The Year’s Biggest Amish Horse Festival is Happening This Weekend (31st Edition)

Horse Progress Days, the Amish horsepower showcase now into its fourth decade, will kick off tomorrow (July 4th) and run through Saturday.

This is a moveable event, but as in previous years, this year’s edition is happening in Clare County, Michigan, home to a sizeable Amish population. It will be held at the Alvin Yoder, Jr. farm, according to a report in Wilcox Newspapers. More:

Clare County will be lighting up with more than just fireworks this Fourth of July. The nationally acclaimed Horse Progress Days event is making its next stop in Michigan, and it’s bringing plenty of horsepower with it this year.

Set for July 4 and 5 at the Alvin Yoder Jr. Farm, the gathering is one of the most anticipated events of the summer for the Amish and wider agricultural communities.

This annual showcase, now in its 31st year, rotates between Amish settlements in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois—and now, for the third time, Clare County, Michigan. Last year’s event took place in Gordonville, Pennsylvania, and drew thousands of attendees.

Organizers are expecting an equally strong turnout this year. Including anywhere up to 40 international guests who regularly travel to be part of the event’s global exchange of skills and ideas.

The report gives a nice summary of the high level purpose of this gathering:

At its core, Horse Progress Days aims to promote sustainable agriculture, advance innovations in horse-drawn equipment, and educate the public about family farming and homestead living. The event is organized entirely by Amish experts and will be hosted locally by the Colonville Amish community, who have taken great care in preparing the farm, fields, and seminar spaces for a truly immersive experience.

They go on to describe the itinerary and events, including activities for young and adults. Here’s an example:

Each day will begin with an official welcome followed by the Children’s Pony Express, a light-hearted opening tradition. From there, the fields will come alive with working demonstrations of horse-drawn manure spreaders, plows, tillage equipment, and more. There will also be produce displays that reflect the methods and outcomes of Amish-style farming.

There will also be seminars and hands-on presentations on topics like “soil health, grazing practices, raising livestock, dairy herd sharing, pork processing, cheese making, goat milk soap crafting, wound care, salve and candle making, orchard care without pesticides, and small-scale beekeeping—among many other topics.”

Other topic areas include horse training, produce growing, timber, greenhouse management, as well as animal husbandry beyond horses (eg, sheep).

There is of course food, as well as “a sprawl of merchandising, with a mix of artisans peddling all various kinds of wares.”

Entry is $15, for those considering attending. The event closes with a benefit auction. All in all it sounds like a great time, and potentially highly educational. See the link above for the full report.

We’ve had reports here from prior Horse Progress Days events (2012 & 2018, also in Clare, and 2016, in Indiana) both visual and written. Notably, photographer David Arment has shared numerous excellent photos of the goings-on, which you see throughout this post.

I can only speak through their accounts, as I’ve just missed a couple of past chances to attend this event. I know some of you have experience with this, and may be even attending this weekend. I’m sure it will be worthwhile.

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