Behind The Scenes At An Amish Horse Festival (32 Photos)
We’ve got a nice photo set from the annual Amish horse festival Horse Progress Days, courtesy of Jim Halverson. The latest edition took place in Clare County, Michigan, in July.
If you missed it, you can also check out Milo Miller’s set of photos from the event, or this write-up on it.
Jim’s photos are more of the “behind-the-scenes” – food and refreshments, the crowd and attendees, clean-up, and other sights from the event.
The comments below are from Jim, unless they are in italics (those are mine).
The locals volunteered in a variety of ways. These youngsters are scooping road apples.
Some volunteers were on horseback wearing safety vests. They guided folks to parking and assisted with general information.
Volunteers giving their horses a break at the hay wagon.
Grilling burgers.
The different dress styles were noticeable. There was a significant Mennonite presence.
Different type of suspenders.
There was a $15.00 charge to enter the grounds.
As soon as you paid they told you to grab a water bottle and to stay hydrated. It was very sunny and 90 degrees.
There were three large water tanks on the ground to fill up your water bottle.
Horseshoe demonstration.
Other signs:
Hot Ham & Cheese Sandwich cart – $5 each.
Speaking of food, here is the food tent: “The Express Lane”. I’m not sure how “express” it is, but I like the name, and aspiration, either way.
Menu and prices:
Servers:
It’s not just Amish attending, as you can tell by these other forms of plain dress:
Some more scenes:
It’s certainly a family-friendly event.
This photo shows folks from Milverton, Ontario loading up the van for the trip home.
Thanks to Jim for the great set of photos showing us another side of Horse Progress Days.
barefoot women
I notice that nearly all of the women are barefoot. Why is that?
It’s very common in Amish culture. Work, play, etc. in warmer months barefoot. They enjoy it from a young age.
Horse Progress Days
The Horse Progress Days is a wonderful event. If you have an interest in draft horses and mules then this is the place to be. You can also visit with manufacturers of horse drawn farm equipment and other equine products. This is a wonderful event for your family and you will never forget the wonderful experience of Horse Progress Days.
Thanks to Jim Halverson and Milo Miller for sharing pictures from Horse Progress Days and to Erik for posting on Amish America. Makes me almost think I was there. Was there ever an official tally of total attendance? I would think it would be several thousand less than when it’s been held in a more densely Amish populated area (such as Shipshewana, Ind). Also, in observing the photos, it seems like there was less non-Amish/plain Mennonite attendance than in the several years I’ve attended in Indiana and Illinois.
Great Photos
Dear Erik,
I really enjoyed these photos by Milo Miller and Jim Halverson of these Horse Progress Days at Clare, Michigan.
The photos were all very sensitively taken. I enjoyed seeing all the different of the men, women, and children. Also, fascinating for me to see a group of Amish from Milverton, Ontario, my home province.
There has been a great increase of bad and tragic news from the Amish communities for awhile. This set of photos was a welcome relief and puts all the bad news in perspective.
Sincerely,
Larry Clarence Lewis
London, Ontario, Canada.