Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 2 66 This is where Kenn tells me what really happened. Ever the showman, he begins with a "Picture this if you will…." Kenn had been there lon- ger than any other man out there, and, smitten, he knew what he had to do to win Su- san over. He went to a friend of his and asked to borrow a horse for the summer. Kenn showed up at the sta- tion with a patrol horse for Susan, and a pair of boots. Susan says "he gained favor for that." They eventually both went their separate ways, but 16 years later, they met again and have been working with draft horses ever since. It's at this point that Kenn lets me know the rest of the day's plan: ski- joring will be first—get ready. As I walk outside and begin to get my ski boots on, I hear him telling Susan that they will use Feike the Friesian so that I am not pulled too fast. This concerns me a bit. As he begins to pull me I keep letting him know this is my first time and to take it slow. He does, at first. He pulls me around the field and picks up speed and I do my best to stay upright as we fly by Susan, smiling and snapping photos. I try to look like a natural while simultaneously realiz- ing how hard skijoring is. Next was a ride in the wagons, which allowed me to see the process of hitching them up. I take a wide berth around Max, who weighs in at around 2,500 pounds. Susan and Kenn, however, walk right behind him and under him to get his bridle and harness on. Max doesn't move a muscle, every bit the gentle giant. I ask Kenn about this, and he says that horses will generally fall into a couple of categories—the hot bloods like Arabians and the cold bloods like the draft horse. The cold bloods, naturally, are used for doing most of the work. They are unlikely to bolt, gentle and loyal. In fact, cold only applies in that they are serene and calm animals, not because they are unaffectionate. I found myself starting to let my guard down after we'd hitched the horses up to the wagons and set off down the road. I ask them what their plans are for their draft horses since it seems that here in Montana the use of the draft horse is fad- ing. Draft horses are still used on some ranches where they harvest hay up by Lincoln, Montana, the Amish use them dai-

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