Horse Pulling

One of the biggest draws (as we found out) at the Fryeburg Fair is the horse pulling contest. Teams come from as far away as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Connecticut to compete for what amounts to braggin' rights (the winners get about $500.00), and the barn was packed past standing room only. That Fryeburg has built a barn for the competition, should have been a tip-off to us first-timers that this was the big time. Back in Ohio, the pulling competition is held outside, regardless of the elements.
The two horse teams have five minutes to pull a sled of concrete blocks as far as they can. Weight on the sled ranges from 500 to 5,000 lbs. The horses can weigh as much as 2500 lbs, and there were more than a couple draft horses who were so tall that I couldn't see the top of their backs. They are simply massive animals.

Historically, draft horses were used in Maine to pull timber out of the forest for the lumber industry. In Ohio, they were used to clear trees from farmland and to pull the grain wagons during harvest (or to pull my dad on a sleigh to school when the snow got too deep to take the car). Now, they are trained athletes who compete for the glory

or proudly pull in a parade.

Article courtesy of Maine Life