Chuck and Charlie, two big handsome Belgians, stand together in their black harnesses decorated with silvery metal studs as McKay moves between them threading thin leather lines through the proper rings.

After the horses are hitched to a large green wagon, he climbs up to join Joe Gast of Midpines, a novice driver. Sitting beside the student on the buckboard, McKay briefly explains the basic controls indicating right, left and the "brakes." After only a few minutes, the new driver is not only guiding the 2-ton team around the arena, he is stopping, backing the team up and turning the rig as if he had done this all before.

"He doesn't say any extra words," Gast says, "but he does tell you just exactly what you need to know about handling the reins and how the harness works." The massive well-trained animals are willing to comply, responding to familiar signals from a stranger.