Horse pulling got its start when one teamster would challenge another to a test of strength between their teams. They hooked their horses to a heavy stoneboat, a log, or anything else that might be handy. The object was and still is, to see whose team can pull the biggest load. As often as not the competition was unorganized, took place in a barnyard, and had few spectators, but was no doubt fun to watch. Such matches were the beginnings of modern horse pulling.

Horse pulling today is still all about who has the strongest horse, but now instead of a match between neighbors after chores, teamsters travel thousands of miles to compete. Thirty-one of our 50 states have horse pulls. Some pullers enter dozen of pulls each year, and spectators travel countless miles to fill the stands. In many rural counties the horse pull is the cornerstone of the county fair, and big attraction at the state fair.

The pullers and fans often belong to organizations that have as their goal to preserve and promote this important rural sport. Most such organizations are statewide, but others are organized by what kind of object is pulled. Michigan, for instance, has the Michigan Dynamometer Association and the Michigan Horsepulling Boat Association.

The internet is a good place to find information on horse pulling. Several sites are loaded with information and each of them can keep you busy for hours looking at all it has to offer. All pulling sites provide results of recent contests, pictures of pulls, and the same friendly tone you find at any pulling contest.

At horsepullresults.com you can find everything from a detailed schedule to a description of your favorite puller. The pulling results are clear to read, even for the novice. This site lists each weight class separately, the load and distance each team pulled, the place they finished, often the horses names, and the type of pull (dynamometer, sled, log, etc.).

If you like to watch horse pulling videos, this site has a section offering for sale videos of many different pulls. A puller can always benefit by watching a video to see what he did right and wrong. Fans benefit by reliving a great pull or seeing one they missed.

If you're like me, you can't see enough pictures from horse pulls, whether depicting horses digging for all the power they can muster, or teamsters sharing the tradition. This site offers nearly 100 photos of pulling action, and 25 photos looking back at pulls from days gone by.

My favorite part is the pullers profile section showing pictures and profiling pullers all around the country. This feature lets you get to know each puller's background, occupation, favorite pull, and biggest accomplishments. Jay Kessler lists his biggest accomplishment in horse pulling as being able to stay married for 22 years while pulling horses.

The Eastern Draft Horse Association has an informative site where you can find a history of horse pulling and a list of pulling rules. You can also find histories of the dynamometer, draft horses in America, and the international pull between Canada and the United States. This website offers an easy-to-read list of results for horse pulls, and lists 11 pulling associations and the rules for pulling in each association.

A fun section of this site is Meet the Puller, where you can learn about dozens of pullers and find out about their harness preferences, home life, favorite television show, favorite kind of pull, favorite horse they've owned, and what got them started pulling horses. Click on the photo section and you will find photos in 11 categories, both modern and dating back to the 1940s.

Another site is horsepull.com, where you can get information about a variety of pulling associations and find record loads in different categories. You just might be surprised to learn that you know a puller who holds a record. This site lets you brush up on your pulling knowledge with pages on Horse Pulling 101, pulling with a boat versus a dynamometer, the rules of pulling, and little known facts about the sport.

Still hungry for horse pulling information? The Front Porch is a good place to strike up a horse pulling discussion. And don't forget to check out pulling articles in Rural Heritage by authors like Cecil E. Darnell, Sam Moore, Sandy Lepley, myself, and others.

No matter how much information you find about horse pulling, seeing a pull first hand is always fun and a learning experience for the whole family. A new season is about to start, so consult the Rural Heritage Calendar of Events or the schedule on one of the pulling websites to find pulls near you, then go see pullers and their equine athletes first hand. Better yet, get involved and becoming a horse puller yourself.

Brandt Ainsworth takes part in many horse pulls in the western New York area. He is a frequent contributor to Rural Heritage. This article appeared in The Evener 2004 edition.