When I first read this quote, I was struck by the reality of its truth—even today horses are at the mercy of their owners. This quote is from page 98 of the book Down on the Farm, A Picture Treasury of Country Life in America in the Good Old Days by Stewart Holbrook, Crown Publishers, Inc. (1950). The wonderful pictures by Milton Rugoff cover agriculture from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This book is out of print but can still be found through the Internet. It will give one hours of enjoyment reading the text and studying the collection of photographs.
These four Belgian workhorses in Lancaster County, PA, appear to have a good Amish master. They are hitched to a fore cart (Amish tractor), which is being used to haul the manure spreader.
Several weeks ago, I was able to visit the Amish area of Clare, Michigan. While at the Colonville road general store I noticed several interesting features of this buggy.
Notice the upright board attached to the dashboard around which he wrapped the reins.
Notice the umbrella attached to the back of the seat. Also notice the strips of reflective tape on the “lazy back” of the seat.
In the well-written book Amish in Michigan by Gertrude Enders Huntington, published by Michigan State University Press of East Lansing, there is a discussion about the Amish objection to the slow-moving vehicle sign (orange triangle). Some Amish view “these triangles as decorations, ostentatious state symbol, official emblems, symbols of government authority, a type of graven image or simply a symbolic of modern times (page 25).”
Thus when in 1980 three Amish men in Gladwin were ticketed for not having the required state sign, they prompted the court case, “The People of Michigan v Swartzentruber, et al.” Eventually the Michigan Court of Appeals reversed the lower court, thus permitting the Amish to mark the outline of their buggies with two inch-wide strips of reflective tape.
Note how they use a rope snapped around the horse’s neck to hitch the horse to the hitching post. Also note the amount of mud that has been kicked up against the dashboard.