Horse Progress Days (a mouse in the corner)

 Have you heard the expression-- I wish I could be a mouse in the corner? Well, I lived that out this past weekend at the Horse Progress Days in Arthur, Illinois.
The Horse Progress Days are organized by the Amish, and most of those attending are from "Plain Mennonite" or Amish groups that vary considerably based on local and group standards. As an "English" person, I feel very welcomed and included. Yet, somehow, it makes me feel sad to be there in my "Worldly clothes." It's not because anyone treats me bad... but instead because they treat me so well. Let me explain. There are plain people at these events from all over the U.S. and even some from Canada. Many groups are represented, and they all have different rules and dress, yet more in common than not. They live and dress by conviction, and if you don't think it makes a difference in the lives of their children, you need to come and see for yourself. The children are incredibly well behaved and polite. This is true even for teens and young adults. I feel sad to be the one representing the world that they have chosen to abstain from. Mainly because I believe they are doing the right thing for their children by living this simple and plain lifestyle. I want to promote it. That is why I write books about their world.

 I sat at my book-signing table and observed this little "Train-ride" that happens to be horse-drawn. They loaded and unloaded children right outside my tent. Talk about cute! These children look adorable in their miniature Amish clothes. They waited patiently in 95degree temps with high humidity without fussing or complaining. Their mothers and dads waited on their little ones with smiles, quietly visiting in Pennslyvania Dutch.

 I don't know how old the boy is that is Roman riding on a team of ponies, but he was amazing. I think he was practicing to display his ponies in front of a crowd, but I happen to pass by and capture this shot with beautiful clouds behind him.

This is my book-signing booth with my bedroom behind it. (a tent)
Many friendly and kind-hearted Amish people stopped and looked at my books. Many bought copies. Yet, I found myself worrying that my books will disappoint or offend in some way. That is totally not my goal, but somehow it feels inevitable. What the average American sees as G rated, Amish view as improper for children. My books deal with some serious topics; that is why I write. So, I don't feel I can make them "Childproof" even though my goals are positive.

 The weather was strange... which is typical this year. The sky did some beautiful things and some terrible things. We had an incredible wind storm that lasted for almost a half-hour. We took on two inches of rain.
During the storm, I was in our huge white tent with around 40 people, most of them from plain backgrounds. We all literally held onto the tarp or structure frame, trying to keep it from blowing over. A friendly teenage Amish young man joined me at my station, holding a center post. We watched a young Amish couple at the next post over, doing their part. They had three totally adorable little blond girls who looked scared but sat quietly in a wagon. When the storm passed, I chatted with the couple and girls. They were all three enjoying suckers that a vendor in our tent gave them. The little blonds with chocolate brown eyes all smiled at me while I talked to their parents. The baby- maybe around 1year-old offered me a taste of her sucker, which I politely declined. Her mama said, "This is her first try at a sucker." Her daddy said, "After visiting with you, I feel we should buy one of your books." You couldn't meet nicer people.

 Once the wind and rain subsided, the event ended for the day while everyone tried to clean up their booths. Visitors with cars, pickups, and vans were almost all stuck in a muddy field. I instinctively knew that meant teams of horses would be pulling them out. I headed to the parking lot and helped a little but mostly observed as around eight teams of horses assisted those in need. It was a fantastic thing to witness, and I'd love to write a book about it. One Amish lady standing near me said what I was thinking, "Watching this was about as much fun as watching the organized events."

I took these pictures of some of the horse-drawn farm equipment on display. It all looks fascinating to other draft horse enthusiasts and me. I think the rest of you will enjoy the photos for the sake of beauty.

The centerpiece of this bottom picture is a horse-drawn hay-baler, hooked to a hitch cart with an engine to power the baler that would typically be driven by a tractor. (Be sure to notice the beautiful Amish farm in the background.)

I wouldn't have missed this event for anything, yet I almost wished I could have hidden like a mouse in the corner. Better yet, I wish I could be one of them, at least during the Horse Progress Days.

Pony Progress Days

"Horse Progress Days" is a two day Amish organized event, featuring anything related to farming with draft horses. Every year, around the 4th of July, Amish from all over the U.S. and Canada gather near an Amish community and trade ideas and merchandise, all horse related. One of my favorite parts is the pony parade. Each morning, local Amish children drive their ponies to the event. They line up and parade them in front of a large crowd of onlookers. I can't imagine any event where 50, or so, ponies can be driven into one arena by children and not have a disaster. These children have been riding in horse-drawn vehicles since the day they were born. They've grown up watching Dad and Mom handle horses in almost every situation imaginable, and have learned how to do the same.

Do you notice how calm all the children seem to be?

Amish children seem to be like all children were years ago. I have a theory that goes like this: Children used to want to be adults, they tried hard to act grown up and strove to be like their dad, mom, older brother, or sister. Nowadays, our culture glamorizes youth. Even old ladies try to look like teenage girls. Why would we expect our children to want to grow up when many adults don't act grown up. We don't give honor to the aged like we should, instead we idolize immature singers, actors and athletes. Okay, maybe I've said too much, but all you have to do is go to one of these events and you will be wondering where the rest of us went wrong. 

As you can see, most of the carts or wagons have a group of passengers. These children were all very quiet and well behaved, to the point where it is stunning! They are smiling and having fun, yet they don't feel compelled to fight with each other or throw fits and temper-tantrums. I mentioned how well behaved the children were, to my Amish friend, and he humbly said, "Our children are children too, they have their moments." Well, if they do, they sure don't have them in public like most modern children do.

This tiny pony above started to act up just before I took this picture. He reared up several times and tossed his head. The little man driving didn't panic. He talked calmly to his pony and brought everything back under control. His little female passenger sat quietly without fear. They sure do have a cute load on behind. It looks like a miniature horse-shoeing-stocks with a horse loaded in waiting to have new shoes put on.

In this picture above, you can see the line of ponies and children waiting their turn to enter the arena. I wish my picture was a little more clear, but I can see about 25 ponies and carts in this photo alone.

More ponies and children wait their turn.

This photo above is from last year's pony parade.

 
The photo below, is one of my favorite pictures I've taken yet. These little Amish girls were walking a pony foal around like a puppy. I named this post, "Pony Progress Days" because these Amish children are making progress with their ponies, while the rest of the world seems to be falling apart.

Walking the Pony

        Yes, that is a pony. I saw these little Amish girls walking this little pony-foal like a puppy dog.

        Both mornings, of the Horse Progress Days, I noticed there were a lot of Amish children driving pony carts toward the event. I wasn't too surprised because it is a rather common thing in Amish communities ... but it did seem like more pony carts than I would expect to see.

 When the event began I soon realized why all the pony carts. Both mornings started with local Amish children driving their ponies out into a field while us adults stood in a circle and watched. In the photo below, you can see them lining up with their little carts waiting for their turn. Some of the drivers were really young, (under five) but they usually had an older sibling along to help, (the older sibling may have been seven.)

         When the arena (us adults were the fence) had about 30 pony carts, the children drivers lined up in a big semi-circle. The announcer warned over his microphone, "Children, make sure you have a good hold on your ponies, we are going to have a little surprise!"
         An Amish boy came riding in on a mama pony with a pony-foal at her heals. The foal had a miniature rider on board, a doll dressed like a little Amish boy.  (It may have been the pony-foal in the top photo.) That little foal ran in circles around its mama with its miniature rider and all of us laughed until our bellies ached. An adult Amishman ran in circles after the pony-foal to try and catch it and we laughed even harder!

 The amazing part was that all of the young drivers kept their tiny steeds under control. They seemed to be expert handlers and no doubt they have a lot of experience.

        During this two-day event, hundreds of Amish families passed by my "book selling table" most of the children noticed my large toy horse. Many of those children wanted to look at it closer and some wanted to pet its mane and tail. One very pleasant family came by, and the daddy held a little boy about 16 months old. He pointed and said something in Dutch, Mama interpreted for me, "He said,'There's another horse!'" They were such friendly people I took the liberty to say, "I'm surprised at how much Amish children love horses. I thought everyday use would cause them to loose interest." The daddy told me, "Every time we hitch up a horse to go somewhere, he (the toddler) has to pet the horse before we go!"

        At first I worried that my toy horse may cause troubles for parents, if children began to throw a fit because they wanted the toy. Guess what ... that never happened. The Amish children stood right next to my table looking at the toy horse and the books. They all had their hands down at their sides unless they asked for permission to touch the horse. Many tiny little Amish girls stood looking at the toy with big eyes, until I asked, "Do you want to pet the horse?" They wouldn't speak, but nodded their heads politely. I set the horse closer so they could reach it.

        Many young Amish boys stopped by and looked at the covers of my books for a long time. I asked them if they wanted a bookmark but they usually didn't take one, until someone taught me how to ask in Pennsylvania Dutch, then almost every one smiled, took a bookmark and said, "Thank you" in English.

        It seemed fitting, that as I was leaving the event I saw these little girls walking their pony.

Amish Families

There was something unexpected, that happened to me at the recent Horse Progress Days

        I almost felt as if the Lord had set me down in this booth and said, "Sit here and observe." For two days I didn't have any choice but to sit in that red lawn-chair (right behind the horse) and watch Amish folks interact with each other. 

        I knew it would be enjoyable for me, as an Amish novelist and a draft horse enthusiast, to visit Horse Progress Days, but I had no idea that I was about to observe something powerful. There were Amish families at booths on all sides of mine, and for two days I watched how they interacted with each other. I came out of my booth with a new respect for my Amish friends.

        Many criticize the Amish for their strict rules. Some say they are legalistic and that many of their man-made laws are unnecessary and don't make sense. I challenge you to go sit where I sat for two days, and then come back and tell me that they don't have something wonderful going on.

This is the only photo I took from my two-day seat.

         A Pennsylvania Amish family had a booth displaying their horse-drawn farm equipment, right across from my table. It seemed to be an extended family that have a business together. There were two young couples with their toddlers, and both women had a baby in arms. For two days I watched them peacefully care for their children in a confined area, under sweltering, southern-Indiana heat and humidity. The women had smiles on their faces the entire time. They visited cheerfully with every Amish woman that passed by and often had a group of women around them all laughing and talking. Meanwhile, they dawdled their infants on their laps and gently herded their toddlers, a set of adorable little girls in their Amish dresses. The little girls were busy the whole time playing at the feet of their parents. They spent one block of time arranging and re-arranging everything their mother had stored in a picnic cooler. They looked like they were used to watching their mama work and were imitating her. The husbands were often busy showing potential customers their products, yet, often took time to help their wives quiet a crying baby. I watched one of the dads gently feed a dropper-full of medicine to his baby. (I'm guessing something to sooth the teething process.) 

        Both days ended with a show. All of us crowded around a ring where six and eight-horse hitches pranced. A group of Amish teens performed a synchronized, horseback "dance" for lack of a better term. They showed some impressive horse handling, while weaving their mounts in what resembled a square dance. The non-Amish man with a microphone kept suggesting that we applaud. A few did clap, but it is not the Amish way. That didn't mean they weren't enjoying the show, they stood perfectly still, all with smiles on their faces.

         After the main event, a procession of local Amish families left in their buggies, while visiting Amish folks, that were waiting for tour buses to come pick them up, watched. I stood with them and watched too. I really liked how mothers and daughters often wore dresses made from the same piece of cloth. Husbands and brothers sometimes had a shirt that matched.

        Somehow it seemed so peaceful to see young families crowd into their buggies. Mamas with baby in arms, a little boy standing between daddy's knees, holding onto the driving lines. Older sisters with younger siblings on their laps. Families that lived nearby waked home together.

        It hit me, that these families stay together. These children probably wont be caught in a custody battle and torn between their fighting parents, who use them as leverage to outdo each other.

 I have lived near an Amish community for about 35 years. I have eaten many meals in my Amish friend's homes and visited Amish Church, Singings, volley-ball games. I have had the opportunity on numerous occasions to help make hay with Amish families. Yet, this two days of observing hit me in a new way. I became convinced that the choice to stay within the guidelines of strict Amish rules has payed off for these families more than they might even be aware of themselves. I am so thankful that there are horse-drawn communities around us. The rest of us have a lot to learn from them.

Notice the little girls in the back with a balloon

Sweet Music to Sleep By

 If you've been following my blog, you know that I made several trips to Amish communities in Indiana this summer. Twice I went to Shipshewanna (northern Indiana) and most recently to Odon (southern Indiana) to do book signings. My goal: to make sure those Amish communities know about the Amish Horses Book Series. Mission accomplished.

My book series is about a non-Amish teenage guy that spends time with his Amish relatives. So, as you may well imagine, I'm very interested in knowing more about life as an Amish teen.

My original ideas come from my own experience, moving to the Kalona, Iowa area as a teenager, and spending a summer hanging out with a certain group of Amish young folks (as they like to call themselves)

On my most recent trip to Odon, Indiana for the Horse Progress Days, I spent two nights camping in this parking lot. You can see campers in the background behind the buggies. The buggies are parked outside of a Recreation Center. I spent about an hour on both evenings inside of the Rec. center re-charging my phone. The drivers of the buggies were Amish young people, who were inside playing basketball and volleyball. I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out listening to them laugh and play. When they passed by my perch, near an outlet charging my phone, they all spoke friendly words to me. When I retired to my pickup-topper to sleep for the night, I dozed off to the sound of horses clip-clopping on a road nearby. I woke to the sound of Amish young people talking as they rode horseback directing traffic in the parking lot. It was 6 am and a group of Amish young people (male and female) sat on their horses in the fog, showing incoming vans and cars where to park.

After two peaceful days among the Amish, it was time to head home. I didn't think I could make it all the way back to Iowa without falling asleep at the wheel and it happened to be the 4th of July. I started out my trip and passed by several large crowds of English people setting off fireworks, with loud music and partying. I decided to head for Arthur, Illinois, where there is a large Amish community I hadn't visited, yet. I prayed for a peaceful campground where I might wake up to the sound of horses trotting past in the morning. Prayers answered.

My cell-phone doesn't take clear pics when it's dark, but I wanted to show you some of the Amish teens at the park

 Once in Arthur, I inquired from local businesses about where there may be a campground. They directed me to the city park. I pulled in and noticed a softball game going on, near where a few other campers were parked. I walked around looking for a place to charge my cell-phone and realized I was in the midst of a huge crowd of Amish young folks. One of the young guys suggested I charge my phone in the 4-H building you see on the right. I watched some of their softball game as my phone charged and then headed to my pickup to get some sleep.

view from my pickup bed. it's too dark to see the buggies or small groups of Amish teens here and there

same view in the morning, notice, not one piece of trash

 I didn't realize that just beyond my pickup were two long rows of horses (and buggies.)

My pickup topper has two small screen windows for ventilation. I drifted off to sleep to the sound of Amish teens laughing and visiting quietly. Every now and then, I would wake to the sound of a horse whinnying to their teenage owner, "Don't forget me... I'm still here!" One by one, horses trotted off into the dark night. You can see my camper below. I use a bob-sled for my book-selling table. My horse collars and hay-bales for decor. I not only had the sound of hoof-beats as music, but the smell of hay and harness leather for effect.

 In the morning I surveyed the spot where all the horses were tied. There was not one piece of litter, except a for a few piles of road apples (manure.) You can see my pick-up truck in the background, through the fence.

 The sign says "No hitching to fences" I believe the horses were tied to the steel bar and not the fence. In either case, these young folks caused no harm. The only "wild" actions I witnessed, were two boys riding around on the top of their buggy.

I truly had a peaceful night's rest, with the sweet music of buggy-horses clip-clopping off into the darkness. In the morning, I drove around the Arthur, Illinois Amish community and took a few beautiful pics before heading back to Iowa.

The 10 Most Beautiful Horses (I've ever seen)

Everyone has an ideal horse in their heart, mine happens to be a coal-black Percheron. On the weekend of July 4th, I attended Horse Progress Days in southern Indiana. This eight-horse hitch came prancing out and my heart about stopped. As you can see from the photo... that little Amish boy on the other side of the road had the same reaction I did!

Before they came prancing out I saw them being groomed and harnessed, so I knew already that I loved them.

I was taking a few pictures, when these girls came out and climbed aboard and started braiding their manes and tails. The girl's mother is just out of view. I asked her, "Are you okay with me taking some pictures of this?" She said, "Sure go ahead."

I was happy because I thought this was a perfect moment.

As you can see, these girls know how to braid manes and tails, Unfortunately I was making sure to get a photo of the girls on horseback and missed the one working on the tail... but you can see her hand. In the photos below you can see their finished work. The girl at the head and the girls at the tail also rode along in the wagon into the arena. I said to an Amish guy beside me, "I'm surprised that he has his daughters beside him and not a big strong guy, in case of trouble." He smiled and replied, "I saw those girls working with their horses earlier, they know what they are doing!" These girls look really petite, but I also noticed that they had no fear.

After the horses left the arena, I hurried over near the barn where I saw the girls braiding their manes and tails. I knew I would get to see them up close and hopefully get a good pic to show ya. There is nothing quite like standing on the road as an eight-horse hitch of gorgeous Percheron horses fly by! I could feel each hoof-beat and hear them breathing. Shivers went up my spine!

When they left the arena and headed down the road, a big guy did get on the front seat and the girl climbed into the back as you see below. If something scares eight horses, you need at least two strong people pulling on those eight lines.

You may have wondered why I said, "The 10 most beautiful horses I've ever seen." The eight horses in the hitch were about as pretty as any horses I've ever seen. But when I got home, my own two horses looked almost a beautiful! Maybe just because I'm so happy that they are mine! Karm always greets me with a whinny and warms my heart.