Progressive Horse Days event teaches value of horsepower
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
Nicole Tavenner
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The harrowed rows were a bit more askew than most that line the fields of Lake County, but the seeds tossed inside won’t know that it was a primitive piece of metal drawn by the deftly trained feet of a horse, and not the hum of a modern day tractor that gave them a home to grow in.
The 2nd annual Progressive Horse Days, hosted over the weekend by Pioneer Coach in St. Ignatius, hoped to showcase the abilities of well-trained horses in agriculture by giving demonstrations of how they are trained, cared for, and used to farm.
“The motive of the event started out as horse demonstrations to show you can be self-sustainable with horses,” Pioneer Coach owner Marvin Troyer said. “You don’t have to burn fuel, all you need is hay to feed the horses.”
Horses can be used for many different aspects of farm life, as demonstrated by the several trainers who gave the expected crowd of 500 explanations of how animals can become such valuable tools.
Hamilton trainer Theresa Manzella gave examples of training and explained why it is important for the horse.
“They are just like children,” Manzella said. “You have to teach them. They are going to be petulant children that are pretty much useless, or they’ll become good hardworking members of society.”
Manzella let onlookers in on some secrets to loosening up a nervous horse that include rubbing the inner gums to release endorphins.
“It’s just enough to take the edge off,” Manzella said.
Small pointers can be a big help to horse owners, who sometimes aren’t clued in to the training methods with which their animals were taught, Manzella said. She used to teach a kids’ equestrian camp where parents were required to come specifically because so many of them didn’t know some basic pointers about the animals.
“It doesn’t do much good for me to spend all the time on the horse and teach him a language if you aren’t going to speak it when you take him home,” Manzella said.
Trainer Joshua Engbretson said there is plenty people can learn about themselves from working with horses, especially in regards to empathy.
“Don’t think the way you think,” Engbretson said. “Get out of your head and think the way horses think.”
Learning to train a horse can provide leadership skills.
“You can learn about leadership with a horse before you can lead people,” Engbretson said. “Leaders are strong.”
The demonstrations and advice from the trainers were enjoyed by Mary Lee Hyatt, who spent her morning looking for advice that might be used on her Shetland that’s been giving her some trouble.
“They were absolutely wonderful and willing to answer questions,” Hyatt said.
Hyatt said she also loved the Christian atmosphere of the event. The only pitfall of the day was that she couldn’t watch the demonstrations and the consignment auction going on nearby.
The auction that last year consisted of a couple of rows of materials grew into a behemoth sale this year, keeping the auctioneers rattling off bids for more than seven hours. More than 51 carriages, 40 saddles and hundreds of smaller farm tools were sold.
Joe Kretschman came all the way from Cle Elum, Wash., to auction off an old buggy he used to drive in parades.
Kretschman enjoyed experiencing a different culture while his items were auctioned off.
“I’ve seen the plows but I’ve never seen them in use,” Kretschman said. “I’ve read about the Amish, but I’ve never met them in person."
