There are many breeds of draft horses, the most popular of which include
the Shire, Percheron, Belgian, Clydesdale, and Suffolk. The Belgian is one of the largest
of horses, reaching a shoulder height of 68 inches or more and weighs as much
as 2500 pounds. The Shire is about the same size but has long hair on its feet up to the
fetlock and on the back of the hind legs up to the hock. These breeds represent
refinements of the original horses of their countries of origin. The Clydesdale, smaller
than the above breeds, was founded in Scotland by crossing native horses with Belgian
and Shire horses. The Percheron, standing about 66 inches at the shoulder, is a native of
the former district of LePerche in northwestern France and was produced by crossing
Arabian horses with the old Flemish breed of which the Belgian is the modern representative.

There are two events held in the Draft Horse Show and Draft Horse Pull. The Log Skid
is a timed event where drivers weave their teams through a course consisting of
4 or 5 cones set in a straight line. The width of the course is 28 feet, with boundaries set
on each side. Each team pulls two 14-foot logs bolted together and the driver can either
stand on the logs or walk the team. Each team starts with 100 points, with 5 points
deducted for each knock-over or tick of a cone.

The Draft Horse Pull consists of six to eight 2-horse teams, divided into light
and heavy weight classes. The sled weighs 600 pounds and the driver rides on the sled.
Starting with a load of 1500 pounds of concrete, each team pulls the sled for 12 feet
down a 15-foot wide pulling lane. After each pull, 500 pounds is added and the
team starts again. Stepping out of bounds disqualifies the team. The team continues
until they are stopped or the driver determines that the team has done enough.