|
It
took a New
England draft horse competitor to organize what has become one of the
nation’s top horse pulling groups in Florida. New Hampshire resident Jack
MacDougall was the driving force behind the Southern Draft Horse
Association, formed in 1990.
"Jack wanted to have a good series of pulls in Florida," recalled Wildwood’s
Bill McClellan, who has been involved in the sport for 40 years. "He called
the best teams (of horses) and the best men in the eastern U.S. and invited
them to Florida. This thing started that way and it’s progressed and stayed
that way."
MacDougall, reached in New Hampshire by telephone on Feb. 8, recalled giving
horse pulling demonstrations in Ocala 20 years ago. He is appreciative how
competitors like McClellan and others have kept the group going.
"We started in the Ocala area, because a lot of people down there had
horses," MacDougall said. "That’s kind of horse country anyway. People got
behind me and built it up. It’s still going."
At age 65, McClellan still competes. He teamed with Oscar Ethington in two
divisions of the 7th annual Horse Pulling Competition on Feb. 6 at the
Pioneer Florida Museum and Village in Dade City.
The pair placed fourth behind horses Prince and Cracker in the Dynamometer
Pull, traveling a distance of 9 feet, 11 inches with 4,200 pounds. In the
Heavyweight Machine Pull, they took eighth as Tom and Barney pulled 4,500
pounds 2’6".
Article courtesy of: The Zephyrhill News |
