Equine Education Field Day held for young Amish students
At the April 11 Equine Education Field Day, about 275 students age 5-14 learned from local leaders on topics such as better horsemanship, proper care and how to be safe while traveling the roads.
Despite a rainy start, the second annual Equine Education Field Day for local Amish parochial schools drew a crowd of students, parents and teachers.
The April 11 event was planned by a team of Willis Miller, David Miller and Marcus Mullet for the purpose of teaching young Amish children how to handle horses properly and safely. The event was originally a brainstorm of the board of directors of the magazine, The Standardbred Journal, the quarterly publication out of Mount Hope covering news in the Standardbred driving horse industry nationwide and in Canada.
As a nonprofit organization, the funds generated by The Standardbred Journal are directed back into the industry for both promotion and education. One aspect of education now includes sponsoring the annual Field Day to inspire young people to become interested in horses.
Three locations were scheduled for the Field Day Tour, with nine local schools rotating between tour stops throughout the morning. Altogether, about 275 students age 5-14 learned from local leaders on topics such as better horsemanship, proper care and how to be safe while traveling the roads.
The first stop on the tour was Green Acres Stables near Mount Eaton, owned by Robert Miller, a horse trainer specializing in both buggy horses and Roadster show prospects. The stable usually has about 40 horses in various stages of training.
The children were treated to a demonstration of how Miller’s team starts a young horse in the bridle. The first horse was long-lined or driven without being hitched in a cart.
This allowed the trainer to teach the horse to accept the bit using both the lines and verbal cues. Next, young green horses were bridled and put in an exercise walker. This allowed the horses to teach themselves how to carry the bit comfortably and work off some energy.
“We aim to keep our horses feeling healthy and comfortable. That makes a good driving horse,” Robert Miller said.
The highlight of the visit was showing a finished driving horse, driven by Miller himself.
The second stop was David Miller’s Sunrise Stables, also located near Mount Eaton, where yearling horses are prepared for auctions. The children were able to walk through his barn and training facility, and it also featured instruction by Joe Bowman Jr. from Bowman Harness on properly fitting a harness and learning how to safely tie a horse at a hitching rail.
“A happy horse will make a happy driver,” Bowman said as the kids studied the diagrams he provided.
The final tour stop was located at Cedar Valley Taxidermy, located just north of Mount Hope. Leroy Miller and his daughter Lori run the shop, mounting deer, elk, bears, bobcats and other hunting trophies.
“The eye is the key to a realistic mount,” Leroy said as he showed the children both his finished mounts and those in process.
It takes about seven hours to build the pieces but two weeks or longer until the mount is completely dry and ready to go back to the owner.
Following lunch at the Mount Hope Event Center, the last session featured a visit from two Holmes County Sheriff’s Department officers. Sgt. Brian Bernhart introduced his police dog Diego, a Dutch-bred shepherd trained in Europe for identifying drugs and gun residue as well as tracking perpetrators. Although Diego is owned by the county, he lives his off-duty time with Bernhart, allowing him to both train and strengthen his bond with the dog.
General safety was then discussed by Lt. Tim Stryker, who advised children to wear reflective vests when walking to school and bike helmets when biking.
“You can’t get there fast if you’re not there,” he said.
Stryker also said E-bikes are more dangerous than regular bikes because of the speed but also because it’s difficult for vehicle drivers to gauge how fast they are going. “It’s safer to ride single file and not two- and three-deep on the roads,” he said.
Stryker’s second topic was stranger danger, saying children should be aware if a stranger is following them or approaching the school playground.
Wrapping up the day was a discussion by Stephen Yoder on purchasing a horse. Known locally as “Pedigree Steve,” he is a realtor, but he also is known for his skill of reading recommendations and pedigrees at horse auctions.
Yoder told a story about an inexperienced person purchasing a horse at an auction. Because the man needed a horse to drive to church the next day, he rushed and bought a horse without speaking with the owner before buying. When the horse eventually came up lame, the man was unhappy about his auction experience.
“This is a lesson for you — you need to do your homework,” Yoder said. “Take a friend or family member with horse experience to help you.”
He also talked about different breeds having different dispositions.
“Some breeds are quick to shy at traffic. Others seem more prone to kicking,” Yoder said. “You need to figure out your budget but also decide how often you’ll be driving your horse. If you’ll drive it several times a week, a young horse might work out fine. But if the horse will only be exercised once a week, buy a 10-year-old horse or older.”
The event was held so children will have good experiences with horses and learn it’s worth it to put some time into selecting good horses and get involved in their care. It’s a way of life to pass on for the generations to come.