OXFORD – The local Farmers Draft Horse, Mule and Pony Club spent a cool spring morning at the Oxford Fair Harness Racetrack, using old-time manure spreading equipment to fertilize the center ring.

With the coolness of the morning and the warmth of the manure, steam rose from the ground immediately behind the horse-drawn spreaders. The antique spreaders were pulled by draft horses measuring over seven feet tall.

Luther Gray, past club president, said, “These draft horses like to be out and working. They help clear land, haul trees and pull heavy loads.”

“Not all their work is in the woods, though,” Gray said. He said that from Thanksgiving through Christmas, he brings his horses and wagon to the Old Port in Portland and offers shoppers scenic rides.

The club uses the old spreaders every year to keep them in good working order. Although the club enjoys spreading the manure the old-fashioned way, they choose to fill the spreaders the quickest way possible, with a tractor.

For more information on what’s going on at the fairgrounds, visit www.oxfordcountyfair.com.


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