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Horsepull Culture Is Highlight at Stalwart
"We do wagon rides in the fall here to take people around and show them the fall colors, and in winter we'll do sleigh rides through the snow," Mr. Harrison said. "Most of us say you haven't seen the Sand Ridge unless you've seen it on horseback." The pastoral scenery of the Sand Ridge is home to a neighborhood of farms where four horsepulling families have settled. Following in the footsteps of his father, Everett, Mr. Harrison is one of the local teamsters who drive draft horses. He participates in the competitive horsepulling circuit, pulling in 15 to 20 events a year. Stalwart Fair the second weekend of September, he said, is the traditional end of the season for local pullers like himself. The fair is enjoyable and close by, and gasoline prices have made traveling expensive by this time of the year, he said. Stalwart is like a homecoming for the pullers, with many local teamsters gathering on the fairgrounds to compete or simply help with the three pulling events: pony pulling, and the lightweight and heavyweight pulls. The pulls are by far the most popular events at the 102-year-old Stalwart Fair, packing the weathered gray bleachers and stands around the track for two consecutive nights.
"My dad and I spent weeks at a time out on the circuit," Mr. Harrison said. "In August, we could be gone 10 days at a time and participate in a pull every day we're gone." Like many involved in the sport, Mr. Harrison was introduced to horsepulling by his father. The late Everett Harrison drove and rode horses all his life, and was most active in the horsepulling circuit when he retired from the Kinross Air Force Base at age 55. Before his job in Kinross, he worked in the woods for a living, Mr. Harrison said of his father. Born in 1922, "horses were everything back then," he said, and were used for hauling goods.
At fair time, the elder Mr. Harrison would drive his horse team from Pickford to the Stalwart Fair Thursday, camp there over the weekend, and drive back again Sunday. Horses travel about four miles per hour, Joe Harrison said, so the trip probably took about four hours each way. Back then, Stalwart Fair's was probably the biggest pull around, but not the only one.
He and his neighbor, Dave Esslin, another teamster, have hosted a "New York strip pull" which he describes as a steak fry, horsepull, and equipment swap. Harness and the heavy collars draft horses wear can cost as much as $3,500, so events like that give pullers a chance to try different equipment or trade before buying new tack. Horsepulling can be an expensive sport and prize money rarely covers the cost to compete. The top prizes are typically a few hundred dollars.
He compared horsepulling to dog sled racing, noting that in both sports, the real rewards are intangible: spending time with friends and family, being with the animals, and spending time outdoors. Mr. Harrison spends much of his time conditioning the horses for competition, taking them for 10-mile daily walks. He and Mr. Esslin also log with the horses. Logging with horses "is the way nature intended," he said. It makes less of an impact on the forest than machinery, he added, and helps make the horses better mannered with the additional handling. Mr. Harrison's family always had horses, and they used horses for most of the farm work. Mr. Harrison started pulling about 20 years ago, with a team his father started for him. "It started with one horse to pull manure out of the barn with. Then we needed a second horse, so it became a team. Then we got all the equipment," he said. Mr. Harrison pulled until his father's death in 2001, then took a five-year break from the circuit. He felt like he had lost his best friend, he said, after spending summer weeks on the road and at pulls with his father. He continued horseback riding and competed in events with his wife, then finally decided to return to the horsepulling circuit about two years ago. He now pulls with a team of Belgian draft horses, Frank and Lucky, most recently pulling in last Saturday's event. Considering the appeal of horsepulls and why they continue to draw crowds to places like Stalwart with each passing generation, he said, "It's our past, and our heritage. Everyone around here seems to have a couple of horses in their fields these days." It's a heritage he hopes will continue in his son, Cody, who at age 14 is starting to help him with the horses, although Mr. Harrison admits his son still seems to prefer riding his dirt bike. "It's one of those things you either have in you, or you don't. You can't push that on a kid," Mr. Harrison said. He likens the persistence of the sport to the persistent interest of fans. It seems to be passed down through the generations, he observes. "At the pulls, I see mostly older folks who still remember the days when horses were being used on farms, and they always come to the fairs to see the horsepulls. Sometimes I see their children with them," he said. "I think the next generation will probably keep coming to pulls because it's something they did with their parents, and something they learned to enjoy." This is much like the rest of the events of the Stalwart Fair. Fair organizers saw a healthy increase in exhibit hall and livestock entries, with 200 counted by Saturday, September 8. An estimated 170 entries were received in 2006. The youth livestock show is growing out of its space next to the livestock barns, and entries for the poultry, rabbit, sheep, and beef shows nearly tripled this year. The Stalwart Presbyterian Church turkey dinner sold out by 5 p.m. Saturday. Contest results that were available at press time follow: Pony Pull Results - From Friday, September 7 Milt Hudson of Vulcan won the Under 49 Inches Contest and Horsemanship Award for that division. Louie Jurek of Vanderbilt won first place in the 49-53-inch Division by pulling 4,000 pounds, while Milt Hudson took second place in the division. Lightweight (3,300 pounds and lighter) Horsepull Results - From Friday, September 7 1st - John Cripe of Vermontville, crossed 7,500 pounds (full pull) 2nd - Bob Cripe of Crystal Falls, 27 inches on 7,500 pounds 3rd - Roger Beeman of Nashville, Michigan, crossed 7,000 pounds 4th - Bob Wegmeyer of Lachine, 9 feet, 2 inches on 7,000 pounds Horsemanship Award: Bob Cripe of Crystal Falls UP Special Award (heaviest weight pulled by an Upper Peninsula team): Bob Cripe of Crystal Falls Heavyweight (3,301 pounds and heavier) Horsepull Results - From Saturday, September 8 1st - Gary Bauer of Ceresco, 11 inches on 9,500 pounds 2nd - Dave Esslin of Goetzville, 8 inches on 9,500 pounds 3rd - Bob Cripe of Crystal Falls, 20 feet, 3 inches on 9,000 pounds 4th - John Busenbark of Elmira, 6 feet, 8 inches on 9,000 pounds 5th - Dan Zeamer of DePere, Wisconsin, 6 feet on 9,000 pounds 6th - Jim Cripe of Goetzville, 3 feet, 8 inches on 9,000 pounds 7th - Rodney Michalski of Porterfield, Wisconsin, and Allen Buchner of Pembine, Wisconsin, 3 feet, 2 inches on 9,000 pounds 8th - Rodney Michalski of Porterfield, Wisconsin, 2 feet, 3 inches on 9,000 pounds 9th - Al Moblo of East Jordan, 2 feet, 1 inch on 9,000 pounds 10th - Bill Huffman of East Jordan, 2 feet on 9,000 pounds 11th - Joe Harrison of Goetzville, 1 foot, six inches on 9,000 pounds 12th - Tom Reed of Delton, 1 foot on 9,000 pounds 13th - Daryl Scales of Sault Ste. Marie, 1 foot on 9,000 pounds 14th - Duane Bawks of Pickford, crossed over on 8,000 pounds 15th - Bob Wegmeyer of Lachine, 17 feet, 6 inches on 8,000 pounds 16th - Bob Hall of Pickford, crossed over on 6,000 pounds 17th - Dave Bishop of Pickford and Jim Chambers of Mackinac Island, 6 feet on 6,000 pounds Horsemanship Award: Gary Bauer of Ceresco 1st Place U.P. Special Award: Dave Esslin of Goetzville 2nd Place U.P. Special Award: Bob Cripe of Goetzville |
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