"We decided not to postpone it, because you never know if you're going to get snow," said Amy Beem, who owns the family farm with her husband, Gary.

Sunday's competition was altered slightly because of the weather. It included obstacle courses and events that tested the skills of both the horses and the drivers. The rally began six years ago when T.R.O.T. members decided it would be nice to have a rally closer to home instead of always traveling to southern Maine for events.

"This is a good-sized crowd," Beem said of the 40 or so spectators. "It's kind of a hard thing to just stand and watch because you don't know what's going on." The event ran from 10 a.m. until about 2 p.m. when the horses were put away and the ribbons and door prizes were awarded.

The lack of snow didn't seem to affect the competitors, some of whom were dressed in period clothing. One event that was canceled because of the change from sleighs to carts was the Currier and Ives class in which drivers are judged based on period costume. It gets its name from the famed 19th century Currier and Ives illustrations of rural life.

"It's an addiction, and I'm addicted," Judy Palmer of Thorndike said as she held Odie's reins. A 13-year-old horse whose mother was a Morgan and a Standardbred, Odie has a hard time going slow and standing still during the competition. As Odie walked the cart past the judges, Palmer whispered to tell him what a good job he was doing.

"He's a forward horse," Palmer said. "He likes to move and this is real tough for him going slow like this." Palmer, who grew up around horses, said she didn't start riding until her early 20s, and then she was hooked. "I just really love it. I have been riding, this is my second year driving," Palmer said. "One of the grandest things is when you're out there in an open field and you're sliding around."

Odie finished trotting and came to a stop for one last look from the judge. With a flick of the reins and a nudge from his driver, Odie moved to the side of the field to rest until it was time to make a figure eight for the judges.

"Good boy," Palmer said. "What a good boy."
"This content originally appeared as a copyrighted article in the Monday, January 30, 2006 edition of the Bangor Daily NEWS and is used here with permission."