Draft horses strut at MSU show

Beth Burger has grown up with horses and always loved them.

Her son, Ryan, started training the family's huge Percherons when he was only about eight years old.

Burger and her son, of Willard, Ohio, were among many competitors at the MSU Pavilion who brought their families and trailers filled with horses for the annual Great Lakes International Draft Horse Show and Pull.

The show, which began Thursday and runs through Sunday, draws more than 35,000 people and is expected to contribute $1.3 million to the Lansing area economy, organizers say. Visitors come from 30 states and Canada and there are more than 330 exhibitors with horse-related information and products. It's the second-largest trade show in Michigan.

Horses compete in halter classes, where judges inspect their confirmation and gait; as well as hitching, where they draw wagons. There also are pulling, riding and plowing events.

Draft horses, bred for plowing and pulling massive loads, can weigh a ton or more and measure more than 6 feet tall at the shoulder. Besides size and strength, they've been bred over generations for patience and a calm demeanor.

"That's why they're called gentle giants," said Rod Kohler, manager and trainer at Oak Haven Belgians in Fremont, Ohio. "For the most part, they are docile and easy to work with."

Oak Haven brought nine horses to MSU. On Saturday morning, Dixie, Flip and others munched hay in temporary stalls labeled with their names.

In nearby prep areas, some horses stood while owners shampooed the feathery white hair above their hooves. Others clopped along to the show ring, wearing shoes as big as dinner plates,

Rick and Donna Farrow came from Ontario to show their Clydesdales, the horses made popular by the Budweiser beer ads. They started showing horses after a move to a rural area.

"We bought a farm in the country and decided we needed some horses," Rick Farrow said. He said they enjoy showing the animals and working with them.

"They're very therapeutic," he said. "They're gentle, they're beautiful."

If you go

•  The Michigan Great Lakes International Draft Horse Show and Pull continues Sunday at the MSU Pavilion, corner of Mt. Hope Road and Farm Lane south of campus.
• Admission is $12 for adults, $7 for students, $10 for seniors and free for ages 7 and under; kids get in free Sunday if accompanied by an adult buying a ticket
• Learn more at http://www.mgli.org