These huge horses have a lot of pull
From our weekly issue dated April 9, 2008
Belgian horses Red and Rex in Selma with owner Dan Jordan. (Photo by John Woodward)
Selma resident Dan Jordan loves “heavy competition.”
He aims to prove that he and his team of heavy draft horses can pull loads four times their weight at the Draft Horse-Pull on Saturday, April 12 in Grants Pass. That is approximately 10,000 pounds, more than most pickup trucks can pull.
That is why he calls his team two of the biggest draft horses on the West Coast.
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The contest will begin with pulling 3,000-pound loads. Draft horses of different breeds compete. Those who pass the first round progress to ever-heavier loads. Judges include a former sheriff’s officer and regional horsemen.
Bob Reed and Dan Jordan train team at Lake Selmac. (Photo by John Woodward))
The event, hosted by the Josephine County Equestrian Coalition, will be held at the Josephine County Fairgrounds. Shows will kick off at 1 p.m. with a high school equestrian drill team show and a Bluegrass concert. The draft horse pull will begin at 4 p.m. and run around three hours.
Jordan keeps his Belgians in shape by working them year-round. They practice, pulling a 750-pound wooden sled carrying two men for 3 miles to improve stamina. After a warm-up, the horses once a week haul 10,000-pound loads to build muscle strength.
His two red horses, Rex and Red, are huge. Their feet are bigger than salad plates, and they tower over their human owner. Jordan said that Rex weighs 2,600 pounds and Red 2,450 pounds. One is 9-years old and the other 10.
Jordan remarked that they are in their prime and compete for years. By age 17, they will retire to simply plowing and pulling hay wagons.
Last summer, he and his team won the heavyweight horse-pull at the Calgary Stampede in Canada, a major equestrian event for North America. Other coming events include a draft horse pull at historic Henley Farms near Medford on June 7, and a horse pull demonstration at Crescent City on April 26.
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At the Del Norte Fairgrounds in Crescent City, Rex and Red will show the crowd they can pull two 50-foot logs across the arena. They may also compete at a horse pull at the Del Norte County Fair.
Draft horse teams from Oregon, Canada, Washington and Kentucky compete for prize money and trophies in annual competitions held in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, California and at the Calgary Stampede. Jordan has won many of these events, bringing home trophies and prize money for more than 20 years.
He explained the system of harnesses, bridles and bits he uses on his tall Belgians. The complex of leather straps, hardware and heavy bits he uses help control the direction, pace and stopping of the team when hauling a heavy wagon. Being able to stop quickly is important when driving the huge horses.
“I need good brakes,” he commented.
Fortunately, both horses are good-natured and like each other, so going in the same direction at the same gait is no problem.
“They are also unusually quick for their size,” said Jordan. He thinks they are a winning combination.
This will be Rex and Red’s second year to compete at the Josephine County Fairgrounds horse-pull. The horses are required to pull heavy loads while staying within a lined path. Line judges will keep an eagle eye on the teams and disqualify those who step over a line.
When not competing, Jordan operates an excavation business in Selma. He also does horse-logging, horse-plowing, and offers hay rides. His hayride and horse-pull partner, Bob Reed, also owns a pair of Belgian horses being trained for competition.
Kahuna and Rocky are blond Belgians, used to pull a hay wagon for church groups, weddings and birthday parties. Reed keeps his steeds at his farm near Lake Selmac Resort, where they practice with Jordan and team.
Jordan also is helping another draft horse owner to prepare a pair of Suffolk draft horses for the Josephine County competition. The Suffolk horses are smaller than the Belgians, but Jordan thinks that they can learn to compete well. Reed and Jordan enjoy working with horses, for fun and in horse-pulls.
Jordan, originally from North Carolina, has been working with draft horses for 25 years. During a recent practice session, Jordan commented, “I’m doing what I love to do, working with these draft horses.”
