Rural Heritage August/September 2025

by Joe Mischka H aving been absent from the Kansas City Royal complex for over 25 years, the sights and sounds of draft horses (and mules) returned as the facility enjoyed its last year in operation before being moved to another part of the city. Neal DeVasher is one of the organizers who helped coordinate the farm team part of the show. “There's basically two shows going on at the same time, with classes playing leapfrog,” he said. “We have a full show of hitch horses up to the six. And we are having, during the hitch shows, we are in the classic series for carts, a qualifying show for that.” “So we have a timed obstacle course, a timed log skid with heavy penalties for mistakes, so it’s not just a wild rodeo. It’s a very controlled environment,” he explained. “We have a judged obstacle course that is precision driving. And the obstacles are, you take the mail out of a mailbox and put it back, straddle a pole, keep your team in line as you would do when you”re cultivating. Then we have them parallel park, cross a wooden bridge and then we simulated water with a blue tarp.” The entries would then circle a barrel as closely to the object as possible and back into a dock and fan right and left as if delivering freight in traffic in the city. Royal KC Draft Horse Show “And then my favorite is the farm teams, and that's what I am in charge of,” Neal added.

Doyle Prawl of Hamilton, Kans. competed in the log skidding contest at the KC Royal Show.

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