The Pick Axe Hitch (3 Percherons /2 Mules) Starts the Show at the 2025 Draft Horse Classic!

Friday, September 19, 2025
I’m at the 2025 Draft Horse Classic to take video of Annette’s horses for “Big Horse Works” and her barn is in the same spot we were last year so we can see our friends on the other side of the barn through the stall partitions where Wine County Wedding Carriage (Julie and David’s) three giant Percherons, Lucky, Duke, and Jack are stalled. Next to them are Nolan Darnell‘s two Percheron mules, Kit and Kate.

I always enjoy doing video of them: Nolan, David, Julie, Randie, Soloman, and Alyssa but I wanted this to be a little different than previous years. So this time I stood in the wagon behind Nolan to show the hitching and driving process from his vantage point up in the driver’s seat. Usually Dave accompanies him in the wagon, but this time it was Doug McGibbin, who would also do the driving. Previous years at the Classic I always saw Doug driving his magnificent Carlaw Clydes from Canada.

So as Dave’s Percherons and Nolan‘s Percheron mules are hitched, the lines were tossed up to Doug and it was interesting to watch and listen during this process since Nolan, Doug, and Dave are experienced teamsters. I wanted to see how the lines were held because the Pick Axe configuration is driving a three breast in front and a pair hitch to the wagon.

I shot video in the wagon until they were ready to go then traded places with Julie and she videoed as Doug drove the team to the warm-up area while I walked beside the wagon to get some additional shots.

Doug parked the wagon outside the entrance to the big arena where I got additional video as well and during their grand entrance and performance in the big arena for the National anthems of the USA and Canada to start the show.