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Idaho State International Draft Horse Show
Bonner County Fairgrounds - Sandpoint, Idaho
September 23-26, 2010


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Thirty three years ago the first Draft Horse and Mule show was held on the Bonner County fairgrounds in Sandpoint, Idaho, a small picturesque town on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille in the ruggedly beautiful Idaho Panhandle.
Back in the old days, loggers used their teams of draft horses to fell massive trees and haul them, often in winter, to timber markets. Now days, you are more likely to see them in a beer commercial. Some still use these gentle giants for farming.

The program is varied ? don?t miss the crowd-pleasing pulling competitions where burly horses pull more cinder blocks on a sled than you can believe. Or see the women, dressed to the nines in old-timey equestrienne gear right down to hats and gloves, drive the lightweight carts. You can also enjoy the driving classes, farm classes, junior and senior drives and end up the show with the magnificent eight-up horse class.
Feel the earth shake as the teams and wagons rumble by the bleachers. Visit the barns and get up close and personal with these gentle giants. If you ask the owners respectfully, they just may let you pet the velvety noses of some of these horses and mules.
Whether it is nostalgia for a bygone era, the joy of watching these magnificent animals competing in the various classes, or, just something that came into being at the right time and the right place, whatever the happy circumstance, it has made this show a delight to its fans, and as special as Autumn itself. Learn more about the Draft Horse and Mule Show at www.idahodrafthorseshow.com