WALTON -Tom Newman, of Walton and Hancock, had a big heart - and big horses - and his contributions to the horse world will be recognized at the 2023 Delaware County Fair with the inaugural Tom Newman Memorial Horse Pull Friday, Aug. 18 at 6 p.m.
Newman was well-known in the draft horse world for his Belgian draft horses and for his horsemanship.
Newman’s untimely death in December 2022 was a shock to his family, friends, the Walton and Hancock communities and to the horse community.
His twin daughters, Olivia and Elizabeth, and youngest daughter Emily Newman, are carrying the mantle of their father’s passion with the memorial horse pull, paying tribute to Newman’s legacy and his enduring influence in the show ring.
Newman was more than a competitor; he was a cornerstone of the local and state horse pulling community. He served as a director for the New York State Horse Pulling Association and is credited with reviving horse pulling competition at the Delaware County Fair after the event’s multi-year absence.
Competition for Newman was not always about winning, Olivia said of her father’s views. Trying hard, by a horse or a person, meant something to Newman, she said. Newman had a soft spot for his huge, muscled horses, Olivia said. He has a special bond with one of his favorite pulling horses - Roy.
“Roy always pulled his heart out and that meant a lot to my dad,” Olivia said.
Roy weighed about 2,000 pounds and measured 17 hands high - approximately 70 inches or 5 feet 8 inches tall at the withers. Roy often pulled as part of a team - partnered with Jack. The team competed in the heavyweight division - where a team weighs over 3,425 pounds.
Jack was “way bigger” than Roy, Olivia said, but always took Roy’s lead. Jack pulled single at the Delaware County Fair’s Old Time Draft Show and won many grand championships there. Roy and Jack predeceased Newman, Olivia said, and both are buried near Newman’s barn.
“He loved big horses so much,” Olivia said. “They were his passion. He made it look easy.”
He took pride in his horses and their abilities, Olivia said. Newman grew up with horses and never favored “showy” type horses, Olivia said. He used “work” horses, specifically Belgians - to log in the woods. Newman owned his own logging company and though he moved on to modern, heavy equipment, he never moved on from his love of horses.
Though Newman did not compete in the 2022 Delaware County Fair, a friend of his competed with Newman’s horse - Jerry, another Belgian.
“He thought they were the most honest and true horses,” Olivia said of Newman’s preference for Belgians.
Belgians are ideal for plowing, Olivia said.
“They are built for it. They’re strong.”
Horses, and competing with them, Olivia said, gave Newman a sense of purpose and he loved to share that with others. He would invite people to the barn to ride on the sled, she said, and in draft horse shows let his buddies show his horses in a class. When he wasn’t competing with his horses, he was volunteering to provide hay rides for the local chamber of commerce - another way to share his love of horses.
The Newman twins were never far from their father, in or out of the show ring. He gave them a love of horses, big horses and not-so-big horses.
In 2006, Newman formalized the relationship with his daughters as part of his pulling team; and from that point forward entered pulling competitions under team name “The Newman Girls.” For as long as she can remember, Olivia said, she and Elizabeth “hooked” the horses for their father during competition - attaching an evener to a sled. Their younger sister, Emily, road the cart in the Old Time Draft Show, making showing a true shared family experience.
A draft horse team will pull 10,000 pounds dead weight or compete using moving weight on a truck, having to pull 27 1/2 feet, Olivia explained of competition.
One of her favorite memories of competing alongside her father, Olivia said, was in 2013 in Honesdale, Pa., when Newman won a “Teamster” award, she recalled; an award for a competitor who best handles a horse.
“He taught us everything about riding and about draft horses, Olivia said.
“I showed a draft horse before I showed a saddle horse,” Olivia said.
They have competed in log skid, obstacle and halter classes under their father’s tutelage.
“He was always very patient.”
One thing Newman will be remembered for is how he treated his horses.
“He never pushed a horse. He always said ‘They are not machines.’”
He always quit on a good note, she said.
The twins are caring for Newman’s Belgian - George, a lightweight. “He was my dad’s favorite - after Roy,” Olivia said.
George paired with another Belgian, Andy, in 2019 and placed fourth in the New York State Horse Pulling Competition, following year-long competition. George is now retired from pulling. The girls, instead, ride him.
The Newman Memorial Pull will have heavy - and lightweight classes and the New York State Horse Puller’s Association is sponsoring a cash prize. The Newman Girls will present trophies to winners in each division and will also give a Teamster Award for each division. They are hoping, they said, for eight to 10 entries in each class the day of the event.
The Newman Girls sold memorial pull shirts with proceeds to be donated to the Delaware County Office for the Aging, an additional way to honor the memory of their father.
“Dad was always good about helping people out and donating to different things. We wanted to honor him in that way, too,” Olivia said.
The Newman Memorial Pull is Friday, Aug. 18 with lightweight classes starting at 6 p.m., heavyweights to follow, with a half hour break between divisions. Lightweights must weigh in between 1 - 5 p.m. The weighmaster is Brian Resseguise. The judge is Terry Riese. There is no entry fee for competition.
