Collecting Horse Shoes...

[Adam Helmer]

I bought my farm in 1988 which was a 60-acre parcel from the original 155-acre homestead for three generations of the farm seller. As I cleaned up the area, I found horse shoes around the barn, in the garden (former pasture) and on the hills behind the house. I took all the hores shoes into the barn and began hanging them on nails from the overhead beams. At last count, there are 37 shoes of all sizes.

Last week, while working in the barn, I had time to reflect on the many horse shoes. Some of the former users were BIG horses! Many were medium sized shoes and there was one small shoe for a pony. I often wonder how many horses once called this old farm home. In the old days, all the farming was by horse power. Again, as I look over the 20-acre hayfield, I can imagine the effort it took both horse and farmer to drag a single furrow plow 400 yards and then turn around and do it again.

I find horse shoes on the woods trails in Summer and in the other fields. All I find repose in the barn where the former users once lived.

Adam

[buckhunter]

Its amazing what you can find on the old farms. I found arrow heads and even an old rusted ml on ours in Western Kansas. Grandmother told stories of Indians(native americans) surronding her school. They drank from the well and went on their way. I have found a few reminates of logging in NE. Its cool to find this stuff.

[Johnny Reb]

Originally Posted by Adam Helmer

I can imagine the effort it took both horse and farmer to drag a single furrow plow 400 yards and then turn around and do it again.


Adam

Now that was WORK. I know how hard it was growing up on a farm and we had Tractors.

[Adam Helmer]

Johnny Reb,

All my neighbors recall farming with horses back in the WWII era and after. All their fields are larger than my big hayfield. They all talk about plowing for weeks to get the fields rolled over; the tractors came later.

Adam

[Larryjk]

Adam Helmer, I mentioned in a thread my father "broke" his farm out of the prairie, 160 acres. He had the old plow parked in the trees that surrounded the farmstead. It was for four horses to be hooked to and had a riding seat for the farmer. He said it still took a darn long time; not all of it the first year. He had 10 head of draft horses and rotated them each day so they had time to recover. He also raised the Belgium draft horses and sold them to other ffarmers. He always kept at least one team and they were huge, but gentle horses.

[skeet]

We had some Belgians. They were used for hauling logs in the very environmentally dear areas of woods. Big but gentle horses.. My daughter knew how to work them....but then that gal knows horses..and she's a farrier. Them Belgians need BIG shoes

[Larryjk]

skeet, Those shoes for a Belgium were like dinner plates. We always rode them in from the fields and it was like straddling a large fuel tank. Such gentle horses. The last male I remember was "Pat". He would be sleeping on his feetin his stall on his and I would walk in and slap him on the butt. He would darn near fall over. Then if I walked in between him and his stall mate he would lean over and crush me into the other horse. After I punched him he would look back and turn me loose like it was a big mistake. Don't tell me they can't think and don't have a sense of humor. I loved him. When my father sold his last farm he gave Pat to another fellow that raised them and asked him to take care of him.

[skeet]

The last Belgian we had was named Lucy..she was so gentle..BUT if ya walked into the barn with a fly swatter..oh my..scared to death of it.. She would go down to the end of the field..look around and then jump the page wire fence(5 ft high) from a stand and eat the really nice grass over there.. They know ..they really do