By Thomas Lynch, F238025
December 2014
The California Heartland chapter stays busy with 10 rallies each year. But members experienced a different kind of rally when 17 coaches traveled to Grass Valley, California, for the 28th annual Draft Horse Classic & Harvest Fair, held September 18-21, 2014, at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. We arrived Wednesday afternoon and snuggled up to a power pole and water service in our designated area, which was just dirt and tall pine trees.
The four-day competition began the next day. We had tickets for each morning and evening event, through Sunday. Featured breeds included American Cream, Belgian, Clydesdale, Percheron, Shire, and Suffolk. The judge, Jerry Wismer, has owned and bred Clydesdales for more than 35 years.
We watched horses and their male and female drivers compete in more than two dozen categories, some of which called for performing intricate maneuvers, working with farm equipment, or pulling carriages. As each team entered the arena, they were evaluated on how the horse responded to the driver and how well teams of horses worked together. Horses also were judged on backing, trotting, walking, and log skidding, which involves pulling logs through a designated course.
Children age 12 and under, accompanied by a mentor, competed in a Pee Wee event, and youths from ages 13 to 17 performed in the Juniors category.
During lulls in the competition, entertainment included chuck wagon races featuring mules, and performances by trained horses. The festivities also included stable tours, Western art and entertainment, and plenty of food and drink.
We all agreed that it was quite an enjoyable rally. So, too, was our chapter rally April 10-12, 2014, at Pismo Sands RV Park in Oceano, California. Eighteen coaches attended. Activities included trivia and card bingo games; a visit to the Morro Bay State Park Museum of Natural History; and, for the ladies, a sun visor decorating project.
One highlight came Friday when half of us carpooled 11 miles south to Oso Flaco Lake Natural Area and the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex. While on the boardwalk that crosses Oso Flaco Lake, we were invited to look closely for 14 species of animals. Then we entered the coastal dunes scrub area. Guadalupe-Nipomo, at 22,000 acres, is one of the largest coastal dune systems on earth. Our knowledgeable guide told us that the movie The Ten Commandments was filmed on the dunes in 1923. The three-mile round-trip walking tour was well worth the effort.