The sight of three Christmas wreaths hung on the horse stable of Ronnie Sitko’s barn is not only festive, it’s symbolic.
The wreaths are a token of her love for Kidd, Jett and Dakota, three massive Clydesdales that occupy a big space in her heart and are treated like family on her North Whidbey farm.
Yet, Sitko was reminded Thursday that the evergreen arrangements aren’t always for show. Some find them tasty.
“How did you guys get out?” she said to Gentry and Diego, two goats who escaped their pen and have been known to digest decor.
Life is rarely boring on Ronnie and John Sitko’s 25-acre farm.
It’s the type of setting she and her husband both grew up on and one they chose to raise their three sons on the outskirts of Oak Harbor.
Once her boys were grown, Ronnie Sitko wanted to return to her equestrian roots, but she went big, opting to care for three gentle giants that each weigh about as much as a Mitsubishi Mirage.
Sitko considers it a mission of hers to educate people about draft horses and remind them about the important role they played in history in agriculture, earth-moving and other large-scale excavation with their pulling power before modern machinery.
She continued a holiday tradition last week, showcasing one of her Clydesdales to the North Whidbey public by bringing him to the playground at Oak Harbor Christian School and giving children quite a sendoff before their holiday break.
“He brought tons of joy,” said Sherry Fakkema, principal at Oak Harbor Christian School.
Sitko has trained Dakota for these occasions and has brought him to holiday events on North Whidbey for the past six years.
“People are drawn to his size,” Sitko said. “People aren’t used to seeing a draft horse. When he’s out in public, he draws a crowd. The good thing about this is people ask questions.”
This fuels Sitko’s passion. She brings an easel that displays a large poster board that contains facts about Dakota — he’s a 15-year-old gelding and weighs about 1,900 pounds — and explains how he and other draft horses are used today.
Sitko rides Dakota on a draft horse drill team, including through obstacle courses. He also is part of an eight-horse hitch that has performed in numerous fairs in Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties.
Although Budweiser has put Clydesdales in the spotlight, there is more to learn and appreciate from these intelligent animals, Sitko said.
Where draft horses were once known for their immense horse power, today it is about showmanship.
“The wagons you see nowadays are just for show,” Sitko said. “There’s no weight. No product. One of the reasons I do what I do is help make people stop and think about history about 100 years ago. The number of draft horses has dwindled drastically because the tractor came along.”
Sitko said her mother, born in 1918 and raised on a farm in Oregon, grew up with two draft horses that worked the land and took their product to market. Those stories from her mom stayed with her.
“My mom talked about how horses were treated better than people,” Sitko said. “They understood that those horses were their lives.”
They’ve become a large part of Sitko’s life, along with the herd of Longhorn cattle, goats and chickens that make up her farm.
But it’s Dakota, Kidd and Jett that keep her most occupied, leading them from the barn out to pasture each day and allowing them to eat, but not get too carried away.
She keeps a close eye on Dakota, whose appetite is endless.
“He’s on a diet 365 days a year,” Sitko said of Dakota. “He just looks at grass and gains 100 pounds.”
Dakota’s patience with children, intelligence and temperament made him the perfect candidate to share with the public.
Sitko even trained him how to smile. But mostly it’s Dakota putting a smile on the face of others.
Sitko remembers a time when a woman in her 60s asked if she could get a photograph of Dakota at the Lynden Fair three years ago. Sitko surprised the woman by walking Dakota from his stall outdoors and she started to cry in joy.
Dakota will lower his head so children can pet him. One time, he placed his head near the lap of a disabled woman bound to a wheelchair and didn’t react strongly when she accidently struck him on his mouth in attempt to stroke him.
“Normally, a horse might throw his head in the air,” Sitko said. “He did not.
“They were in awe that Dakota seemed to understand.”
It’s why Sitko likes to take Dakota out during the holidays to brighten people’s lives.
And his.
She’s pretty certain it does something for Dakota, too, and not just a chance to flash that goofy smile.
“He’s a great ambassador for his breed,” she said.
And his appearances have a purpose to teach people that draft horses remain valuable in various ways.
“I don’t want my great-great-great grandkids going to the zoo to see a Clydesdale,” Sitko said.
