judge to see the other side of each hitch. A couple more laps are made going in this clockwise direction. While making these laps on the rail, the horses are trotting and usually asked to walk for a few steps only once during the entire class. Next, all of the hitches line up, coming to a complete stop in the middle of the ring, all facing the same direction. The judge then looks at each hitch individually and has them back up. This requires the driver of each hitch to direct his or her horse(s) to back either the cart or wagon a few feet, stop, and then step forward to the original position. Finally, the judge places all of the hitches in the order of his or her preference.

Types of classes

United States and Canada

The main classes in a show exclusively for draft horses are limited to driving competition, and generally include the following: * Ladies' Cart—One

driven in a cart by a woman * Men’s Cart—One horse driven in a cart by a man *

Team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to inf ...

—Two horses hitched side by side on a show wagon, driven by a man or woman * Tandem—Two horses hitched with one lead horse directly in front of one wheel horse, driven by a man or woman in a cart. Considered an unsafe hitch by many drivers, since the tendency for the lead horse to turn around and face the wheel horse. * Unicorn—Three horses hitched as a team with one horse in front of the team, driven by a man or woman * Four—Four horses hitched as two teams, one pair in front of the other, driven by a man or woman * Si

��Six horses hitched as three teams, one in front of another, driven by a man or woman * Eight—Eight horses hitched as four teams, one in front of another, driven by a man or woman "Breeding" or " Halter (horse show), Halter" classes are also offered at many shows. These classes evaluate the conformation of the animals. In the United States and Canada, the

breeds A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance ( phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

of draft horses shown, include: *

American Belgian Draft The American Belgian Draft is an American breed of heavy draft horse. It derives from the draft horses of Belgium but, as a result of isolation and different selective breeding, became genetically distinct from them in the early part of the twent ...

Percheron The Percheron is a breed of draft horse that originated in the Huisne river valley in western France, part of the former Perche province from which the breed takes its name. Usually gray or black in color, Percherons are well muscled, and k ...

* Clydesdale *

Shire Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the begin ...

* Suffolk Punch *

American Cream Draft Horse The American Cream Draft is an American breed of draft horse, characterized by the cream or "gold champagne" color of its coat. It was developed in Iowa during the early twentieth century from a cream-colored mare named Old Granny. A breed regis ...

* Spotted Draft Horse Belgians, Percherons and Clydesdales tend to be the dominant breeds seen at North American draft horse shows. The cost of a draft horse depends on the level of competition at which an exhibitor would like to compete. If an exhibitor would like to compete at the highest level, receiving first place honors at the toughest shows, a great horse could cost anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000, with the most expensive horse sold at public auction costing $112,500. A draft horse shown as a hobby and competing only at local or county fairs would start at approximately $1,000. A harness exhibitor uses appropriate equipment for driving, beginning with a truck and trailer to haul the draft horses to the show. A show harness, a show wagon, and a show cart must be purchased as well. These three items are only used in the arena while a hitch is performing. Another set of work harness and a practice wagon is used at home for training. Along with the costly equipment, decorations that are put up at the draft horse shows and miscellaneous tack items must also be obtained. A hitch is judged the moment it enters the arena. Usually, there is only one judge for all the hitches in an entire horse show, and it is usually a different judge than the halter classes. The hitches are judged on a variety of aspects including physical conditioning of the horses, conformation, hoof size, cleanliness and quality of turnout, movement of the horses, quality of action, manners and how well the horses work together as a team and as a hitch as a whole. The presentation and soundness of the wagon is also evaluated, as well as the drivers ability to drive the hitch. There is no standard or uniform set of rules. All judges have their own opinion on what they like, putting more emphasis on certain aspects than others do. This is what makes draft horse showing so unique; the outcome of a show can never be predicted.

Australia

The major agricultural shows in Australia hold led (conformation), trade and turnout classes for draft horses. At field days draft horses are also shown in long reining, ridden, log snigging, ploughing, pulling, novelty events,

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

and other implements events, too. The draft breeds exhibited in Australia are: *

Australian Draught Horse The Australian Draught is a hardy Australian breed of draught horse, noted for its strength and a good temperament. Characteristics The Australian Draught was developed over the years as a result of the crossbreeding of the four recognized pu ...

Horse Breeds: The Australian Draught Horse
/ref> * Belgian * Clydesdale *

* Suffolk Punch

Preparation for a show

Before leaving the farm all equipment is checked for problems, cleaned thoroughly, and packed into the truck–trailer used for travel. Most hitches use a semi trailer to transport their horses and all their equipments from show to show. Generally, the maximum number of horses that can be trailered in this manner is nine. Most exhibitors arrive the day before showing begins so that they may set up their stalls, including stall decorations that display the farm name and colors, and prepare for the hectic show schedule. Most exhibitors bathe their horses before departing from their home farms so that their stock arrive at the show looking well groomed. Other trainers and farms are evaluating their competition as soon as they arrive, so this is as much for show as is practical. Depending on the show's facilities, the draft horses tend to be hosed down upon arrival, or bathed completely to remove any dirt from their coats, though each farm has their own way of doing things. Clydesdales require extra attention after the bathing process, due to their leg feathers, which are coated in sawdust to help keep dirt out of the wet hair. The morning of the show horses are completely groomed, sometimes using a vacuum to remove any dust that has settled into the horses' coats since their bath. Next, most breeds have their hooves painted black, usually with hoof black or a glossy black spray paint. Exceptions to this are the Clydesdale and Shire breeds which commonly have white hooves, linked to the white leg markings preferable for their breed. For these breeds, it is necessary to powder their white feathers with baby powder, or a similar substance, once again depending on preference. While the hooves are drying, the mane is rolled and tails are braided up in a specific way. At this point, the horses are harnessed and then sprayed with fly spray to prevent movement in the show ring. Harnesses are wiped down again to remove any dust that has settled on them and the horses are hitched to the cart or wagon that will be used during the next class.

References