Locals “pulling” for equine team as Pa. Farm Show marks centennial
Standing with the horses are, from left, George Rice, Anthony D’Alessandro, Angela Rice, Linda Rice, Dominic D’Alessandro, Adam Lohr and Milton Rice.
Belgian draft horses Jim and Charlie, full brothers, were born at an Amish farm in Camden, Mich.
George Rice and the team of Belgians work out Dec. 31, gearing up for Farm Show competition.
Linda Rice holds a vintage photo in front of her favorite artwork of a team of draft horses that hangs in the dining room of her Mt. Pleasant Township home. Hames, the supports attached to the collar of a draft horse, adorn the frame.
Milton Rice looks at a scrapbook containing highlights of the history of horse-pulling in Washington County.
As we open a door to our vehicle, settle into the driver’s seat and turn the key in the ignition, we likely give little thought to the origin of the word “horsepower,” a measurement of engine performance.
However, as the owner of a team of draft horses, Milton Rice contemplates the power of the equine every day.
“Delvin Miller started out down at the Burgettstown Fair,” Rice said of the legendary harness-racing driver, a statue of whose horse, Adios, stands sentinel at the entrance to The Meadows Racetrack & Casino. Around his farm in rural Mt. Pleasant Township, Rice recalls “they used to race to see who could get to the Hickory store the fastest.”
Rice, 82, first traveled to the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg in 1950 when he was a member of Future Farmers of America at Hickory High School, and he visited the show and exposition off and on since. He and his family will be cheering on his pair of Belgian draft horses next week at the centennial farm show in Harrisburg.
“America was built with draft horses,” Rice said. “The pride of every family farm was their team of horses.”
The horses Jim and Charlie, with Rice’s son, George, at the reins, will arrive in Harrisburg Monday for the horse-pulling event Tuesday. A list of entries shows they are the only Washington Countians registered.
“There’s no way we could go to the farm show without George,” Rice said. “He drives them. It’s a family effort. We’re lucky the farm show still supports horse pulling. At one time, we had 10 to 20 horse-pulling farms in Washington County.”
The exhibition of horsepower is the third-most popular attraction at the farm show, Milton’s wife, Linda, said, citing Pennsylvania Cable Network as her source.
“There were years Washington County would have 10 entries in the farm show,” Rice said. J.H. Eckels of Marianna and his son, William Eckels; George Porter of Washington, a former East Washington police officer; and Vance Litman of Claysville were well-known for their participation.
“Me and Linda spent a lot of effort. We had Vance listed in the Hall of Fame for horse pulling at the farm show,” Rice recalled.
“It’s going to fade away in 20 years,” mused Linda Rice, who said horse pulling is no longer appearing on the schedules of the Jacktown, West Alexander or Greene County fairs. “Of course, everyone has tractors. Before tractors, everybody had horses. They couldn’t afford to buy tractors.”
Milton Rice is superintendent of horse pulling contests at the Washington County Fair, and the Rices are members of the Washington County Horse and Mule Association, among other organizations.
Jim and Charlie, the gentle giants, are from Camden, Mich., where they were born and worked an Amish farm. The Rice family has owned Jim for 2 1/2 years. Brother Charlie rejoined his full brother eight months ago.
“It started out as a hobby and now it’s a vice,” Milton Rice said. “Instead of going to Disney World, we went and bought horses.”
Together, the team weighs 4,500 pounds and they started out moving a sled loaded with more than their weight – two-and-a-half tons. The competition calls for the addition of 1,000-pound increments until the team can’t budge the load 27 1/2 feet.
Lightweight teams weigh 3,325 pounds and under. Horses weighing in at more than that are part of the heavyweight division.
Twenty-two pairs of lightweights and 14 pairs of heavyweights have entered the farm show competition.
The horses don’t just waltz onto a trailer and into the farm show arena. George Rice works them at the Rice farm so they build both muscle and stamina.
Will Nichols, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture spokesman, likened types of pulling competitions to the difference between power lifters and those whose strength is designed for endurance.
“There are two types of harness horses – those that give it a good heave and then the wagon will be rolling and you’re fine, and the pulling horses, who are pulling plows and pulling logs out of forests. They keep dealing with it and they just can’t let up.
“It’s just one of the initial differences you start to realize between the two. If you’re going to be good, you have to specialize.”
Pulling competitions aren’t the only events for the big equines, bred during the medieval period to carry knights and kings wearing heavy armor. In the halter show for draft horses, judges will be evaluating the animal’s shape and structure, known as “conformation,” in various draft horse breeds, choosing the best stallion, mare, gelding and overall supreme champion.
For those unfamiliar with draft horse events, Nichols asked those who enjoy watching dog shows to think of it in terms of those who compete to be best of breed to canines who vie in agility contests or diving to retrieve.
“Usually it’s a different set of horses (in the halter show) from those who compete in the pulling world, where you want to see who can pull the sled the furthest,” Nichols said.
At the 100th farm show, the butter sculpture was unveiled Thursday. Pennsylvania dairymen say they will introduce a new milkshake flavor today and the judging of various competitions will take place. The supreme champion draft horse is scheduled to make its debut.
Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday featuring the state police mounted drill team in the large arena. At the same time on the main floor, the blue-ribbon apple pie contest will take place on the Good Foods stage, followed by the Pennsylvania Preferred cookie, brownie and bar cookie contest, wine competition, chocolate cake contest and best “blended burger.”
Nichols said in 1917, the “Pennsylvania Corn, Fruit, Vegetable, Dairy Products and Wool Show” was held in a building owned by Emerson Brantingham farm implement manufacturer, an entity that became part of Case. Four other locations listed in a 1919 program included Chestnut Street Hall, Board of Trade Building, the Senate Caucus Room – where the Pennsylvania Poultry Association met – and Cameron Hall.
R.L. Munce of Canonsburg in 1918 was listed as treasurer of the Pennsylvania Breeders’ and Dairymen’s Association. In 1920, James M. Paxton of Houston was elected as a representative of the Washington County Agricultural Society. No representative for Greene County was listed, but W.F. Holtzer of Greensburg was the delegate from Westmoreland County. Paxton was a member of the standing committee on livestock. “In 1925 there were 15 locations across Harrisburg that you had to go to find events,” Nichols said.
Consolidation was in order.
The 60-acre Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center dates back to 1931. Twenty-four acres are under roof and its 11 buildings house three arenas.