Making the Earth Move

Matthew Stepanic
November 27, 2014

Teamster Joyce Merchant from Sicamous, B.C., a.k.a. "The Plowing Queen of the Kootenays" on the lines of her team of Belgians. (Her team is named Kick and Bite. When asked which one is which she replied, "I don't know; you'll have to find out.") The outfit, along with two teamster helpers, demonstrated the Western Wheeled Scraper at Calgary Stampede's Draft Horse Town. The scraper was instrumental in building many of the roads and railroad lines still in use today. Photo by Marlene Pollock. — Teamster Joyce Merchant from Sicamous, B.C., a.k.a. “The Plowing Queen of the Kootenays” on the lines of her team of Belgians. (Her team is named Kick and Bite. When asked which one is which she replied, “I don’t know; you’ll have to find out.”) The outfit, along with two teamster helpers, demonstrated the Western Wheeled Scraper at Calgary Stampede’s Draft Horse Town. The scraper was instrumental in building many of the roads and railroad lines still in use today. Photo by Marlene Pollock.

Draft Horse Town, the Stampede’s extremely popular “working display” site, is dedicated to the working draft horse doing what they do best: work. The large area features field-savvy draft horses, equipment and teamsters as they enthral the crowds with their horses’ ability to calmly operate some pretty noisy implements — ranging from road building equipment to a host of farm machinery.

Draft Horse Town attracts qualified teamsters and their horses from across Canada for the 10-day show.