FARMINGTON – Brenda Estes watched her husband, Wayne, walk behind their two draft ponies Tuesday at the fairgrounds. Mike and Ben, weighing in at 2,500 pounds collectively, were warming up to take first place in the scooting contest.

The Sumner couple take their ponies, which look like horses to a novice eye, to shows and competitions each year.

“We just do it for fun,” Brenda said, standing in the rain on the wet grass in her green boots, white rain slicker and a green cap.

Mike is an 8-year-old registered Haflinger and Ben is a 13-year-old Belgian cross.

Wayne works the horses and Brenda primps them.

“You can do anything with them,” Brenda said. “They’re cool, calm and collected.”

The matched, chestnut pair looked regal in their black and silver harnesses as they walked with a jangle and responded to Wayne’s soft-spoken commands.

“Wayne has to usually say very, very little to get them to respond to him,” Brenda said. “He’s just good with the reins.”

After more warm up, the Estes and ponies, along with other teams of draft horses headed toward the pulling ring.

It was time.

Wayne walked into the ring to hear the rules of the scooting competition and to draw for team lineup.

Brenda held the reins of the ponies and watched from outside the ring, when Mike wasn’t putting his head in her face.

Save for a little restlessness, the animals stood quietly at her side.

Inside, cement blocks formed a tight, obstacle course. And a scoot holding four logs, one longer than the others, waited to be hooked up to the horses. The ensemble weighed an estimated 1,200 pounds-plus.

The object would be for a handler to guide the animals through the course without touching the blocks. It all had to happen within 5 minutes from the time the scoot was hitched to the horses. Judges could deduct points from the 100-point score for horses that didn’t act appropriately.

Wayne would go last in the seven-team meet.

The couple watched as the other teams did their paces.

Some handlers sat on the scoot, others stood or did a one-legged kneel as they controlled the horses from atop the logs.

“I like it as well as anything,” Wayne said. “It’s good competition.”

The scoot deals more with the handling of the horses, he said.

The secret to having a good working team is to have a team that is “handy, really handy,” Wayne said. As he watched, Wayne figured out his strategy. He’d probably ride on the logs most of the way and then get off and walk.

“Anytime in competition, you really cannot say you’re not nervous but I’m trying not to be,” Wayne said.

First prize is $100, Wayne said, and this event pays back seven places.

It is possible, Wayne said, that if one goes to enough meets and places near the top often, one could earn enough to pay for the horses hay and grain for winter.

It was Ben and Mike’s turn.

Wayne followed his strategy, his horses listened; 2 minutes, 15 seconds later, the team won first prize with a score of 90 points.

dperry@sunjournal.com