Horses making more Progress

As promised, we’ve got more of Mary’s photos from last weekend’s Horse Progress Days at Clare, Michigan.  Enjoy:

Water Fountain Horse Show
Not a Mule
Horse Progress Days Show
Amish Pony Show
Amish Red Wagon
Amish Men Horse Show

Amish Horse Whip

Amish Boys Pony Cart

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    23 Comments

    1. yonie wondernose

      Love these photos. Keep up the good work Mary.

    2. Carolyn B

      Hands Down Favorite

      My hands down favorite is the last one today. Just love the little kid cart with the miniature horse pulling it.

      Thanks, Michigan Mary and Erik.

    3. Have a great weekend everyone and if your like me try and somehow get through all of the heat now blanketing the country.

      I told Mary that she takes great pictures, and she told me its just the technology in her Image program and camera. Mary I respectfully disagree with you so trust me when I say “you take great pictures”. Have a great weekend everyone and if your like me try and somehow get through all of the heat now blanketing the country. Richard. http://www.Amishstories.net

    4. I agree, Richard, Mary DOES take great pictures! These are so fun to look at – that pony cart is ADORABLE. Thanks for sharing ~

    5. Linda

      Michigan Mary, I would be glad if you could explain what is happening in some of these photos!

      My husband was intrigued with picture #1. The horse walking on the treadmill is powering a PTO shaft, which could run a motor or a washing machine. Here it is running a water fountain in the round tank. What if the energy of humans on treadmills would be converted to something useful?

      1. Lee Ann

        Linda:
        Here in Arizona humans are using treadmills to power t.v.’s and such in the jails. The Phx. sherrif told the inmates if they want to watch t.v. they will have to power it up. So someone either gets on the bike or treadmill and keeps going to make the t.v. work. Could work for other things as well.

        The photos are good and interesting.

        1. Elizabeth Snoke

          Great idea. There should be ways for regular people to do this too–without great cost.

          Where do you live in Arizona? I’m in Tucson. Retired out here in 1996 (returning after years at U of A and teaching high school in Parker and working at Yuma Proving Ground public-type library. Then gone for many years till retired. ONLY I came back to take a local job this time.

          My e-mail is gentlefemme0440@aol.com

      2. Pretty fascinating stuff. Thanks for pointing that out…I sort of glazed over and didn’t realize what was going on in that photo. This is cutting-edge horse technology after all.

    6. Amy Jo

      Horses making more Progress, etc.

      Well, how about that! I totally missed the horse on the treadmill in pic 1! I wondered how the PTO was powered but moved on before REALLY looking! Yes, Richard, she does a great job! Technology is great and actually takes SOME of the art out of it I guess BUT, it takes a good ‘eye’ for the composition to make the pic for me. So, now, I wanna go!!!! This looks like a blast to me. And, since I do nothing but go to work and home and church… I think this is going on my vacation plans for next year. What an exciting life I have, lol!!! Thanks so much for this posting, Erik!

      1. Horse Progress Days schedule 2013-2014

        Glad you enjoyed it Amy Jo…as for going next year, great idea…and here is what Mary wrote me about the schedule for the next few Horse Progress Days gatherings:

        In 2013, it will be in Arthur, ILL and in 2014 it will be in Mt. Hope, Ohio.

        It moves between Lancaster, Mt. Hope, Northern Ind, Southern Ind, Illinois and Michigan in a 6 year rotation…. that way not any one group has to do all of the traveling.

        1. Amy Jo

          HPD - 2013 in Arthur

          Well, I couldn’t be more blessed! Arthur is only about an hour away! I’ll be checkin it out and may make it a yearly thing. I live in Effingham county and have seen some articles and heard some things about some people in the area that farm with horses as a way to, well, probably several things – keep traditions, slow down a bit, whatever. I think I will do a little investigating. I would love to experience Spring planting with horses. I don’t think I could handle much but just the idea of Spring, the earth turning up that beautiful dirt, the smell of the dirt, being able to hear the birds and see the beauty…. can you tell I work indoors just a little too much?! (and that I like dirt?? lol!)

    7. Alice Mary

      Kinetic energy

      Now if we could only harness the power of all those thumbs in constant motion, TEXTING…!

      Thank you, Mary, for more thought-provoking photos. I REALLY hope I can figure out a way to get to Arthur next year for this exhibition! (Anyone know of any bus tours heading out from Northern IL to Arthur?)

      Alice Mary

    8. Wonderful Photos Mary!

      I love the photos, Mary. Thanks for sharing them.
      It looks like some mules are making progress too.
      The mini horse cart is so cute!
      What are those men doing with the whips?

    9. Michigan Mary

      HPD PHOTOS

      Folks, thanks for the compliments – I humbly appreciate them… (but the technology does take alot of the credit). Anyway, the first photo is just a very cool way to demonstrate the use of the treadmills. I talked with the owner and he said that at home his treadmill is hooked to a log spliter and/or other farm implements. At the HPD he shows it’s power by running the water fountain… they irony is that it was very hot that day and the poor horse, no matter how “far” he walked, never got any closer to the cool water…LOL! There was another horse/treadmill that was splitting logs. YOu can just barely see that horse in the background, over the tops of the heads of the humans.

    10. Michigan Mary

      HPD PHOTOS - part 2

      Margie, the photo with the whips is just about a “Cowboy” from n.w. Ohio doing a demonstration of his skills. He was second on the agenda, right after the pony parade that opened the event on Friday morning. Chris King is his name, he’s from Achbold, Ohio. He came out and demonstrated 8′ and 12′ whip cracking and then asked for volunteers to give a try – that’s why there are others in the photo with him. Also, in picture #2, those are not mules… on the side of the harness the owner even wrote on the leather, “NOT A MULE”, to prove his point. These are called Mammoth Donkeys (and they are BIG). The males of the species are used to breed with female Belgians to create the big “blond” mules that you see mostly in PA. Altoghether I took 144 photos and I sent about 1/2 of them to Erik for this blog and to Richard for his blog as well. At some point I’ll send them the rest of the photos.

    11. Amy Jo

      horses, progress, and positive influence

      Erik – I am realizing I need to read through both posts again as so much more has been added. The amount of info coming from everyone is great! thanks again for these!

    12. horsepower

      Wouldn’t surprise me if the HSUS were to make a statement about “cruelty to animals the way the horses were on the treadmill!

    13. Trying to survive the heat.......

      Hi folks and it should be over 100 degrees today (Saturday) in the Lancaster area, and I’m sure you guys are pretty much going through the same thing in your own state. But for us a break is supposedly on its way for early next week, so for now all we can do is hang tough. Richard. http://www.Amishstories.net

    14. Al in Ky.

      Thanks for sharing the pictures. It brings back memories of
      the 2009 Horse Progress Days I attended in Daviess County Indiana.
      I enjoyed the many demonstrations of horse drawn machinery, etc.,
      and the educational programs that were in the big tent. It
      was also very interesting sitting in the tent at lunch time and
      looking around at the many styles of dress amongst the Amish who
      were attending from many different settlements. I wish I’d had
      my copy of “Why Do They Dress That Way?” as a reference to help
      me identify where the people might have hailed from. I’m glad to
      hear that next year’s event will be in Arthur. I would encourage
      anyone who is interested in Amish life and within driving distance
      of Arthur to attend.

      1. OldKat

        Vacation 2013: Arthur, Illinois!

        We plan on being there; it is just under 1,000 miles for us so it is somewhat of a commitment. That is a great tip on taking a copy of “Why Do They Dress That Way?”. I don’t have one, but I’ll make it a point to get one. Thanks for the heads up.

        I’ve been looking for plans for a horse powered treadmill. I have a way to get one built pretty easily, but buying one and having it shipped down here would be pretty pricey. I think it would be really cool to take it to nearby county fairs and hooking it up to an ice cream maker.

    15. Kentucky Lady 717

      Surprised to see the women and children sitting on the benches with the men !!!! When they are not even allowed to eat with them !!!!
      These are nice pictures, thanks for sharing…

      1. Lin

        Dear Kentucky Lady 717:
        Do I understand you to say that Amish men are not allowed to eat with the women and children? I am curious what your source of information would be? The only time I can think of is every other Sunday after a church service, where they would eat at separate tables. It’s a good time for women to talk with women, and men to men. Otherwise, especially in farm settings, they would very much all eat together at the same table. Dinner time is family time.
        Do some Hutterites eat meals, with the children at a separate table?

    16. Kentucky Lady 717

      I guess that is what I was thinking….but the Hutterites show that I’m watching every Tues. nite, the men eat separately from the women….I assume that is just when the entire colony eat together, at their homes, I’m sure they eat together as a family….sorry about that 🙁