Snowy Pastures

A little bit of snow is a good thing. Up until the past few days, Iowa has had about as mild of winter ever recorded. It rained a lot and my horses were having to deal with mud. When the temps drop below 32 degrees we get cold weather cement. (our mud hardens)

 I don't know how much these horses are able to find under that snow but they never give up looking for something to nibble on. I know this Amish farmer provides hay for his horses, but when horses have their fill of hay they like to look for an extra treat.

As I've said before, horses are as tough as buffalo and prefer to stay out in the weather unless there are subzero temps and wind. It was snowing the other day and my own horses (pictured above) didn't come inside until I called them in and fed them hay. The doorway (I'm standing in to take this pic) is always open and they have two sides of a barn they can enter at will.

There are two ponies in this field. A small white pony is standing behind this brown one. Ponies get really furry in the winter months and don't seem to notice cold or snow.

Winter on the Farm

Wild horses thrive out west, even in the worst conditions. Yet, people worry about horses on a farm getting cold. Horses are as tough as deer or buffalo. They have it made on a farm where people are providing food and shelter.

Up until around 1920 almost everyone depended on the horse for transportation year around. The Amish help us "Englishers" get an idea of what our great-grandparents lives were like. It wasn't quite like... getting in a warm car, in a heated garage, and jumping out to run into the mall.  Someone has to harness up a horse and hitch it to the buggy before going anywhere. Those buggies don't have a heater in them either.

When you get home, no matter how late, someone has to un-harness, brush and feed the horse. Wintertime is get-by mode on a farm. Amish are hardworking people, who are rarely caught unprepared for cold weather. Barn full of hay, crib full of corn, pantry loaded with canned goods, woodpile heaped up, they are ready for whatever winter brings. When the weather is really bad, chores can take all day. 

You might have to use an Ax to chop open the water tank. Spend extra time bedding down livestock with a fresh layer of straw. Plow snow or shovel the walk. Imagine how nice it is, to finally get inside after fighting the cold for hours, and then sit close to a wood burning stove with the smell of homemade bread circling around you like a wreath. 

 In the picture below, you can see that we have a few Amish homes in Kalona. The city is accommodating for Amish, even providing a shelter for tying horses while shopping.

James (pictured below) is using a team of draft horses to plow snow out of a drive. He is 16 and not sitting on a couch, playing video games, or texting his buds. It was -4 when this picture was taken and this young man is getting a job done. Molly and Mary (his team of Belgians) are more-than-likely happy to have something interesting to do, rather than standing around looking over a fence.

Photo courtesy of Laurie Erwin Gabbert
Interested in reading about Draft Horses and Amish? Read my novel...
Under the Heavens