Fort Steele’s iconic Clydesdales were well received at this past weekend’s Idaho Draft Horse Show, snatching up ribbons left and right.
Tyler Setzer, livestock manager for Fort Steele Heritage Town, said the farm’s best placing was the 4-up driving team landing second over all. They also thrilled the crowd with their Michigan Big Wheel earning first place for farming equipment.
“The horses did absolutely stunning,” he said.
The horses travelled to Sandpoint, Idaho for the third time after a busy summer of preparations and other engagements such as the Calgary Stampede Parade and Draft Horse Town.
“It’s a pretty good sized show,” he said.
Making the journey along with the Clydesdales were a number of volunteers and Fort Steele staffers who did jobs such as grooming. Setzer said the show couldn’t have happened without their dedication.
“We sure appreciate them helping out,” he said, extending a thank you to all who helped make the Idaho show happen.
Some of the horses out of the eight brought to Idaho were at their first ever show. Setzer said it took months of preparation. One horse named Mike began training in January to be ready for the September event. Training includes using the horses for farm work around Fort Steele and the top horses are selected for competition.
“It takes weeks of hard work to get ready for a show,” Setzer said. “They’re working pretty good now.”
The horses are also fed special supplements year-round to keep them in top form.
A collection of youth travelled to Idaho to drive teams this year. Setzer was also joined by Glenda Larson and Dave Cummings in the ladies’ and seniors’ classes.
In total Fort Steele competed in 12 classes with eight horses including the six-horse hitch.
This is the second show of the year the Clydesdales have attended, after travelling to Armstrong, B.C., earlier this summer. They also participated in the Calgary Stampede doing logging demos and in various local parades.
Setzer said the shows and other appearances help promote Fort Steele wherever they travel.
“It’s really picking up,” he said. “I believe it’s going to bring people to the park.”
He hopes they can expand the number of appearances made by the horses to further spread the word about Fort Steele and all it has to offer.