Some horse pulling contests use the full distance of 27 1/2 feet for a qualified pull to go onto the next load.

We get asked this question a lot. “Why do you use 27 1/2 feet”?

Well, it derived from the studies of horsepower in the early 1900’s at the Iowa State University.  When doing their studies on the dynamometer, they also studied the power of the horse.

And through many tests resulting in feeding management, the fitting of the horse, timing, and weights, they found out, scientifically of course, that when a horse pulls the distance of 27 1/2 feet, he loses his maximum power.

And that is why some use this distance as it was used in the studies early on.

It is an association decision on how far to pull a given load for a full pull.  Many of them use a rounded distance like 20 feet or whatever they come up with.

But some still use the 27 1/2 foot distance at their pulls today!