May 2, 2010

A tractor is considered an essential piece of equipment for most farms today, but that was not always the case. Before tractors, heavy horses were responsible for pulling equipment to disc, plant, and harvest the fields. Even today, some farms continue to use draft horses for farm work preferring the gentle hay eating giants to the gas guzzling machines.

Still, there are not many opportunities to see draft horses working fields for the average person. Champoeg State Heritage Area hosts a plow horse competition and exhibition during the parks Founders Day Celebration. Along with watching the heavy horses, visitors can see 19th century reenactments, and visit the visitors center and museum.

I have seen the Plow Horse exhibition three times before, twice at its former home at PCC’s Rock Creek Campus and once at Champoeg. I always enjoyed myself and came home with many beautiful photos. Sunday, I took Alex down to Champoeg to see the horses. The Founders Day Celebration and Plow Horse competition had been the day before, but the horses were still scheduled to be working the fields.

The park charges $5 per car. Otherwise the event is free. There were no vendors on Sunday, so in retrospect, bringing a picnic would have been a good idea. Luckily I had packed Alex his lunch, so we sat down at a picnic bench, and he enjoyed eating his baby food while I watched the horses. The plowing takes place on the other side of a fence and it is important to keep children (and adults) on the opposite side of the fence from the horses. Even with the fence, it is still possible to get pretty close to the horses, and the horses’ handlers are very friendly and happy to answer questions when the horses are taking a break.

There was a sweet 18 year old mare that was tied to a tree whose owner asked if we would like to pet her. Alex and I pet the mare who stood quietly for us. Alex likes being outside and seeing the horses, though since I have a horse of my own, it is not a new experience for him.

Kids love horses. Petting and watching the horses is truly a magical experience for children who do not have normally have the opportunity to do so, which is why petting zoos and pony rides are such popular entertainment for birthday parties at Inflatable Kingdom and other locations.

The park is beautiful and along with a lot of history, it offers camping, picnic tables, disc golf, hiking, and biking trails. We were lucky enough to have come on a sunny day, so we enjoyed walking around and being outside.

After we had spent enough time watching the horses and enjoying the park, we headed home. We had a good time at the park, and I hope we are able to go again next year.

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