Posts made in April, 2010
Plow Day Photography
La Porte County’s Old Fashioned Plow Day presented some photographic challenges last week. The light conditions kept changing; the rain came and went. The day was overcast, but the sun peeked out once in a while. Most of the time horses, mules, and drivers were in some kind of constant motion. The plowing, of course, was out in the field and the surrounding fenced-in area, so there was very little opportunity to pick a background or move subjects where you wanted. Soooo … what worked and what didn’t? Read on and I’ll share the experience.
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To buy Belgians or not to buy Belgians? That is the question. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of middle ground: you either are a Belgian fan or you like Percherons. It’s not as if you don’t appreciate the other breed, just that those particular horses aren’t for you. Me? Well, I sit on the fence because I appreciate the grace and beauty that seem to come naturally to most big horses. But I have to admit, it doesn’t take much of a breeze to make me fall off that fence onto the side with the dapple gray Percherons.
Roger Kempton of Niles, Michigan, is a Belgian man. His Julie is eight and his Kim is twelve years old. Roger said his dad had Belgians, so maybe that has something to do with his love for them. Also, he said, he thinks they are easier to work.
Riley Wyant of Dowagiac, Michigan, also is a Belgian man. His grandfather was a horsetrader, so Riley grew up around the big animals. His dad farmed with them, said Riley, and horses just always were around. He used to breed and raise them, but now he works with his geldings, Max (age six) and Alex (age four). Riley said most horses have personalities of their own. Max, for instance, has a lot of strength and power. But if the other horse won’t lead, Max won’t go. Riley said it was as if Max had decided he would do his share and even more … but only if he knew his partner was working, too. “You go and I’ll jump right in,” Max is saying. “But I’m not doing it all.” I know people like that, come to think of it.
Bill Knott was therre Sunday from Laotto, IN, up near Fort Wayne. He brought twelve-year-old Duke and six-year-old Woody with him. The boys are black Percherons, pretty as can be. He admits he is more fond of Duke, having worked with him since Duke was but three years old. Woody, on the other hand, obviously is the favorite of Bill’s granddaughter, Josie. She shows Woody in 4-H and he is her boy.
Dan Hegenow is the president of the La Porte County Draft Horse Association, and he is a Percheron man. But that’s understandable, since he grew up in a Percheron family. His grandpa had a black-and-white team that Dan always has wanted to emulate. Mom Sally has a beautifully matched team of dapple grays that have gone white and now do wagon-pulling duty mostly. She also has the new pair of blacks that Dan brought Sunday to make up a four-horse hitch of blacks and grays. He also has his own team of dappled grays, Jane and Doll. The girls are both seven and are half-sisters. They teamed up with Princess (ten) and Judy (thirteen) to make a beautiful hitch, even if Jane didn’t always seem to get along with her teammates.
Dapple grays don’t stay that way. Usually sometime between the ages of five and ten they go from gray to white. Dan already is noticing the changes in his horses, and someday they will match Mom’s team of whites. Now that’s a thought … the four whites together as a hitch.
It was a beautiful day, no matter the weather. The show is held the third weekend or so of each April. Circle the date on your calendar for 2011. The horses will be there, the drivers will be there. And I can’t wait.
Read MoreMule Skinner Blues
There were quite a few mules at the La Porte County Draft Horse Association’s annual Old Fashioned Plow Day this year. Well, it seemed like a lot of mules to me cause generally in the course of a day I don’t see any mules at all. I suppose if you live and work around mules and have a subscription to Mule Fancier’s Gazette the mules on parade last Sunday were only a few. But, a few or a lot, they were some great looking animals!
Clay Norris from the Grovertown, IN, area had two pony mules and a nice little green wagon they were pulling. Joey is four years old and Jenny is six. One of them was a bit stubborn, but I can’t remember which it was (so I’ll just figure it was Jenny. Women can be stubborn, you know). Clay was there with his friend, Vanessa Hodgson. Last year Clay brought a three mule-hitch, one of which was his mother-in-law’s riding mule. I didn’t see it this time and Clay said he couldn’t bring her. “Don’t you have her this year?” I asked. “Don’t have that mother-in-law anymore,” he answered. “Sorry,” I said. “Me, too.” said Clay. “I really miss that mule.”
The Norris Hitch this year was two mules that looked very much the pair. Rietta is four, and Jig is three. I saw Jig last year and got a good photo of him (it was selected for a juried photo show on the Indiana University campus). He had grown so much in the past year that I didn’t recognize him. Both were clipped, and I think that made a difference. They made a nice plowing team and it was a pleasure to watch them.
Vanessa seemed very comfortable around the mules. She said she had one of her own, but it was recovering from a nick on a hind leg and was at home. Next year, Vanessa. Hope to see you in 2011.
Scott Clark from Koontz Lake was there with a three mule-hitch. Kate, Mickey, and Kate were a joy to watch in action (or just patiently standing wherever). Kate is two, Mickey is four, and the other Kate is seven. I asked about having two Kates in the family. “Well,” said Scott, “It just makes things easier. I only have to call ‘giddup Kate’ once and 90 per cent of the work gets done.”
Scott was there with his friend, Robert Whisman, from the Walkerton area. Robert did a lot of plowing and it was easy to see that he was very comfortable with the team and that they were comfortable with him. Both men agreed that mules are what they are. You put up with their habits or not, cause you’re really not going to change them very much. I guess they are a lot like people in that regard … you either like your friends or they don’t stay your friends for long cause it’s hard to change them.
I found out that mules are holding their values better than a lot of horses right now. A pair goes for between $2500 and $3,000. I also found out that a lot of people (it’s not just men) own horses and mules because they love to play with them. It’s not like too many are getting rich going to fairs and plow days. But I didn’t need to be told that there is a lot of love for those mules and horses going on. That was pretty obvious.
Read MorePlow Day 2010 Images Posted
Karel and John Dreessen, our hosts
The LaPorte County Draft Horse Association’s Old Fashioned Plow Day 2010 was a great event and I found some good images from the day. They are good images mainly because they are photos of good people, the kind you like to meet and have as friends. I never saw a frown or heard the proverbial discouraging word on Sunday, no matter the rain or dark skies that hit us off and on. To the contrary, what I saw were smiles and what I heard was laughter. These folks are what America is all about … our roots, our past, and still for some, our present.
Look under photo collections at the top of the page and find Plow Day 2010 to see the photos or just click on Karel or John up above. I tried to include images of all the teams who were there, but I apologize if I missed some. I tried to get names, but I know I ran out of time and missed a few. I admit to trying to get more information about the teams than the owner/drivers. A weakness for horses and mules, I suppose. I didn’t have room for all the photos I took, but I tried to give you an idea of what the day was all about.
If you see an image you would like to have as your own, contact me. Until then, I hope you enjoy the photos as much as we all enjoyed the day.
Read MorePlow Day 2010
The LaPorte County Draft Horse Association held their annual Old Fashioned Plow Day for 2010 this past Sunday. They told me they would be in the field come rain or shine … and rain it did. But you never would have known it from the smiles, laughter and fellowship from all those gathered at the John and Karel Dreessen Farm in Hamlet, Indiana. Pride was on display from the owners and drivers of the teams of Belgians, Percherons, and mules who gathered to keep alive the art and skill of farming with draft animals.
I met up with some old family friends, visited with friends I made only last year, and met some new folks who would make great friends. It was that kind of a gathering. I also got to see some beautiful horses and mules in action, a sight all of you should get to see at least once. Your spirits can’t help but pick up with pride in what America still is at its core.
I took a lot of photos under rainy conditions with a sky that changed rapidly all day long. I am sorting through them today and seeing what keepers may in the bunch, but there will be several cause I just want to share the images of our Heartland, no matter how good or bad the photos are of and by themselves. I will try to hurry and get a new collection up soon.
In the meantime I wanted to show an image of two of the Percherons that were there Sunday. They are a beautiful team, and I am a sucker for dapple-grays. Click on the image for a larger view. I hope you enjoy it and the images to follow.
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