paintponylvr
Well-Known Member
Vicki, James (her hubby) and I went up to Mt. Hope, OH over the 4th of July to attend our 1st Horse Progress Days. I'm not sure I have an accurate description of what it was all about...
I believe that it is basically a symposium or expo demonstrating the various farm implements that can be pulled by draft horses. Then you had demos, work shops, vendors of all things pertaining to farming - with concentrations on reducing the carbon footprint. Most farming equipment appears to now be built by various companies that have a base in numerous Amish & Mennonite communities - however - other equipment is produced by other business's.
So, Friday the 4th of July (my hubby was at home sleeping during the day and worked that night) was a LOOONNNNGGGGG day of much walking - up and down hill. BUT started with viewing the "Pony Express" - which was a presentation of the children of many long time folk involved with farming w/ horses (most were Amish, but not all). I never did get an accurate count, but the rather large arena contained more minis, shetland type ponies and carts with children than I've ever seen assembled in once place. The arena was packed with kids in carts, carriages and wagons. There were plenty of adults that stepped into the arena to stand by and head ponies/minis as needed while each equine, child and cart/carriage/wagon introduced. I think it was over an hour in length but can't quite remember. It was amazing later - I realized that all the kids, ponies and carts simply disappeared after they left the ring... I had no idea where they all scattered to.
We did get to see some of the presentation of horse drawn mowing and haying equipment. It actually started with reel type gang mowers pulled by shetland pony and then graduated up to larger ponies. Then onto the "real" mowing equipment - starting w/ various types of sickle mowers - ground run and then pulled with fore carts with mowers. The largest hitch we saw pulling equipment was a hitch of 12 - 3 separate hitches of 4 abreast pulling with the "new" rope/pulley trace set ups allowing all of the horses to pull. Then we also saw various tools used in the fields of market crops - missed the plows - but saw culti-mulchers, several types/sizes of cultivators and sprayers - each of these implements can come in both ground run or moter run (on the forecart) w/ a PTO set up.
I have a lot of pics still to go thru. I didn't get any on my computer during that weekend - I'd picked up what the computer repair shop calls a "browser hacker" and havent been able to get online since those last posts I made in June. Got my laptop back Wednesday and starting to go thru pics now. Have lots that have been and will continue to be deleted and the ones I've got "fixed" were done on a very OLD version of "Paint" rather than any of the more advanced photo programs I've worked with. It was a struggle to get them done - so haven't done many...
These are some hitches that we saw during the Breed Presentation on Friday evening. Iwill continue to update pics as I get them done...
I believe that it is basically a symposium or expo demonstrating the various farm implements that can be pulled by draft horses. Then you had demos, work shops, vendors of all things pertaining to farming - with concentrations on reducing the carbon footprint. Most farming equipment appears to now be built by various companies that have a base in numerous Amish & Mennonite communities - however - other equipment is produced by other business's.
So, Friday the 4th of July (my hubby was at home sleeping during the day and worked that night) was a LOOONNNNGGGGG day of much walking - up and down hill. BUT started with viewing the "Pony Express" - which was a presentation of the children of many long time folk involved with farming w/ horses (most were Amish, but not all). I never did get an accurate count, but the rather large arena contained more minis, shetland type ponies and carts with children than I've ever seen assembled in once place. The arena was packed with kids in carts, carriages and wagons. There were plenty of adults that stepped into the arena to stand by and head ponies/minis as needed while each equine, child and cart/carriage/wagon introduced. I think it was over an hour in length but can't quite remember. It was amazing later - I realized that all the kids, ponies and carts simply disappeared after they left the ring... I had no idea where they all scattered to.
We did get to see some of the presentation of horse drawn mowing and haying equipment. It actually started with reel type gang mowers pulled by shetland pony and then graduated up to larger ponies. Then onto the "real" mowing equipment - starting w/ various types of sickle mowers - ground run and then pulled with fore carts with mowers. The largest hitch we saw pulling equipment was a hitch of 12 - 3 separate hitches of 4 abreast pulling with the "new" rope/pulley trace set ups allowing all of the horses to pull. Then we also saw various tools used in the fields of market crops - missed the plows - but saw culti-mulchers, several types/sizes of cultivators and sprayers - each of these implements can come in both ground run or moter run (on the forecart) w/ a PTO set up.
I have a lot of pics still to go thru. I didn't get any on my computer during that weekend - I'd picked up what the computer repair shop calls a "browser hacker" and havent been able to get online since those last posts I made in June. Got my laptop back Wednesday and starting to go thru pics now. Have lots that have been and will continue to be deleted and the ones I've got "fixed" were done on a very OLD version of "Paint" rather than any of the more advanced photo programs I've worked with. It was a struggle to get them done - so haven't done many...
These are some hitches that we saw during the Breed Presentation on Friday evening. Iwill continue to update pics as I get them done...
