GREENVILLE – Greenville Power of the Past hosted its annual Horse Pull at the Darke County Fairgrounds horse area with fans following the Health Department’s COVID-19 distancing guidelines.
William F. Young took his place in the press box overlooking the horse arena keeping the event moving smoothly, a job the soft-spoken gentleman has done for 17 years.” Everybody just calls me Willie,” he said in his slow drawl.
“This is the first pull some of them have been able to go to all year,” said Young noted. “They were cancelled all through the circuit which starts in the south and come all the way up.”
“It’s big down south but Indian is probably your biggest horse pulling state,” Young said. “Georgia, it’s big down there.”
Horse pulling does not have big payouts for the winning teams but does carry a hefty price tag to be involved in the sport.
“Horse pulling is not a big paying sport but “You can wrap thirty thousand dollars in one horse in a hurry,” noted Young. “It is not a big paying sport.”
Young stated Belgain horses are the predominant draft horse used in pulling with a few Percherons also fitting in the mix. “It’s about the only two horses you will find used on the circuit,” Young said.
“They pick out a special horse and they might go through 50 horses before they find one that is suitable,” said Young. “A horse will be six or seven years old when it is giving you your best. They are trained to pull.”
Young was quick to point out horse pulling is a gentleman’s sport with team members reaching out to help their competitors.
“They are real nice guys,” Young said. “They’re just old country boys like everybody else around here.”
“They all jump in and help the other guy and root for them,” added Young. “It’s not a cut throat deal. It’s just like the boy told me over there, ‘we’re just here to have fun and help each other. That’s all we want to do, have fun and help each other.’”