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!

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!

Plowing with Horses

        Farming with horses is aesthetically pleasing as well as environmentally friendly. Gas fumes released from this six-horse engine pass almost unnoticed and have no ill effects on actual air quality. This young man is driving six Belgian horses in two rows of three, a very common hitch method for Amish farmers.
        Below, you will see six horses hitched abreast. (the sixth horse didn't make it into the picture) This is the hitch method I describe in the Amish Horses Book Series. When I write about farming with horses, in my novels, I use my own experiences. I've been blessed with opportunities to plow and disc with a six-horse hitch on an Amish friend's farm. My own horses were part of that six-abreast Percheron team. Unfortunately, I didn't feel free to take pictures.

        You will notice in the "six-abreast photo" that Belgians, Percherons, and buggy horses are working together to get a job done.

        Notice in this hitch formation, two horses have to walk in the plow furrow, the other four horses walk on sod. In the six abreast style, one walks in the furrow, two on sod, and the other two on plowed ground. All of this becomes important in the story-lines of my novels, Under the Heavens and Catbird Singing. I try to keep these blog posts short and to the point. If you want to read a whole book filled with horse-drawn adventures on an Amish farm, you'll have to check out the Amish Horses Book Series.

        A friend of mine (Laurie) took these photos on her neighbor's Amish farm in Wisconsin. She told me that all six of these Belgians are mares. Another wonderful thing about farming with horses: Not only can these six horses help raise their own fuel, they can reproduce and raise their own replacements. They also produce organic fertilizer in large quantities. We have not yet come up with a tractor that can do that.

Local Newspaper Article

The Wellman Advance ran this article on the front page, February 19, 2015. I really thought that Bill Gatchel did an exceptional job writing, and I wanted to share it with all of you. (I asked for permission to photograph the article and post it online.) Yes, I know that I didn't take perfectly straight pics... but I think that adds to the effect that you are reading out of a newspaper from a rocking chair. You also may notice that the words get larger with each section. The article was done right, it's my photography that is lacking. I hope you enjoy it anyway!

I would like to explain a little more about the local farmers "non-comment." The Kalona / Wellman community is a very close-knit group with a large Mennonite and Amish population. They all know me and I knew that I would have to face them if they didn't like my book. Almost everyone here grew up on a farm or spent time on grandpa and grandma's farm. I was nervous about what the local's would think of my farming story, because they know the facts. Scores of local farmers have read Under the Heavens and their response has been, "When does the next book come out?" With big smiles on their faces.  I did have one older farmer catch a mistake about what I called a two-bottom plow. I called it a sulky-plow and it should be a gang-plow. A one-bottom plow, with a seat, is a sulky plow.  I fixed that issue in Book II, Catbird Singing.  

Here is a link for the article: Wellman Advance

Book Store

If you're ever in Iowa City, look for Prairie Lights book store, you will not be disappointed. Iowa City is home to the University of Iowa's Writer's Workshop the first creative writing degree program in the United States. Authors come from all over the world to "hone in" their writing skills. Many have left their mark, and their book, here at Prairie Lights.

Knowing that, you will understand my excitement when Prairie Lights placed my novel on their shelf. Now, Under the Heavens and Catbird Singing are both available at this wonderful book store.

Check out this dog under the table.

If you do stop by, tell them Thomas Nye (the local mailman who did not go to the Writer's Workshop) sent you. By the way, they also have an amazing in-house coffee shop, tempting you to buy a good book and start reading right there!

Catbird Singing

Catbird Singing

Book II of the Amish Horses Series

Here is a peek into Catbird Singing, coming soon...

              "Should I help someone else get together with the girl that I love, for Uncle Noey and Aunt Ruth's sake?"

       Lenny is faced with a dilemma of epic proportions, when he learns about his cousin's affection for Leah. At first, the answer seems simple, Lenny only plans to be around his Amish family for a few weeks. Bishop Mose gave clear instructions for the "English" boy to stay away from Amish girls, but try as he might that is difficult. Lenny and his new buddy, a dog named Russell, have a knack for getting themselves into trouble. A series of adventures and a love triangle turn into a tangled mess that isn't easily ironed out.

       Catbirds have two modes, singing in the spring, and meowing like cats in the summer. These opposite sounds have a deep affect on Lenny while visiting an Amish farm. Familiar characters from Under the Heavens and some new friends join Lenny on his second journey into the world of the Amish. Horse drawn vehicles take Lenny back in time, visiting youth gatherings and working in fields, all within earshot of a Catbird Singing.

This picture was taken during the cover photo shoot.

Catbird Singing is due to be released early in January.

 "Like" Amish Horses Facebook page, or check in with amishhorses.blogspot.com for updates. Click on the blue "Join this site" button on the right hand column for automatic updates!

We will post the cover for Catbird Singing as soon as it's complete. 

click on the link below

Amish Horses Book I "Under the Heavens"