SALT LAKE CITY – There’s beauty in the sheer force of power draft horses possess.
These equine marvels put the true meaning of horsepower to work, toting tons of freight at a time. Their expertise will be on display during the horse pull, set for 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, in the Days of ’47 Arena at the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City. Admission is free with an $8 admission to the Utah State Fair.
“You’ll pretty much see only Belgians at the state fair,” said Justin Palmer, a draft-horse trainer and driver from South Jordan, Utah. “That’s because they’ve got the breeding down through generations and generations.”
There are two classifications that will be on display. Two horses weighing 3,500 pounds or less combined will be in the lightweight class. Two-horse teams weighing over that limit are in the heavyweight division. Palmer and his family will be involved with both, and they love working with the powerful beasts.
“It’s a family affair,” he said. “My grandpa actually did it, then my dad did it. I think my great-grandpa did it, too. I was working three teams of horses for my dad at, like, 12 years old. I’ve got pictures of my little brother; he was not knee-high driving horses. We’ve done it literally our whole lives.”
They’ll be part of an expected couple dozen teams involved in the state fair horse pull. The teams not only show off the pure power of their equine partners but also demonstrate just how much the animals love to be part of the competition.
“What a lot of people don’t realize is these horses are so jacked up to do this job,” Palmer said. “They want to do this. I work with these horses every day. They’re trained to do this. They love to do this.”
It’s something fans will enjoy seeing. Feats of strength have been part of the landscape for centuries, and there’s no better display of brawn than watching these phenomenal athletes work at the Utah State Fair.
“Until you’re standing there next to the heavyweight team we have, Leroy or Turbo, you don’t realize just how massive they are,” Palmer said. “The lightweights are going to hook on to anywhere from 9,500 pounds to 10,000 pounds, and the heavyweights are going to hook on somewhere from 10,000 to 11,000 pounds.
“It’s going to be impressive.”