Skills tested in horse plowing contest By KENDACE BORRY SCHAEFFERSTOWN Light horses, mules, ponies, and oxen were featured at the Horse Plowing Contest held September 10, at the Alexander Schaeffer Farm near Schaefferstown, Lebanon County, Pa. Five plowing contests, a log pulling contest, demon strations of log jumping, and a twelve head hitch of horses and mules performed throughout the day. Also featured was a horse working a treadmill and a horse shoeing demon stration. Classes included in the event were: two and three horse walking plow; two way walking plow; one horse walking plow; horse drawn gang plow; and pony plowing. Judges for the event were Paul Flinchbaugh, Jonestown, chairman; John In the single line 3-pony plowing contest, Richard Troutman, plows with ponies owned by Allan Mays. These ponies, the owner claimed, are used for plowing on the home farm and had plowed 15 acres in the past weeks. In the log pulling, speed and accuracy counted. Here a contestant is seen unhitching one log and hitching the next. This operation had to be repeated four times, with the best time and most accurately placed logs determining the winner. Donald Neidigh, Lebanon, parades his pair of Texas Longhorn oxen over the grounds, demonstrating what the three year old animals can do. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 17,1977 High, Myerstown; Ray Sattazahn, Wolmesdorf, and John R. Dubble, Lebanon. Announcer for the day was John Fadley, Somerset, Pa. The judges stated that this was the sixth year for the contest and, as far as they knew, the only one of its kind in the East. They thought the teams entered this year were good, as compared to other years, and although the ground conditions were fair, the soil was a little dry. Top winners of the day were Everett Wagner, of Lancaster Co., and Jacob Mays, Lebanon Co., who both won two classes throughout the competition of plowing classes. Other winners of the day included: Paul Waltermyer, Lebanon Co., one first; Richard Troutman, Lebanon Co., one first.; Worth Me- (Continued on Page 123) 121
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