Howard Smith of McDonough, New York has been pulling horses for 50 years.  He competes with his pair of heavyweight horses in NY, PA, OH, MI, CT, MA, and New Hampshire.  Howard has now retired from a career in the insurance industry.  He lists the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, NY as his favorite pull to compete in during the season.  Howard considers his proudest accomplishment in pulling as finishing first in Afton, NY one year and the next day winning the Lions Club pull in his former hometown of Oxford.  If you see Howard at a pull you'll more then likely see his wife Annabelle also who enjoys keeping score and video taping the pulls.  She's also a valuable contributor to our website.  Howard served as president and a director  of the NYSHPA in its early years. He competes for the sport and not the riches and enjoys attending the pulls and meeting new people.

Howard competing at the July 4th pull in Whitney Point, NY in 2003.