Dr. David Bailey, Alberta’s foremost beef cattle geneticist, realized a lifelong dream in September. Calgary’s Percheron breeder contested the honours at Canada’s 2011 International Ploughing Match. The two-week event, held at Kirby Farms, Chute a Blondeau, ON, brought 75,000 spectators centre-field. The trade fairs held at Canada’s International Ploughing Matches rival the Spruce Meadows trade fairs in Alberta.

Bailey’s participation was special, for this was Canada’s 100th International Ploughing Match. The first Albertan known to have ever entered the event, Bailey was coached by Cecil Wells of Paris, ON, who is considered one of Canada’s master ploughmen. Wells helped Bailey locate his walking plough and a schooled team of Percheron mares. These were horses and equipment essential for ploughing at this level. For two years Bailey trained for this event, flying to Ontario on repeat occasions, where he and his Percheron mares were coached by Wells.

Fred McDiarmid of Veteran, AB, was Bailey’s assistant at the 2011 International Ploughing Match. In competitions at the international level, a ploughmen centre-field can call for his assistant, to hold his team, when he needs to adjust his plough or remove a rock, that suddenly surfaces in a furrow.

Thirty-five entries at Canada’s 2011 International Ploughing Match ploughed with horses. These entries contested one of two sections — walking ploughs and riding ploughs. Bailey was surprised, when he found many of the ploughmen were horsemen, far younger than he expected. While Dr. Bailey failed to win his section, his participation was a first for an Albertan. However, the physical effort required of a competitive ploughman took its toll. Dr. Bailey could hardly walk the following week!