Older readers may remember the Tuxedo Six-Horse Hitch that appeared at the West Virginia State Fair in the 1950s. The Early and Daniel Co. that produced the Tuxedo brand of animal feed would, along with its local feed dealers, sponsor a six-horse exhibition team at state and county fairs. The team was usually made up of matching Percheron, Belgian or Clydesdale draft horses and often driven by North Doudna, an Ohio farmer and master horseman.
The Six-Horse Hitch is still a show class and continues to be an attraction at larger state fairs. “Tuxedo” was associated with the class because the driver would sometimes wear a tuxedo, and the team’s elegance would include shiny patent-leather harnesses and matching black horses. The Early and Daniel Co. folded in 1986, and Doudna passed away in 1965.
Sources: The West Virginia News, Dayton Daily News, News Leader.
Photo courtesy of the Greenbrier Independent.
