Mushka

Meet Mushka.

If you have been following the Amish Horses Blog, you know I lost my horse named Karma a few months ago. Karma's full-sister Karla grazed our pasture alone most of the summer. I visited quite a few Amish farms in my area looking for a new horse, but it wasn't meant to be. My Amish neighbors let me know that good horses are in short supply at this time.

I don't know much about this beautiful white horse. The man who brought her from Wisconsin to the Kalona Sale Barn gave some vague information about her. First of all, when I asked about her name, he just said, "I call her Girl or Babe, whatever is easiest." Apparently, she has had a number of homes and her name got lost along the way.

He mentioned that she spent some of her fifteen years on an Amish farm, and had been used as a "Produce Horse." He asked, "Do you know what that means?" He then explained that Amish girls had used her to pull a walking plow in their large garden. He also thought that on some occasions one sister would ride the horse holding a bag while another handed produce up.

You can see ears pinned back. Horses communicate with body language. Karla is making sure this new horse knows that she owns the barn. They are warming up to each other slowly. 

Whenever a horse comes through a sale barn without much history it makes the buyer wonder why. Maybe someone reading this blog will recognize her and contact me with more information. In the meantime, I chose to buy her because she seemed absolutely gentle and friendly. 

We decided to give her the name Mushka. (Pronounced with a moo) We have a family friend from Bosnia with that name and we always thought it sounded beautiful. Our friend spells her name Musca but I felt people would likely mispronounce it. My little granddaughter approves of Mushka. She has enjoyed petting her many times already.

 Mushka photographs well. I was looking for a black horse to match Karla, but when I met this white beauty I couldn't resist bringing her home. I personally feel they look attractive together.

At one time, I calculated how many horses I've owned in my lifetime, I need to do it again. I think Mushka is number 35.

Applesauce Bonanza

Applesauce apples ripen around the 4th of July every year.

Many people think of harvesting apples in the fall. This is true of most varieties of apples, but not Lodi or Yellow Transparent. These sour types create the best texture and flavor for home-made applesauce. My wife grew up helping her grandmother and mother can and freeze orchard and garden produce.

 After I picked apples for three evenings, my wife washed and cut out cores, removing as little as possible in order to increase the output. I helped by ladling cooked apples into a colander. 

We poured the strained, cooked apples into our "victorian strainer" and filled our cake pans with raw applesauce. My main job is cranking the strainer and ladling the sauce into freezer boxes. Once it cools, add sugar to taste. No recipe-- just apples and sugar. We leave it rather sour and add cinnamon-sugar when we put it on our plate, or at the time of serving.

We put up 77 quarts into our freezer. I know-- this sounds like a ton! However, appletrees have "on and off years." Some growing seasons produce oodles of apples, but you never know what next year will be like. We had a late frost this year and it might have destroyed our crop. It turned out to be an apple bonanza! I prayed for these trees when I planted them in 2002 as a birthday gift for my wife. Prayers answered: they grew and produce well. The message in her card said, "There will be two beautiful bouquets of apple blossoms every spring that say: I love Shari." (and her applesauce) 

Our children grew up eating my wife's AMAZING applesauce and now my grandchildren are enjoying the same. In the photo below, you can see our Yellow Transparent appletrees just to the right of my balding head. My granddaughter is riding on Karma, our Amish raised horse.

Our whole family LOVES Shari's home-made applesauce with her home-made pizza!

There is an applesauce apple picking story in Under the Heavens

To find out more about all of my books Click Here

Amish Horses Tour (Part 2)

Climb back up on the horse-draw wagon, and we'll take another jaunt through the Amish countryside. This first picture is of a Percheron mare. Her foal is hiding behind her. You will get to see the baby in a picture further down in this series of pics. Don't you just love the white fences, barns, and buildings on Amish farms? If you read any of my books, you know that I often refer to that "Look" as I describe the setting.

Tranquillity: That is a single word that sums up the vistas in Amish country.

Indiana Amish farmers seem to be partial to Belgian draft horses. They are what you see pictured above and below. Belgian horses vary in color from what they call, "Blond" to a dark sorrel that I would call, "Brick red."

You will also see buggy horses in among the draft breeds. Workhorses are rarely used to pull a buggy, they are for the heavy lifting such as pulling a plow. In the picture above, you can see the two styles side-by-side. Draft horses are often taller, have more muscle, and can look almost fat. The tall, thin, dark horses used to pull buggies (or "Carriages" as they are known by Amish folks in Pennslyvania.) Most buggy horses are of the Standardbred breed. Although, you will find Morgans, Dutch Cross, and Friesians, or some mixture of two or more of those listed.

It is quite evident that these horses are well fed and cared for.

Most Amish farms are well maintained and picturesque, although that may not always be the case. Before you jump to conclusions and judge a family when you see an unpainted barn or a skinny horse, take a moment to consider that we live in a real-world and things happen. Have you ever had a headlight or muffler go out on a car you were driving? Sometimes horses get ill, lose a shoe, hurt a leg, or anyone of countless misfortunate things that can happen. If a person loves their horse, they will try to nurse it back to health. Anyone that has spent time on a farm knows that sick or injured animals are inevitable. I've noticed that people are way too quick to judge before they take the time to understand the whole story. This happens more on the internet than anywhere! Please don't be, "That person."

If you enjoy these photos, you need to visit an Amish community. Ask around and find one near you. There are Amish communities in almost every state. I've visited the big three: Lancaster County, Pennslyvania, Holmes County, Ohio, and these pictures were taken in LaGrange and Elkhart Counties in Northern Indiana. I've also driven by Amish farms in Ontario Canada and many of the United States; including Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Kentucky, Colorado, New York State, and of course my home state Iowa. I need to travel more! There is so much more to see.

Above: Here is the picture I promised of the Percheron mare and her foal.

At the end of the day, I don't mind coming home because of these girls in the photo above. My own place has a little of the Amish flare thanks to my own Amish Horses, Karma and Karla.

If you want to look at Amish Horses Tour part 1, all you need to do is scroll to the top of the page and click on "Home." After doing that, you can scroll back down and beyond these pictures to find my last blog.

Amish Horses Tour (1)

 Jump up here on the buggy seat beside me, and I'll take you on an Amish Horses Tour of Northern Indiana. There is nothing quite like looking over the fences on a quiet country road.

 I took these pictures in LaGrange and Elkhart Counties about a month ago. I have so many great photos that I decided to split them into two blog posts. This is your first installment of the tour.

 Touring through Amish communities is one of my favorite things to do in life. Looking at the beautiful horses is the highlight for me. I try to snap a few pictures in hopes that my blog followers can get a taste of what I'm experiencing.

 Some moments are breathtaking and surreal. 

 Other moments are just too sweet for words!

 As you can see, I enjoy driving at sunup and sundown, my two favorite times of the day.

 I like to say, "If you are driving through an Amish community, any direction you go is the right one."

 All of these pictures are of horses in pastures except this bottom one. This little guy found himself on the outside of the fence, and I think he was trying to figure out how to get back to Mama.

Click Follow on my Blog, and you'll get an update whenever I post something new. To "follow" you only need to click on a blue icon next to the third picture from the top of this post. You won't want to miss Amish Horses Tour (2)

Horsing Around

 For this blog post, I decided to share a few pictures of people enjoying their horses! You will see a mixture of pics with Amish and non-Amish folks "Horsing Around."
This man seems pleased to give us a look at his amazing stallion.

 If you want to enjoy a buggy ride, head to Shipshewana, Indiana. The price might have gone up since I took this pic about 3 years ago. At the time, an Amish man gave the tours and I believe he still the one taxying people around.

 These horses are showing off their raw power. At least one Amish man is taking in the sight.

 The Budweiser Hitch is a joyful sight to behold.

 These young folks are having fun getting horses ready for a show.

 This is a fun pic... but actually, the gal is a horse chiropractor and busy doing her job.

 This little girl is as cute as her pony. She is bathing it at the Iowa State Fair.

 These Amish sisters are enjoying some horseback riding.

 If you have a team, it's fun to hitch them up and drive around the farm.

 My little granddaughters love sitting on my draft horses.

 These Amish sisters love taking their ponies over some jumps.

 Amish folks enjoy seeing beautiful horses in action. They seem to love horses as much or more than anyone. Like cowboys, Amish people work with horses almost every day. People that do, seem to develop a deep connection and understanding with them. I know some people are bent on showing Amish as harsh with horses. I can't defend the whole group any more than they should condemn all. Almost all of the Amish I know personally (and I know many) treat their horses with deep respect and are amazing horse handlers. 

 This pic was taken during a photo session for a book cover.
 (Yep, that's me, my daughter, and my horses)

To see the results, click on this link: Catbird Singing

 This Amish gal trained her horse to lay down.

 I love this pic of my three grandchildren sitting on my sweet, old mare, Karma.

 A very old pic of my daughter sitting on one of my other favorite mares, Sal.

(Yes, that's me holding the lead rope.)
Many of these pics have appeared in other posts on the Amish Horses Blog. They all seem to fit together under the heading of, Horsing Around.

Sweet eyes!

Amish (Horses) Paradise

 If you love horses... you need to visit Shipshewana and the surrounding area.

My wife and I visited Middlebury and Shipshewana last weekend and for me, it's an Amish Paradise!

Draft horses are everywhere! I saw a few Percherons but for the most part, the Amish here use Belgians.

 My wife is not horse crazy like me. However, she enjoyed our drive that lasted for hours... I mean hours! There are miles and miles of Amish farms. Gardens with vegetables and flowers. Hundreds of shops to visit in town and on Amish farms. Buggies coming and going to and fro. Amish people on bikes. Little children driving ponies. Yes, I kid you not, it IS an Amish Paradise!

 Pastures were lush and green.

 White houses and barns set off the green fields.

 Fences and horses are close to the road in areas.

Streams, ponds, rivers, and lakes make everything even more heavenly. This is the area that inspired my novella, Amish Park. A story about one modern family's experiences as they vacation on an Amish farm. This part of Indiana is an Amish (Horses) Paradise!