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.

Let Me Open the Gate

Here is my favorite picture I've ever snapped. This little Amish boy is opening the gate for the girl on horseback. I'm assuming she is his older sister.

My good friend, Lue Shetler, took me on a scenic tour of Amish country Ohio. We saw parts of Holmes and Wayne Counties. The area is breathtaking.

If you are like me, and find driving past Amish farms to be one of life's most entertaining and peaceful pastimes, then you need to visit this part of Ohio.

Everywhere we turned, we saw something wonderful and/or interesting. As you can guess by my blog title, I love Amish horses, especially workhorses. I was completely in my element.

I told my friend, Lue, "This drive will be the inspiration behind my next novel."


These draft horses and draft mules were enjoying a relaxing Sunday afternoon about as much as I was.

 Hopefully, I've opened the gate just enough to encourage you to head into Amish country. Check out my books, they are all designed to take you on a virtual tour of an Amish farm.

Here is a link: Thomas Nye on Amazon

At first, the books look expencive, don't let that scare you away. They are available for much less if you scroll down. (click on the small words that say, "more buying choices" or "new and used") All of my novels are available as eBooks as well.

Isn't this about the most inviting road you've ever seen. Drive on ahead, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Amish Horses 101

If this is the first time you've visited the Amish Horses Blog, you may not know much about Thomas Nye and his Amish horses. Let me give you a quick background about how a guy like myself ended up learning the art of driving horses from Amish farmers.

I was born with a love for horses. Although I grew up in town, I always managed to find a friend with a pony. So much so, my step-dad teased, "Are you only willing to make friends with someone if they have a horse?" This step-dad of mine grew up in Idaho, and he took our family out west to visit his cowboy brothers every summer. These experiences continued to drive my horse obsession.

Photo on left: Thomas Nye ( age 3 and wearing my favorite hat)

The photo below was taken on my step-uncle's ranch in Idaho.
(little Tommy age 7)

The first time I saw an Amish person was in my nineteenth year of life. I moved to Iowa near an Amish community and was instantly infatuated by that lifestyle. Maybe it had something to do with my love of history and interest in other cultures. More likely, it had to do with the fact that horses are the foundation of Amish life.

This habit of choosing friends who have horses is still an issue with me. LOL

My first friends in Iowa happen to be an Amish family. They took me along to Amish church, Singings, volleyball games and other social events. When they made hay, I offered to help.

Thirty-six years have gone by, and I'm still fascinated by the Amish lifestyle.Within months of my transplant into Iowa, I had my first horse. The photo on left: yours truly ( age 19 and seated on Gulfawn.)

The fist 10 or 15 horses I owned were riding horses. However, I kept watching my Amish friends doing fieldwork with draft horses and a growing urge to get my own team finally got the best of me.

One day, I randomly stopped at my Amish neighbor's place and asked, "Do you know anyone with a team of horses they might be willing to sell?" He sent me down the road a few miles to another Amish farm. I'll never forget the first day I walked into that huge barn, filled with draft horses. For a complete description of what I experienced there, check out my novel, Under the Heavens.

Here I am with my first team. (Lucy and Sally) My Amish friend predicted these older mares would teach me a lot about working with horses in harness, and he was right.

This kind Amish man seemed amused that I wanted to learn his trade. He patiently taught me how to harness and hitch a team of horses, filling me in on many safety issues. We hitched to a wagon, and he handed the lines over. That did it, I was hooked! My heart never returned to the modern world, entirely.

 The team I bought were mares and had colts the next spring. When I took the mamas back to my Amish friend's farm to visit his stallion, he kept my mares for several weeks and used them in six-horse hitches with his horses. Every time I stop in to visit with my Amish friends it is as if I slip back in time a hundred years. My Amish friends continue sharing valuable advice and I pass on their wisdom in my novels. Amish daily life is glorious.

Over the past 25 years, I've owned a number of draft horses which I bought from several Amish families in our community. Each family taught me a little more about horses and these experiences warmed my heart more than I can say. There is nothing quite like being on an Amish farm.

I took this picture of Karma and Karla last evening. I'm still driving horses and writing novels about my wonderful experiences with Amish friends.Whispering to Horses

If you love to read Amish novels, you will get a slightly different view through my books. They are rugged enough to hold a man's interest and sweet enough to make a woman smile. I promise I'll take you on a tour of an Amish barn with rough-hewn timbers, wooden stalls. and rich aromas of alfalfa hay. Then, we'll head out through the gate into lush green pastures. Climb on the buggy seat, and we'll head down a country road listening to a steady clip-clopping of horse hooves under a twinkling, star-filled sky, or through an early morning mist. Experience the peace and tranquility of Amish life. A simple life Under the Heavens.

Horse Reunion

Kallie, Karla, Karma, and Coke

Coke, Karma, Karla, and Kalley

My horses spent the past several months at a "horse reunion."

My Percheron draft horse mares, Karma and Coke, were born and raised on my Amish friend's farm.These four horses are all closely related, and they hadn't been together since I brought two of them to my place about 9 years ago.

When not squeezed together for a picture, these stalls are perfect for big teams.

 The middle two horses in these photos are full sisters. My friend (I won't mention his name for privacy sake) helped me squeeze three big girls into one stall so I could get a photo of them.

My Amish friend is an amazing horseman and one of the nicest men you could ever meet. He likes these horses every bit as much as I do. He kept Karm and Coke over the winter and was really excited to get all four mares together again. He used to drive the full-sisters as a team until I took Karm home with me years ago. He had an idea, he thought maybe we should try putting the two sisters back together and the other two horses actually match well. I decided to give it a try. We haven't traded horses, yet, but we are considering it.

Karm and her full sister Karla

So, after several months of all four horses spending time together on my friend's farm, the reunion is over. I now have Karma and her sister Karla at my place. They are so much alike! I do miss my good friend Coke and I can tell Karm does as well. It's a tough decision to make, and I will keep you updated on what we end up doing.

Horse Drawn Communities

Who would have ever thought, that in 2015 we would still have hundreds of horse drawn communities in the USA?

People often ask, "Why is everyone so fascinated with the Amish?" or "Why are there so many Amish novels?"

All you need to do is actually spend a little time visiting in one of these communities and you will have those questions answered.

First of all: In order to function and survive as a horse drawn community, there must be a very close knit group of extremely devoted people. Otherwise it would fall apart at the first streak of bad weather.

 Next: Horses are not that easy to use as your main source of transportation. Unless you have a lot of experience and patience it will end in disaster.

Another thing: The community must be living within close proximity with each other. You can only trot so many miles in one day.

My theory on why Amish are so successful surviving in this lifestyle:

Our Amish American's are not people who reverted back to old ways, they are a group that were living this way in the 1800's and just haven't changed much.

There is something special about this lifestyle. There are plenty of plain groups that have left "horse-power" behind, and many of those groups have kept old-fashioned values.

Nonetheless, horse drawn communities have a closeness and simpleness that can't be duplicated.

 There is something wonderful and intriguing about Amish life. Use of the horse seems to be central to keeping life slower paced, and somehow maintaining an old-fashioned existence.

My blogs give a glimpse into this world, however, if you really want to "feel" it you need to see it first hand.

I hope my novels are the next best thing to being there. Give Under the Heavens a try!

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.

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.