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\n\t\t<\/div>\n I swung my car into the drive in front of the barn next to the cart. The barn smelled of fresh sawdust on the hot summer afternoon as Emma and I walked toward Pepper\u2019s stall. Donna had Pepper in her stall and all brushed down. Years ago, Pepper trotted at the race track pulling a little sulky; when her racing days ended she became an Amish cart horse, for the last nine years she has been at Horse Heaven where she became a trail horse.<\/p>\n\u201cHi Donna, how are you?\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFine,\u201d she replied. \u201cI\u2019m ready to put the harness on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I do anything to help?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a minute, I need to get the harness,\u201d she replied. Donna walked to the tack room and came back with the equipment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to go slow. Pepper hasn\u2019t been harnessed and driven for about eight years,\u201d said Donna. \u201cIt\u2019s better to go over the basics with her before we get into the cart.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like a good idea,\u201d I replied. \u201cPepper can be skittish.\u201d<\/p>\n
She picked up the harness saddle, a thick narrow bowed piece of leather and laid it just behind Pepper’s withers. From the saddle, Donna attached the back strap running down Pepper’s spine to her tail. She lightly lifted Pepper\u2019s tail, slipped the crupper under and attached it to the opposite side. Pepper stood calmly as if this was an everyday happening. Donna connected the girth and added the breeching strap that ran around Pepper\u2019s haunches. The strap allows the horse to slow the vehicle and is connected to the cart shaft.<\/p>\n
\u201cPepper will push against the breeching when she turns the cart,\u201d said Donna. \u201cHorses usually don\u2019t like the feel of that strap around their hindquarters, but she\u2019s doing real well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donna held up a bridle with big black blinders fixed to either side of the headstall. She put the bit in Pepper\u2019s mouth and pulled the reins through a loop on the saddle. We were ready to go.<\/p>\n
\u201cOk Peppy,\u201d said Donna holding tight to the reins. She turned and handed me a lead rope. \u201cSnap the rope to the bit and lead her out of her stall. I\u2019ll follow.\u201d<\/p>\n
When we reached the front of the barn, Donna again checked the harness, tightened the equipment and double-checked that everything was on correctly.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you learn how to work with the cart?\u201d I asked running my hand down Pepper\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father and grandfather taught me and trained my pony, Domino,\u201d she replied. \u201cIt was Easter vacation when he pulled his truck up to our house. In the truck bed sat a little red cart he borrowed from a friend. I remember racing out to get a look at it. I really wanted to work with the cart and used it for a few months until we returned it to the owner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad made a cart for my pony and a harness but there were no roads where we lived to use the cart. The tires were bicycle wheels and the it got stuck in the grass,\u201d I said, \u201cso I never really used the cart.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can use bicycle wheels for a cart, but they bend easy,\u201d said Donna.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what type of pony did you have?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was 8 years old my parents bought a Shetland pony, yearling, named Domino. He was pure black except for a white star and a race that ran down his face,\u201d said Donna.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a pony too,\u201d I replied. \u201cHe was a pinto gelding about 13.2 hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think my parents bought the pony out of frustration,\u201d said Donna. \u201cI grew up on a farm in North Ghent, PA. I\u2019ve always been small but I\u2019m tough and agile. When I was a very little girl I would go into the barn and put a gunny sack on a calf for a saddle and use baling twine to make a bridle, then I\u2019d ride the calf in its stall. My mother would get after me with a switch for bothering the calves, but I ran faster than she could. One day I had to hide in the dog house all day until I saw my Dad come in from his work in the fields, then I knew it was safe to go into the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess buying the pony solved the problem,\u201d I laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cDomino was a good little pony,\u201d she said, \u201cI trained him to do tricks for the horse show. I would tell him to kneel on one front leg, then on two front legs then to lay down with his legs tucked under him. That\u2019s when I\u2019d jump on his back. He would stand and rear a couple of times for the crowd, then we\u2019d race out of the arena at dead run.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s pretty amazing,\u201d I said as Pepper shifted her wait and rubbed her head against my arm. \u201cIt sounds like you had a lot of fun with Domino.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did,\u201d she replied, \u201cI took him to 4-H horse shows at Burleigh Farm on Oak Hill near East Ulster in PA. I entered him in lots of different competitions; the barrel race, poles, bag race, and hit the can.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve done barrel racing, poles, keyhole, but I\u2019ve never heard of the bag race or hit the can,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bag race is like musical chairs on horses. They play music and each contestant has to race to the far side of the arena, jump off, pick up a gunny sack and race back to the finish line. The person without a bag is out, \u201cshe said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what about the can race,\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn that race there are four barrels placed at the four corners of the arena. You race pass each barrel and knock off the can. The one with the fastest time wins,\u201d replied Donna.<\/p>\n
Pepper pulled at the lead rope and shifted her weight as Donna finished tightening the girth and adjusted the reins.<\/p>\n
\u201cOk, you hold onto the lead as I walk behind and drive her up the road. If she gets scared you\u2019ll control her with the lead rope, but otherwise keep it loose. We\u2019ll see how she does.\u201d
\nWe walked Pepper up and down Murray Creek Road several times back and forth in front of Connie\u2019s house. Pepper calmly walked ahead of Donna turning when she needed to turn. I simply walked beside Pepper with a loose rope and listened for Donna\u2019s next instruction.<\/p>\n\u201cShe\u2019s doing great! I\u2019m going to take her down to the barn and we\u2019ll hitch up the cart,\u201d said Donna.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo I need to do anything special?\u201d I asked walking quickly to keep up with Pepper\u2019s fast walk.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, just walk along beside her,\u201d replied Donna.<\/p>\n
We walked down the asphalt road, turned onto the gravel driveway and arrived back at the barn. At the barn, Emma and Donna each took hold of the cart. They carefully brought the cart around and behind Pepper. Once the cart was in position the two cart shafts would be attached by the trace straps on the harness.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most dangerous part is hitching the horse to the cart because the horse can become terrified. Don\u2019t let Pepper move into the shafts or she\u2019ll get spooked and maybe hurt,\u201d said Donna as the cart rolled slowly towards Pepper. \u201cI don\u2019t want anyone to get hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOk, I\u2019ll hold her tight,\u201d I said squeezing the lead rope.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always bring the cart to the horse, that way the horse has less chance of hitting one of the shafts,\u201d said Donna.<\/p>\n
I held Pepper tight by the rope, but she wanted to fidget. It took some time to connect the trace to the cart, in the meantime, Pepper wanted to move. I held firm to the rope preventing her from going forward with the harness half attached to the cart.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf she walks those shafts into the barn she\u2019ll panic,\u201d said Donna working skillfully to hook the traces to the cart. \u201cHold her firm.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, the cart was hitched up. Donna and I each held a lead rope; one on each side of Pepper\u2019s head. We carefully lead Pepper in a big turn away from the barn and towards the road.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll lead her up and down the road until she\u2019s used to the cart,\u201d said Donna.<\/p>\n
Back and forth we walked along the roadway with Pepper pulling the cart behind her. She walked as her hooves picked up a steady beat against the blacktop and the cart rolled along on its motorcycle wheels.<\/p>\n
Donna had the cart made several years ago. It is a little heavier than the average cart, but good for going on roads. The cart was made by Carl Bradley who lived in Litchfield, PA. Carl was an expert at welding farm equipment and machinery repairs. About 5 years ago, Johnn Ballentine sandblasted and repainted the cart an emerald green.<\/p>\n
To make a turn with the cart Donna first had Pepper turn in the opposite direction then swing back across the road making a tight turn. We practiced turns for a while until Donna felt Pepper was ready to pull the cart with someone in it.<\/p>\n
\u201cOk, Pat you climb in and I\u2019ll lead Pepper. All you have to do is loosely hold the reins,\u201d said Donna.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t sound too hard,\u201d I said quickly climbing into the cart trying not to make it move, sat down and picked up the reins.<\/p>\n
I had never driven a cart before. It was a new experience for me, and I felt a little odd sitting behind the horse and not riding on her back. It was fun. Donna led her up and down the road a few times, until Donna felt Pepper was ready for the real ride.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to climb in,\u201d said Donna. She quickly climbed into the cart, took the reins and off we went up the road.<\/p>\n
Pepper walked fast and at times broke into a slow trot as the cart bumped along the country road. Donna showed me how to handle the reins and let me drive the cart for awhile. Connie came out to watch and helped turn the cart when Pepper thought she was going back to the barn.<\/p>\n
Some distance up the road we saw and hear the roar of two motorcycles headed in our direction. As the motorcycles came closer and closer we knew Pepper would have a problem with the noise and fast vehicles passing her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHorse in training,\u201d Donna called to them.<\/p>\n
The motorcycles pulled off the street at the intersection where Johnn was raking the lawn. Connie walked over to them. Lucky for us they were neighbors of Johnn and Connie; friends that lived up the street. Pepper continued to pull the cart and everything was fine.<\/p>\n
Donna stopped the cart and switched passengers. Emma climbed in and they were off down the road again. Pepper remembered her training and had no problem with the cart. Finally, it was time to put the cart away and we headed for the barn. Donna unhitched the cart and unharnessed Pepper.<\/p>\n
We brushed Pepper, gave her a carrot and put her out to pasture with the other horses. Donna and I each took the end of a shaft and walked the cart up Murray Creek Road to the hayloft entrance. It took some effort to pull the heavy cart over the threshold and maneuver it into place in a corner of the barn\u2019s second level. Then Donna covered the cart and we left it snug under a tarp.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo why did you buy the cart?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI bought the cart for Ember,\u201d she replied. \u201cI used to board at another stable which had an indoor arena. Ember was a half-Arab gelding; light chestnut with a white blaze and white socks, front and back on the right side. He was beautiful just 14.1 hands. He held his head and tail high with a walking on air gait. I called him \u201ca little delicate\u201d because he kept himself so clean.\u201d<\/p>\n
As we walked towards the stalls to retrieve our gear, I asked, \u201cWhy did you bring your horses to Horse Heaven?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t happy with some of the management\u2019s bookkeeping practices at the other stable. There were stalls available here so I moved Ember and Lady,\u201d she said. \u201cIf Ember would have lived he would be the same age as Lady \u2013 36 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to Ember,\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe died of colic. It was at night and nobody realized he was sick until it was too late. He was in a lot of pain. The vet came and put him down. He was 26 years old when we buried him behind the barn.\u201d<\/p>\n
“That’s too bad,” I said.<\/p>\n
We turned into the barn where Emma was waiting for us. The sun was still shining when Emma and I waved good-bye to Donna. We hopped into our car and drove towards route 220 headed for home. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I swung my car into the drive in front of the barn next to the cart. The barn smelled of fresh sawdust on the hot summer afternoon as Emma and I walked toward Pepper\u2019s stall. Donna had Pepper in her … Continue reading
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