we've been in with these horses. Now, they've done just about everything! As you can see, they are nearly identical, which is why they've won best matched pair many years in a row at various events. Recently, we were at the Newaygo County Fair where they won best matched pair as well. Sunny won Grand Champion Supreme Pony of all in the Draft Horse Show. We both got a first and second place in single driving and in riding. Jim took first place in the line driving obstacle course with Atta Boy
This year, the fair board created a new event for the Draft Horse show, called the "Wagon Eight". In this event, two teams started on opposite sides of a figure eight, going different directions. In the middle of the "O"s of the eight, they parked and had to load up the wagon. The loader was called a "swamper", and had to bag a camp chair, load a frying pan, load of wood, roll a sleeping mat, and throw it all on the wagon. Once this was done, the team could drive out of the "O" and being to race around the figure eight. The tricky part was if both teams got the middle at the same time! Thankfully, all 16 teams had good drives, and there was plenty of room for 2 teams to cross over if all stayed on their own side! The entry fee for this event was $75, quite a bit higher than anything else here. But, the payout was grand! First place got $2500!! So, we entered, hoping for first place! Ha, ha, ha! We ended up doing quite well. Jim drove the team, and our son-in-law, Tim, was the swamper. The swamper's job was quite important, as every second counted. Many swampers got caught up in putting that darn camp chair in the bag! Have you ever done this as fast as you can?? We drove this event a total of 4 times, ending up in fourth place. We were pleased with that, and we had so much fun! Another surprise of this event, is that they charged $1 for entry into the stands, and the stands were packed full! It turned out to be a great family event!
