Billy Pritchard

Mules and Horses

Mr. Pritchard first learned about working with mules as a child. He helped his uncle, a skilled farmhand, on his tobacco farm near Hartsville, South Carolina. Later, he learned from an elderly neighbor in McBee. His maternal grandfather was a blacksmith and farrier in Hartsville, SC. He feels a sense of continuity and tradition in his work and owns his grandfather's anvil. He uses antique and custom-built plows, yokes, carts, and wagons and taught his sons how to train and ride horses. He is very concerned with the preservation of his tradition and encourages young people to learn it as well.