A Little Slice of Paradise

I think of Shipshewana, Indiana, as a horse lover's paradise.

There are miles of beautiful Amish farms in Indiana near Shipshewana, Middlebury, Topeka, and all the way down to Napanee. If you enjoy gorgeous vistas of lush green pastures and farm fields, graced with sprawling farmsteads of white houses and barns edged with brilliant flowerbeds, this is your destination. 

There are more horses and ponies per square mile in this area than I have found anywhere in my lifetime. 

I have visited Holmes County, Ohio, and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, as well as Davis County, Indiana, and Arthur, Illinois. All of these areas are excellent destinations. In fact, any Amish community in America or Canada will have very similar sights. However, my favorite is the Shipshewana area. 

My Little Slice of Paradise

My wife and I spent some time in Shipshewana the first few days of August. I took these photos as we toured the sideroads. I have been looking to buy a team ever since I lost my best horse.

I kept saying to my wife, "Look at all of these Belgian draft horses! Those are exactly what I'm looking for." Every farm had at least 10 of these beautiful creatures. I told her, "I just want two." 

Before I fell asleep on August 3rd, I was lying there thinking that there may be a way I could buy a team here and haul them to Iowa. I said, "Lord, I'm praying for just the right team of horses. If there's a way to purchase some of these Indiana Belgians, help me ."

We got up on August 4th and drove towards home through Topeka and Millersburg, enjoying the views of "Amish Horse Paradise." I didn't have any inspired ideas about how to purchase a team.

I knew that there was a special workhorse sale in my hometown of Kalona, Iowa, on August 5th. 

All I could do was hope to find a similar team of horses, and I didn't have long to wait. 

The horse sale starts at 9:00 am. Before the sale, sellers harness and hitch their horses and ponies and drive them through an arena in a merry-go-round fashion. A team caught my eye immediately. I said to myself, "There's the style I'm dreaming of."

An Amish man about my age was hitching this team to a cart, and I approached him. "How old are these mares?"

"They are both four."

I asked, "Where are you from?"

"Millersburg, Indiana, near Topeka."

I couldn't believe my ears. "I was just there yesterday," I said. 

He told me that he hadn't planned on bringing horses to Iowa, but a neighbor stopped in a couple of nights ago and said he was hiring a driver to take some horses to a sale in Iowa. "There would be room in the trailer if you want to join me."

It seems like more than a coincidence to me. I choose to believe these horses were an answer to my prayer.

By the end of the day, I had a team of Belgians, my personal slice of horse paradise imported from Indiana.

Honey and Bella

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) 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!

Horse Progress?

My book signing booth

 Have you heard about Horse Progress Days?

I'm super excited about my upcoming trip to southern Indiana for this event! Horse Progress Days is the Amish equivalent to the Farm Progress Show, a national event for farmers to learn about the most up-to-date farm equipment and practices.

I will be there with my books, which happen to be about farming with horses.



Obviously, farming with horses does not qualify as "the most up-to-date" farming practice. However, farming with horses is an extremely "Green" style of agriculture that should be embraced by the most forward thinking people.

If you are going to be at the 2015 Horse Progress Days, look for my booth, stop in and say, "Hello!"

If you can't make it to this year's event, visit the website and start planning for next year.

In the meantime, order a copy of Under the Heavens and start reading about farming with draft horses. Under the Heavens is a "Huck Finn style" Amish adventure-novel about a boy that spends a summer on his grandpa's Amish farm.