Did you know -- a whippletree is a device that distributes a force. When you hear the word you almost
immediately think of draft horses, harness and ploughs, however, they are also a part of most peoples
lives. Next time you wash your car windshield, have a look at your wiper blade and you’ll see a prime
example of a whippletree in effect. The wiper uses whippletrees to distribute the force of the wiper arm
evenly across the blade
July the 6th the members travelled to Weyburn to show their “stuff” at the Weyburn Agricultural Society
Fair. It was the Society’s 102nd. I know none of the club members were at the first few. It was a very
hot day and the horses were hot also. The pull went very well. At the end of the day the standings
were: Heavy weight – Ron Sebastian; Middle weight - Norman Vertefeuille; Light weight Wayne Nagy.
Congratulations to the drivers, evener people and horses.
The dust had barely settled when the trailers rolled into Ogema on July 9th. It was there Annual Fair and
Museum Day. Eight teams provided the entertainment for the afternoon. The placing at the end of the
day was: Heavy weight – Norman Vertefeuille; Middle weight – Kiley Topliss; Light weight – Brad Dunn.
Seven Saskatchewan teams pulled at the Calgary Stampede the weekend of July 15th. They were
Norman Vertefeuille – Heavy weight; Middle weight; Rick Byrne – Heavy weight (two teams); Wayne
Nagy – Light weight; David Lockert – Light weight and Kim Hewalo – Light weight. The placing was: Kim
Hewalo – 4th Light weight; Norman Vertefeuille – 5th Middle weight; Norman Vertefeuille – 6th Heavy
weight. Kon and Ned, along with Norman Vertefeuille and Earl Kashmere won “Class of the Class”.
The teams that went to Calgary put on a fine representation of the Qu’Appelle Valley Horse Pull Club
and the Calgary Stampede Horse Pull Competition. After the morning chores were done, including
breakfast for man and horse, the teamsters, evener people and horses began their PR work. People
visiting the stampede drifted through the barns looking at the horses. Many questions were asked and
many pats were given. It may seem a bit of a nuisance at the time, however, a senior may go home that
night with images of his younger years going through his head, the aches and pains of the day forgotten,
all because he got to tell a teamster about his teams and what they used to do; years from now a
teenager may recall the kind gentle eyes of the horse that nuzzled him the day his mom took him to see
the gentle giants when he was young. Yes, PR work may appear not to be worth much, however, the
value of it is priceless. I know the teamsters that went Calgary and I know they’d answer each question
with pride and patience, while the horses soaked up the attention. Job well done.
July was a busy month for club members. Six team members and 11 teams attended the Northwest
Roundup and Exhibition in Swan River. Wayne Nagy placed 1st in the Light weight; Kiley Topliss – 1st in
the Middle weight and Norman Vertefeuille – 1st in the Heavy weight. Norman Vertefeuille place 1st in
the “pounds over” (total team weight plus pounds pulled over two days). Rosthern was the next stop
for two team members. Bob Piesinger placed 1st in the Heavy weight; Rick Byrne 1st in the Light weight.
Rick won “pounds over” for the competition.
Findlater Ranch Rodeo hosted the competition for August. Seven members and 10 teams put on a great
show for the people in the stands. At the end, the placing was: Wayne Nagy 1st in the Light weight;
Norman Vertefeuille 1st in the Middle weight and Norman Vertefeuille 1st in the Heavy weight. The
QVHPC would like to thank all the sponsors that made the pull possible.
Due to health reasons, the Pioneer Day planned for September 3rd at Jack Grad’s has been cancelled. It
will take place in 2012 so mark your calendars .
The teams, teamsters and evener people have a well deserved time off. November they are in Yorkton
for a two day competition, then Edmonton and last for the year Agribition. Good luck to all in the
forthcoming competitions.
To book the club for your next event or if you would like information about the club, please contact
Norman Vertefeuille @ 306-731-3108 or e-mail QVHPC@yahoo.ca.
“Preserving Our Draft Horse Heritage
While Going Forward
One Load at a Time”
Wilma Olmsted
Photos by Prairie Wind Photography