Author Thomas Nye on RFD TV

RFD TV will take you inside the barn with Thomas Nye and His Amish Horses.

Joe Mischka of Rural Heritage (Magazine and TV Series) interviews author Thomas Nye about his experience of buying a team of horses from an Amish friend. And how that adventure led him to write The Amish Horses Series.

They begin their conversation at the kitchen table and move outdoors to harness and hitch his team of Percheron draft horses.

Set your DVR and/or mark the date on your calendar.

A 30-minute program on Saturday, Nov. 9th will air nationwide at 2:30 Central Time as Rural Heritage presents Amish Horses in Print.

Rural Heritage airs each Tuesday at 3:30 pm and the show repeats Saturday at 2:30 pm Central Time on channel 239 on Mediacom Cable, Channel 345 on Direct TV, Channel 231 on DISH Network.

This show is a repeat that originally aired in October of 2018

Click here for show schedule: Rural Heritage on RFD TV

Click here to find RFD TV in your area

Click here to see the Thomas Nye author page on Amazon: Author Thomas Nye



The program is also available on Youtube. Click on the link to watch.Amish Horses in Print on Youtube.

Author Thomas Nye with Rural Heritage TV

Famous Without Knowing It

 If you follow my blog, read my books, or if you "Like" the Amish Horses Facebook page, then you know about Karma and Karla, my team of Percheron mares. I purchased these horses from an Amish friend of mine. Thus, the Amish Horses title. These mares were raised and trained on an Amish farm. They are full-sisters born one year apart. Karma and Karla have never been any further than a ten-mile radius from where they were born. Yet, they are known the world over! Not because they have fancy blood-lines or perfect conformation. Their claim to fame stems from having huge hearts.

 Obviously, you can't see their hearts or personality in a photograph. (Well, maybe you can?)
The way people have come to know these horses are through my books. Karma, Karla and their niece Coke inspired a book series titled The Amish Horses Series.
This set of books share the adventures of sixteen-year-old Lenny Gingerich as he leaves his city life behind and spends time with his Amish relatives.
Lenny's Amish grandpa teaches valuable lessons about life and horses. Lenny learns even more about life and himself from a team of Percheron horses named Tug and Train. My books have been read in several countries. The Amish Horses blog has been viewed by thousands of people all over the world. Without Karma, Karla and Coke, I wouldn't have a story to tell. Their pretty faces are why people click "Like" on my photographs. They have been the subject matter in hundreds of pictures, including several book covers. They were recently filmed to appear on a TV show. (Stay tuned and I'll share more info on that later.)

When it's all said and done, Karma and Karla are just an ordinary team of farm horses. However, that is what makes them so special. They are just real! 

(They probably have seen a camera more than most Amish horses.)

Karma and Karla take us back to the good-old-days of family-farm history and have enriched people's lives all over the world.

And they don't even know it. (Or, maybe they do?)

Tiny Amish Clothes

Amish children are born into a culture within a culture.

Think about it. If I told you about a person, who grew up in a time where his family farmed with horses and used a buggy for transportation. This individual grew up without electricity, an automobile, television, radio, air-conditioner, or even a fan, what time in American history would you think of?

These children don't even learn to speak English until they are five.

We have a particular image in our mind, of modern American children. Yet, these are children born in America in the postmodern era. That very word means: subsequent to or coming later than that which is modern.


These children live in a time when being modern is not new, yet, they are still growing up in a very old-fashion way.

I try to guess how Amish parents explain to their children what is going on around them.

Why do so many people drive by with cars? Why do they dress that way and have tattoos?

Amish children look so cute in their tiny Amish clothes. They also seem so innocent and protected from the sex, drugs, and violence other children hear about in songs and see on TV and the internet.

I personally know many Amish children. When I visit neighbors, their children gather around and listen as the adults have a conversation. I'm always careful about topics because I know how hard my friends work to keep their children protected from outside influence. They are incredibly selective about what their children read. Many do not even want their children to know about animal reproduction, which is a difficult thing to avoid when I stop to talk about horses and colts.

Many Amish adults have read my books. (Which happen to fit in the category of G rated.) Yet, my Amish friends have been upfront about letting me know they don't want children under the age of 18 reading them. They don't like younger people to read anything with romance in them. In the Amish Horses Series there are only a few mentions of a kiss... just a few too many for their liking. There are also discussions about the bloodlines of individual horses. In my Amish community that is outside of the boundaries of "Good reading material" for children or even young teens. Other Amish communities would be less strict, but not much less.

If you visit an Amish farm, please try to be careful about topics. The Amish have something amazing going with their children. If you know any Amish children you know what I'm talking about. Polite, respectful, and hardworking children are hard to find in the postmodern era. Let's do our part to keep this going.

Amish Characters

Sony: Character in Whispering to Horses.

 I've met a few Amish characters in my life. Here are a few drawings of characters in my novels.

When I write Amish fiction, I create characters that remind me of real people that I've had the pleasure of knowing. As my story progresses, I add personality traits borrowed from other acquaintances. Suddenly, a character begins to emerge with a personality completely unique and separate from anybody I've ever known.

Many authors experience this strange sensation, of having created characters seem to take on a life of their own.
I guess it makes sense? We spend so much time trying to make characters seem real that we end up believing it ourselves.
Afterall, if we don't, why would our readers?

Eli and his horses.

 As far as names are concerned, I try to use common Amish/ Mennonite names. In fact, the names I use are so typical that anyone with an Amish/Mennonite background will, quite likely,  have friends with the same names.

Please be assured, my novels are from my imagination and none of these characters, or names, are people you know. Yet, they all have characteristics of someone you might know.

One evening I received a phone call from an older Mennonite fellow. He had read Under the Heavens and wanted me to tell him who the real-life people were. I struggled to convince him that they didn't exist in our community, or anywhere else.

Lenny and Leah, Amish Horses Series.

Lenny and Noey talk horses.

Yes, there are some interesting Amish characters out there in the real world. Mostly, they have shown themselves to have incredible integrity.

Sometimes, Amish folks word things in such a way that sound odd to English people. This might make people chuckle. Keep in mind, what you say may seem odd to them.

A sweet moment: (I'm not telling what story this is from.) I drew this while looking at a photograph of a real-life Amish couple, the moment he proposed. They are friends of mine.

Fanny Ella and her beloved pony.

One common aspect of my writing, I always have characters in a variety of ages. Amish families are usually quite large. Communities are tight-knit and old folks interact with young children. Teens hold babies and care for toddlers. Everyone seems valued. This drawing below doesn't appear in Amish Park, however, this scene does. I drew this after visiting an Amish church service and witnessing a little girl seated near the minister and listening intently to him preach.

Jonas speaks, and a little Amish girl listens intently. Amish Park.

Amish Autumn

       During the next number of days, even birds seemed to be restless; change was happening everywhere. Small birds crowded into branches overhead, fluttering, chirping, and then took flight, bursting out through leaves in small groups. After the little flocks circled around, they came clamoring back into the same boughs they had just left. A full blown argument ensued in tree limbs above Lenny’s head. Part of the troubles seemed to be that whole flocks had moved in from more northern lands, crowding out those that had lived on Noey’s farm all summer. Lenny’s horses noticed the bird troubles too, shaking their manes at all the commotion.
 Around the same time birds began to be disturbed, soybean fields began to show yellow patches. Those lighter colored areas spread out further and further until everything turned a brilliant gold. Every breath of air drew crisp. Canada Geese flew back and forth across the sky in partially formed V’s, not always south, but in every direction. It was clear that it wasn’t time for them to leave, yet change was coming.
       Lenny sat behind a team of horses, with an unsettled feeling in his heart, watching the whole thing unfold before him. He told his horses, “Living the Amish lifestyle in autumn is a new experience for me, and winter sounds like a nightmare. Grandpa already told me how brisk weather affects horses, making you all flighty and frisky. Maybe Amish young men look forward to their horses being more lively and willing to move quickly without being coaxed, but for a guy like me it’s downright scary.”
       Lenny wondered out loud, “Why couldn’t summer last forever?”  Misty nodded her head up and down, possibly in an effort to stretch out driving lines that held her bit too tight. Lenny chose to see her head shaking as an agreement with his comment. “I was dreading fall. Now that I told Noey I would help with harvest and give him an answer before winter, I hope autumn lasts forever.” He clucked and his horses stepped off quickly. Lenny and his team finished feeding cattle. He tossed off hay as the horses circled through the herd.

You have been reading an excerpt from English River, Amish Horses Series book III

English River is an Autumn story. Let Lenny and his horses take you away... out into Amish farm fields during the harvest season.

A Different Kind of Tale

The Amish Horses Series: A Different Kind of Tale

Under the Heavens is a coming of age story about a teenage city boy who spends time with his Amish relatives. Sort of a, Tom Sawyer meets Anne of Greene Gables. Only, instead of taking place in the old days, the setting is in this century on an Amish farm.

Drawings like this are at the heading of every chapter

 Take an adventure with Lenny Gingerich. He visits his grandpa's Amish farm for a summer and discovers a fascinating, old-fashion world exists just around the corner from our modern cities. One day he is playing video games and watching TV in a basement, the next day he is watching huge draft horses pull a tractor out of the mud. Farm dogs, horses, cows, hogs and even roosters have personalities that make a farm full of life and excitement. Add a dose of romance, as Lenny meets a sweet neighbor girl, and we have the ingredients needed to stir up an interesting platter. The table is set. Come on into the Amish farm house and pull up a seat.

Lenny will take you along as he visits Amish Church, Singing, volleyball games, and everyday happenings of life on an Amish farm.

The Amish Horses Series is a different kind of tale.

Climb up onto the buggy seat beside Lenny as he takes the ride of his life!

Amish Girl / Horse Whisperer

Horse whisperer, is a title we give to people who have an amazing ability to communicate with horses. My friend, Annie, has this gift.

 Amish children grow up around horses and seem to understand how to work with them from an early age. Some just deal with it because that is part of the life they were born into... others thrive in the Amish world because they have a special bond with horses. Obviously, Annie is one of those.

I can still remember how excited Annie was, two years ago when this little filly was born, and she named her Angel. Yes, that's right, this horse is only a two year old! Angel has turned out to fit her name perfectly.

Annie tells me that Angel is just really smart. I have another theory, which I share throughout the Amish Horses Book Series: Horses thrive when they feel loved and understood by their handler.

In the photo below, Annie takes her first cart ride with Angel.

Angel is not only smart but she is growing up to be quite a beautiful horse.

I especially like this photo below. It was taken last summer when Angel was only a yearling. Annie wanted her young horse to be part of the fun, but Angel was too young to be ridden. They let her run along with the other horses while going over some jumps.

No wonder this horse is thriving!!!

Annie read my first book, Under the Heavens, and really enjoyed it. I used a photo of her going over a jump, with her older horse Copper, for a drawing that appears in my second book, Catbird Singing. The picture is at the beginning of a chapter named Dog and Pony; all about a young girl much like Annie. A horse whisperer.

There is a drawing of Annie and her boyfriend in Amish Horses Book III, English River.  I'm not gonna share that photo, yet. Book III will be out this summer and you can look for the picture yourself.

By the way, some of you will say, "I thought Amish don't want to be in photos." That is true with many Amish. Some Amish do have cameras and take their own pictures. I asked for permission to use these photos. My rule for myself is to not take any photo of an Amish person without asking permission, unless it does not show their face, or is from a distance. Most Amish don't mind photos taken of children who have not yet, "Joined Church."

Hidden Treasure

What benefits could you reap by reading an Amish novel? You might be surprised. The Amish Horses Series reveals treasures, hidden on an Amish farm. 

Our modern lifestyle has most of us reeling as we juggle our obligations in a life crowded out by the noise of social media. We feel pressure to continually check in with our email, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts.

Take a few minutes and step into a slow-paced, tranquil world. You'll feel yourself relax as you drink in the sights and sounds of of a farm-orientated culture.

Slip into the pages of the Amish Horses Series and you will learn something about how life ought to be cherished. Take instructions from an Amish grandpa as he teaches his grandson time proven wisdom on handling horses. 

While you enjoy the read, you'll learn something about farming with horses. Tag along with Lenny as he finds out what it's like to live in an Amish community, visiting church, Singings, Amish weddings and other youth gatherings.

Sit on the seat beside Lenny as he learns how to observe nature while driving horse-drawn equipment along the edge of a woods. Sunsets speak to his heart, drawing him into an understanding of himself, and of God.

Our Amish neighbors chose to abstain from all the modern conveniences we thought would make life better. The joke was on us. It turns out that life's most precious gifts are those sweet moments of natural beauty, close companionship, fresh farm air, and time. Time that can be enjoyed because of the choice to live a slower-paced lifestyle.

The Amish Horses Series takes you into the world of Lenny's Amish relatives. Step inside the barn with him and let his Amish family refresh you with their patient and kind ways. Discover the "Hidden Treasure" of a life well lived.




To order a paperback or eBook, click on this Amazon link: Amish Horses Series
Or, for an author signed paperback,
send a check or money order to: Amish Horses  P.O. Box 495  Kalona, Iowa  52247

Under the Heavens:      $18
Catbird Singing:           $18
Whispering to Horses:  $8

 This offer includes shipping and handling within the U.S.A

Attention Horse People

 If you wake up thinking about horses. focus all day on a horse issue you need to fix. (i.e. getting hay, wormer, equipment, or thinking of your training methods.) And fall asleep dreaming about horses. Then, you have a whole lot in common with me!

I love to read about horses and people who work with them. That is why I wrote several adventure novels about horses.

 Under the Heavens is about a teenage city guy who goes to spend a summer on his Amish relatives farm. Lenny is planning to stay away from horses. Little does he know, that is impossible on an Amish farm. From sunup to sundown his summer is filled with horse adventures

Grandpa is a horse whisperer and determined to teach his grandson horse-sense.

Catbird Singing is about Lenny's second trip to this Amish Horses wonderland. On this visit he finds out that if he wants to date girls, he will have to hitch up and drive high strung buggy horses on the highway.

The girls are a little too cute to resist and he has to find a way to get along with some ornery horses.

 Horses are a way of life on an Amish farm.

These books are based on my 35 years of living in an Amish community. When I bought draft horses from local Amish farmers, they didn't just sell me horses. My Amish friends seem to enjoy watching a city boy struggle to do what is second nature to them.

They don't just laugh though. They make every effort to help me succeed. That is the basis of my books.

If you love horses, you have to own one of these books.

Under the Heavens:if you love to read about life on the good-old-fashioned farm. Plowing, making hay, and then going to a young folk's gathering in a buggy.

Catbird Singing: if it sounds fun to read about a young man's funny adventures courting Amish girls while hanging onto a set of driving lines.

Either book can be read first even though they are part of the Amish Horses Series. If you love the first one, go ahead and get the other.  Book III is on the way!

P.S. Whispering to Horses is a short story about a man who hates his Amish neighbors... until he actually gets to know them. Horses are the heart of this story as well.

Click on one of the links and read a few reviews!