Voice of the Mid-Columbia | Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, Wash. |
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closePOMEROY -- The scene could be from a Currier & Ives winter wonderland print -- a pair of gentle giants effortlessly leading a sleigh across a field of newly fallen snow, their massive feet kicking up tuffs of white powder.
The Percherons owned by Dona Flynn and Jay Franks of Pomeroy make a soft breathing sound, accompanied by the tinkling of jingle bells attached to the harness and collars.
"It's very quiet, just the squishing of the snow and the bells," Franks said.
He and Flynn share a common interest in taking sleigh rides when the weather is right and time allows. It's more of a hobby than a business.
Hardly a Christmas goes by in Pomeroy that someone doesn't suggest an evening of Christmas caroling from seats in a bobsled pulled by a pair of Franks and Flynn's big horses. But when temperatures slip to zero, the chill can take the thrill out of holiday song, he noted.
Having full-time jobs and not being as enthusiastic about being in the cold has curtailed their sleighing and sledding days, Franks said.
Weather aside, Franks and Flynn usually try to participate in a sleigh-fest of sorts at the George Hatley Ranch in Deary, Idaho, each January. That's where Hatley leads sleighs and bobsleds on a daylong outing.
"We usually have six to eight sleighs or sleds," Franks said.
Despite their size, Percherons have a reputation of being good-tempered.
With Luke and Duke in the lead, the bobsled carrying four adults can glide over the snow, creating a soft, memorable journey. Each horse weighs about 2,000 pounds and stands some 17.3 hands high. That is close to 6 feet at the withers, which is where the neck muscles join the spine, Franks says.
Pulling a sled or sleigh is nothing to them, he said.
Sleigh rides used to be a common mode for winter travel in horse and buggy days, but they are now reserved for special occasions like Christmas, Thanksgiving and personal events such as weddings.
Flynn had been looking for years to acquire a one-horse sleigh until she found one 15 years ago at an auction in Redmond, Ore.
It had been battered and abused, and needed major repair to the curved front, but it was exactly what Flynn desired.
"I was pretty tickled when I got it," she said.
Unsure about how to fix the damage, Flynn searched for several years for an expert. Eventually she found one in an Amish community in Iowa.
The craftsmen there did a complete restoration, including upholstery and refurbishing and mounting the runners.
The "new" antique sleigh now occupies a place of honor inside Flynn's home each Christmas, where it is used to hold gifts and grandchildren.
Flynn said she has yet to take the sleigh out for a trial run.
"It's just too pretty to do that," she said.
The sleigh can accommodate three people comfortably in its one seat, and has an original foot warmer box that has lighted coal to offer heat on those frigid night rides "over the river and through the woods."
"And I have the sleigh bells. When a horse gets to trotting, it gets into the rhythm of the bells," Flynn said.
The sleigh also is rare because it has springs, which provides extra comfort during the ride.
Sleighs and bobsleds differ in that bobsleds typically have four runners with the pair in front set up to turn, so it is easier for horses to maneuver a fully loaded sled around turns.
A sleigh has only two runners, which are fixed in place. They glide well, but a sudden bump or loss of contact due to slope or other soft spot on the trail can put the sleigh and occupants "upsot," to borrow a word from Jingle Bells.
Franks said he and Flynn also pull wagons and buggies during good weather, and have used their horses to pull a hearse in Walla Walla from time to time.
While sleighs and sleds used to be a primary mode of travel 100 years ago, people have to search far to find a sleigh ride today.
The nearest commercial operator in Central and Eastern Washington may be found in Leavenworth, where there are four commercial operators offering horse-drawn sleigh and sled rides.
Aaron Shirley, who grew up in the Wenatchee Valley, runs the reins for sleigh and sled rides offered by Icicle Outfitters and Guides, which is one of the four operators.
Shirley has seven rigs to choose from, including a cutter sleigh and a bobsled that can handle two dozen people on a 30-minute ride out and back in Icicle Valley.
"It's the nip of the air, the tranquil beauty, getting close to wildlife, the horses and the jingle bells ringing," that impress people, Shirley said.
Horse lovers appreciate the size of Belgians and Percherons as well as the spirit of Morgans that are part of the stock used to pull sleighs. Shirley said the horses enjoy being out working and being around people.
"They are social and very photogenic," he said.
Dressing appropriately for a sleigh ride means heavy coat and shoes or boots, gloves and hats. Shirley provides blankets to sit on and to insulate riders from the chill.
At the end of the ride, there is a big warming tent with a toasty fire, and hot drinks and cookies.
"It's great for the kids," he said.
Shirley said a couple of their sleighs and sleds are antiques.
Some of the running gear dates from when logging was done in the valley in the late 1800s, and one sled is known to originally have been a feed box sled used in Idaho, he said.
"It's been a great lifestyle. I've been doing it for 20 years," Shirley said.
"Of all the things we do, we enjoy the sleigh rides the most because people have fun," he said.
* John Trumbo: 509-582-1529; jtrumbo@tricityherald.com
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