A day in the life of a draft horse: Meet two gentle giants from a winning Minnesota farm
McKenna Shaw uses a cloth to brush any remaining hay and dust from draft horse Spencer's coat, minutes before he and three other horses leave the barn for the four-horse hitch competition.
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Much of the focus of the Minnesota State Fair is on the food, the crop art and of course, the animals. One of the most popular entries of the Minnesota State Fair Horse Show are the draft horse hitches: teams of four, six or even eight mammoth horses that pull a wagon around the arena.
Fair-goers will stand in awe outside the stalls of the draft horses, marveling at their size. There’s a lot of work that goes into getting those big horses ready to show.
MPR News producer Alanna Elder followed one pair of draft horses and the humans who train, groom and lead them.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
INTERVIEWER: Much of the focus of the Minnesota State Fair is on the food, the crop art, and, of course, the animals. One of the most popular entries of the Minnesota State Fair horse show are the draft horse hitches. Teams of four, six, or even eight mammoth horses that pull a wagon around the arena.
Like the fair's largest pig, that's just a few steps from the horse barn. Fairgoers will stand in awe outside of the stalls of the draft horses, marveling at their size. There's a lot of work that goes into getting those big horses ready to show. Alanna Elder has more.
ALANNA ELDER: If you're ever feeling overwhelmed at the state fair, try imagining the dark, quiet of the horse barn, the moment before someone flicks on the lights. For two draft horses named Rhett and Spencer, that signals it's time for a morning stroll.
[TROTTING]
One of their trainers, Isaac Hunter, says he tries to exercise them well before the gates open. But they can't roll out right away. They have to clean up a bit first.
ISAAC HUNTER: Two people start cleaning the stalls. And then another person will grab the comb and brush and will brush all the dust and shavings off of them, comb their manes and tails and foretops. Just kind of make them look presentable and clean for-- you never know who you're going to run into when you're out walking.
They might look around the first day of the show just because it's new, new surroundings. And we only are at these places one time a year for a week or a couple days. And then they just put their heads down and just walk as a nice, big puppy dogs. They know the routine. Just go for the walk, come back, and they'll have hay and water waiting for them and a nice clean stall.
ALANNA ELDER: Rhett and Spencer are percherons, tall, burly draft horses that are usually black or gray in color. These two belong to a team owned by Ames Construction and based at a farm in Jordan, Minnesota. The two are the lead horses for the Ames percherons, which means when they're pulling a wagon, they're up front.
ISAAC HUNTER: They're a little bit more flashy, maybe not quite as big as the other four behind them. The way they carry themselves with their heads, you want them nice and tucked. And they have the motion in the front end. They really just pick up their feet so they just have the little bit more and what it takes to be noticeable up front.
ALANNA ELDER: Ames percheron manager Jacqui Shaw says she knows which horses are right for the job by observing their temperaments and how they work together in training.
JACQUI SHAW: If they're really a timid horse, the front of the hitch is not a good place for them. So they have to be very bold and willing to go out there and almost charge ahead of the whole group, lead them.
ALANNA ELDER: She says they've used Rhett as a lead horse almost since they bought him three years ago from a team in Iowa.
JACQUI SHAW: My 12-year-old son leads Rhett every day. If he leads a horse, that's the one he leads because Rhett is so gentle and kind. But when they put the harness on, and they're ready to go show, their other personalities come out. So--
ALANNA ELDER: Spencer is newer to the business. He lived in Canada before joining a show farm in Indiana. Ames bought him last fall. And Jacqui's daughter, McKenna Shaw, is showing him in youth competitions this year. She's entered in four hitch events and in three halter events, where she leads a horse by hand. And she's a fan of Spencer's.
MCKENNA SHAW: I have found that he is just a little bit more cooperative in showing decorating and showmanship. He was used as a halter horse from his previous owners, which made him figure out that-- he knows how to set up better than I could set him up myself. There's just horses that sense that you don't need to be running 100 miles an hour with a girl that can barely run at all.
He can definitely tell when I'm showing him and when my dad is showing him. He will get up in there a lot more when my dad is showing him. And he is gentle and lets me do the work really when I show him, which is honestly so sweet. And he's the sweetest horse. I love him so much.
And Rhett-- he's also a very good boy. And I've used him in decorating, showmanship, and cart. I last year won the cart class here with him. And I'm hoping to do the same with Spencer this year.
JACQUI SHAW: So I grew up showing draft horses. My dad did it professionally until he just recently retired. So I grew up showing draft horses all over the United States.
MCKENNA SHAW: My mom has been doing it since she was little. And my grandpa did it. And my dad just got into it through some family friends when he was around my age. And then that's how they met, through the horse shows, which was, honestly, really cute.
JACQUI SHAW: Then I met someone when I was in my early 20s, and we got married. And he was also into the draft horses. And so now I'm continuing this part of my life.
MCKENNA SHAW: I wasn't even two months old before I went to my first horse show. I think it's really something to experience. And I'm grateful that I've gotten to experience that. It's like my sport. So some people do volleyball and whatnot, and I have horses.
JACQUI SHAW: Our daughter is 15. She's really interested in the horses and shows quite a bit already. And she's doing really well in her showmanship and her junior driving. So she'll probably do it hopefully more as a hobby as she gets older. But yeah.
MCKENNA SHAW: It's a very tough industry. And it's not as accepting for women, just like most industries are, which is really disappointing. The judges are more commonly men. And they will just be a little bit more favoring towards the guys, which is upsetting. But not all judges are like that, of course. And women can still do really well. It's just you'll be not treated the exact same. I would like to show. I enjoy it. But I'm not planning on it to definitely happen. So--
ALANNA ELDER: For now, at least, she's part of a well-recognized team in Minnesota. She says percherons, with their sleek coats, graceful, powerful necks, and jaunty energy, tend to be the favorites of a draft horse show.
MCKENNA SHAW: And I just always feel that that's where the competition is. The real competition is with the percherons. And it's just like other breeds are in the background. Percherons were bred a lot more for show. They were used in working farms, and they still are. Clydes-- they're the most well known because Budweiser and whatnot. But they are just usually a lot smaller and just not as animated because they're not bred for it. They're bred for their feathers and their color.
ALANNA ELDER: Jacqui Shaw says Ames percherons recently switched from gray horses to black ones. Because, apparently, that, too, is where the competition lies.
JACQUI SHAW: My husband and I have been working for Ames for 16 years. And we have been very successful. In the past, we've had championships, national championships, a couple Classic Series final championships, and halter champions. And now we're-- like every sports team cycles in and out, we're getting some blue ribbon sometimes but not every show. But that's OK. It's good to have a challenge and strive for something.
ALANNA ELDER: The horses won't leave the barn until it's time to line up for the big show on the first Friday evening of the fair. In their downtime, they stand under a fan in their stalls, while people walk by and admire them, like Maureen Neuenfeldt of Savage, Minnesota, and her young daughter.
MAUREEN NEUENFELDT: They're powerful. They're gentle giants. They are so calm around kids. When kids get close to them, you don't worry as much about them accidentally kicking someone because they're nervous. Because they have such a nice very calm disposition. And they're just so big. It just feels so tiny next to them.
ALANNA ELDER: The Ames percheron humans stay busy repeating cycles of cleaning stalls and refilling water and food.
MCKENNA SHAW: You want hay-- you get hay. At home, usually, they will get fed hay in the morning and at night. But throughout the day, it's just something to keep them busy, something to keep them occupied. And they're putting a lot more energy in than they usually do at home. So they burn a lot more. And it's just better to keep them full and happy.
ALANNA ELDER: Jacqui Shaw spends the late morning massaging the horses' shoulders with what looks like an ultrasound wand and gel.
JACQUI SHAW: So it conducts the pulses through their skin into their muscle instead of just leaving it on the surface of their skin.
ALANNA ELDER: She uses a chair to block off an area of the barn where Spencer is tied. And he stands there serenely, while another team grinds horseshoes in the next row of stalls over.
JACQUI SHAW: But we've been doing this for a little over a year now as a regular part of our practice. We'd have a veterinary do this occasionally for a specific issue. She suggested it would just help all of their necks and shoulders feel better and help them move better and more relaxed in the harness and all the kinds of things we want for when they're competing.
ALANNA ELDER: It takes her about an hour and a half to massage each horse. Around 2 o'clock, Isaac Hunter and his fiancée Bailey Riemer lead Rhett and Spencer to a cement stall around the corner to rinse off the hay and dust clinging to their shiny coats. They shampoo their legs, comb their manes, spray protectant on any cuts, and take them back to the stalls, once again, to fresh hay. And the horses stay there until it's time to line up between the stalls and get dressed up for the show.
BAILEY RIEMER: Spencer's going to be in the lead of the four-horse hitch. And we're starting to get him harnessed. And then we'll braid his mane and tie his tail and make him look all fancy. They get their foretops, which is the hair on their forehead, braided with a red ribbon. And then they'll get their mane braided in a four-part braid. And then we put flowers in that braid to decorate it.
ALANNA ELDER: It's detailed work, but Jacqui Shaw and the others are moving quickly like they've been through each step countless times. And as soon as she's done with Spencer, she plans to hop over to Rhett, who's leading a team of two in a competition shortly after the four-horse hitch.
Her family and colleagues are bringing out bridles, polishing hooves, and helping braid. Even the red stools they carry as they move from one horse to the next seem to be coordinated. Spencer seems eager to get going.
BAILEY RIEMER: Yeah, he's just kind of playing. It's just nervous energy. So he'll just flap his lips and stuff like that as we're grooming him.
ALANNA ELDER: After a few more minutes of constant motion, they hook up the horses to a bright red cart. As soon as they're hitched and the drivers are in position, the concrete floor of the state fair horse barn rumbles as the horses, each weighing as much as 2,000 pounds, walk off in unison, moving into the bright sunshine, where a crowd is gathered to see them on their way to the Coliseum.
PA: From Jordan, Minnesota, it is the Ames percherons with Travis Shaw. And that first place award is going to stay very close to our state fair. It is going home with the Ames percherons of Jordan, Minnesota.
[CHEERING]
Travis Shaw, manager and the driver for the Ames percherons.
ALANNA ELDER: Spencer's group takes first place in the four-horse hitch. Rhett wins second with his team. And McKenna Shaw goes on to win first place with Spencer in her halter competition. For NPR News, I'm Alanna Elder.
INTERVIEWER: There's one more draft event scheduled for this year's fair. That's today at 2:00 PM at the Warner Coliseum.
Like the fair's largest pig, that's just a few steps from the horse barn. Fairgoers will stand in awe outside of the stalls of the draft horses, marveling at their size. There's a lot of work that goes into getting those big horses ready to show. Alanna Elder has more.
ALANNA ELDER: If you're ever feeling overwhelmed at the state fair, try imagining the dark, quiet of the horse barn, the moment before someone flicks on the lights. For two draft horses named Rhett and Spencer, that signals it's time for a morning stroll.
[TROTTING]
One of their trainers, Isaac Hunter, says he tries to exercise them well before the gates open. But they can't roll out right away. They have to clean up a bit first.
ISAAC HUNTER: Two people start cleaning the stalls. And then another person will grab the comb and brush and will brush all the dust and shavings off of them, comb their manes and tails and foretops. Just kind of make them look presentable and clean for-- you never know who you're going to run into when you're out walking.
They might look around the first day of the show just because it's new, new surroundings. And we only are at these places one time a year for a week or a couple days. And then they just put their heads down and just walk as a nice, big puppy dogs. They know the routine. Just go for the walk, come back, and they'll have hay and water waiting for them and a nice clean stall.
ALANNA ELDER: Rhett and Spencer are percherons, tall, burly draft horses that are usually black or gray in color. These two belong to a team owned by Ames Construction and based at a farm in Jordan, Minnesota. The two are the lead horses for the Ames percherons, which means when they're pulling a wagon, they're up front.
ISAAC HUNTER: They're a little bit more flashy, maybe not quite as big as the other four behind them. The way they carry themselves with their heads, you want them nice and tucked. And they have the motion in the front end. They really just pick up their feet so they just have the little bit more and what it takes to be noticeable up front.
ALANNA ELDER: Ames percheron manager Jacqui Shaw says she knows which horses are right for the job by observing their temperaments and how they work together in training.
JACQUI SHAW: If they're really a timid horse, the front of the hitch is not a good place for them. So they have to be very bold and willing to go out there and almost charge ahead of the whole group, lead them.
ALANNA ELDER: She says they've used Rhett as a lead horse almost since they bought him three years ago from a team in Iowa.
JACQUI SHAW: My 12-year-old son leads Rhett every day. If he leads a horse, that's the one he leads because Rhett is so gentle and kind. But when they put the harness on, and they're ready to go show, their other personalities come out. So--
ALANNA ELDER: Spencer is newer to the business. He lived in Canada before joining a show farm in Indiana. Ames bought him last fall. And Jacqui's daughter, McKenna Shaw, is showing him in youth competitions this year. She's entered in four hitch events and in three halter events, where she leads a horse by hand. And she's a fan of Spencer's.
MCKENNA SHAW: I have found that he is just a little bit more cooperative in showing decorating and showmanship. He was used as a halter horse from his previous owners, which made him figure out that-- he knows how to set up better than I could set him up myself. There's just horses that sense that you don't need to be running 100 miles an hour with a girl that can barely run at all.
He can definitely tell when I'm showing him and when my dad is showing him. He will get up in there a lot more when my dad is showing him. And he is gentle and lets me do the work really when I show him, which is honestly so sweet. And he's the sweetest horse. I love him so much.
And Rhett-- he's also a very good boy. And I've used him in decorating, showmanship, and cart. I last year won the cart class here with him. And I'm hoping to do the same with Spencer this year.
JACQUI SHAW: So I grew up showing draft horses. My dad did it professionally until he just recently retired. So I grew up showing draft horses all over the United States.
MCKENNA SHAW: My mom has been doing it since she was little. And my grandpa did it. And my dad just got into it through some family friends when he was around my age. And then that's how they met, through the horse shows, which was, honestly, really cute.
JACQUI SHAW: Then I met someone when I was in my early 20s, and we got married. And he was also into the draft horses. And so now I'm continuing this part of my life.
MCKENNA SHAW: I wasn't even two months old before I went to my first horse show. I think it's really something to experience. And I'm grateful that I've gotten to experience that. It's like my sport. So some people do volleyball and whatnot, and I have horses.
JACQUI SHAW: Our daughter is 15. She's really interested in the horses and shows quite a bit already. And she's doing really well in her showmanship and her junior driving. So she'll probably do it hopefully more as a hobby as she gets older. But yeah.
MCKENNA SHAW: It's a very tough industry. And it's not as accepting for women, just like most industries are, which is really disappointing. The judges are more commonly men. And they will just be a little bit more favoring towards the guys, which is upsetting. But not all judges are like that, of course. And women can still do really well. It's just you'll be not treated the exact same. I would like to show. I enjoy it. But I'm not planning on it to definitely happen. So--
ALANNA ELDER: For now, at least, she's part of a well-recognized team in Minnesota. She says percherons, with their sleek coats, graceful, powerful necks, and jaunty energy, tend to be the favorites of a draft horse show.
MCKENNA SHAW: And I just always feel that that's where the competition is. The real competition is with the percherons. And it's just like other breeds are in the background. Percherons were bred a lot more for show. They were used in working farms, and they still are. Clydes-- they're the most well known because Budweiser and whatnot. But they are just usually a lot smaller and just not as animated because they're not bred for it. They're bred for their feathers and their color.
ALANNA ELDER: Jacqui Shaw says Ames percherons recently switched from gray horses to black ones. Because, apparently, that, too, is where the competition lies.
JACQUI SHAW: My husband and I have been working for Ames for 16 years. And we have been very successful. In the past, we've had championships, national championships, a couple Classic Series final championships, and halter champions. And now we're-- like every sports team cycles in and out, we're getting some blue ribbon sometimes but not every show. But that's OK. It's good to have a challenge and strive for something.
ALANNA ELDER: The horses won't leave the barn until it's time to line up for the big show on the first Friday evening of the fair. In their downtime, they stand under a fan in their stalls, while people walk by and admire them, like Maureen Neuenfeldt of Savage, Minnesota, and her young daughter.
MAUREEN NEUENFELDT: They're powerful. They're gentle giants. They are so calm around kids. When kids get close to them, you don't worry as much about them accidentally kicking someone because they're nervous. Because they have such a nice very calm disposition. And they're just so big. It just feels so tiny next to them.
ALANNA ELDER: The Ames percheron humans stay busy repeating cycles of cleaning stalls and refilling water and food.
MCKENNA SHAW: You want hay-- you get hay. At home, usually, they will get fed hay in the morning and at night. But throughout the day, it's just something to keep them busy, something to keep them occupied. And they're putting a lot more energy in than they usually do at home. So they burn a lot more. And it's just better to keep them full and happy.
ALANNA ELDER: Jacqui Shaw spends the late morning massaging the horses' shoulders with what looks like an ultrasound wand and gel.
JACQUI SHAW: So it conducts the pulses through their skin into their muscle instead of just leaving it on the surface of their skin.
ALANNA ELDER: She uses a chair to block off an area of the barn where Spencer is tied. And he stands there serenely, while another team grinds horseshoes in the next row of stalls over.
JACQUI SHAW: But we've been doing this for a little over a year now as a regular part of our practice. We'd have a veterinary do this occasionally for a specific issue. She suggested it would just help all of their necks and shoulders feel better and help them move better and more relaxed in the harness and all the kinds of things we want for when they're competing.
ALANNA ELDER: It takes her about an hour and a half to massage each horse. Around 2 o'clock, Isaac Hunter and his fiancée Bailey Riemer lead Rhett and Spencer to a cement stall around the corner to rinse off the hay and dust clinging to their shiny coats. They shampoo their legs, comb their manes, spray protectant on any cuts, and take them back to the stalls, once again, to fresh hay. And the horses stay there until it's time to line up between the stalls and get dressed up for the show.
BAILEY RIEMER: Spencer's going to be in the lead of the four-horse hitch. And we're starting to get him harnessed. And then we'll braid his mane and tie his tail and make him look all fancy. They get their foretops, which is the hair on their forehead, braided with a red ribbon. And then they'll get their mane braided in a four-part braid. And then we put flowers in that braid to decorate it.
ALANNA ELDER: It's detailed work, but Jacqui Shaw and the others are moving quickly like they've been through each step countless times. And as soon as she's done with Spencer, she plans to hop over to Rhett, who's leading a team of two in a competition shortly after the four-horse hitch.
Her family and colleagues are bringing out bridles, polishing hooves, and helping braid. Even the red stools they carry as they move from one horse to the next seem to be coordinated. Spencer seems eager to get going.
BAILEY RIEMER: Yeah, he's just kind of playing. It's just nervous energy. So he'll just flap his lips and stuff like that as we're grooming him.
ALANNA ELDER: After a few more minutes of constant motion, they hook up the horses to a bright red cart. As soon as they're hitched and the drivers are in position, the concrete floor of the state fair horse barn rumbles as the horses, each weighing as much as 2,000 pounds, walk off in unison, moving into the bright sunshine, where a crowd is gathered to see them on their way to the Coliseum.
PA: From Jordan, Minnesota, it is the Ames percherons with Travis Shaw. And that first place award is going to stay very close to our state fair. It is going home with the Ames percherons of Jordan, Minnesota.
[CHEERING]
Travis Shaw, manager and the driver for the Ames percherons.
ALANNA ELDER: Spencer's group takes first place in the four-horse hitch. Rhett wins second with his team. And McKenna Shaw goes on to win first place with Spencer in her halter competition. For NPR News, I'm Alanna Elder.
INTERVIEWER: There's one more draft event scheduled for this year's fair. That's today at 2:00 PM at the Warner Coliseum.
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