Author(s): Beth Oberholtzer; John Herr (Photographer)

Horses

Every day in Lancaster County, thousands of Plain-sect farm families hitch up draft horses to work their fields, and carriage horses to take them from place to place. These animals are foundational to a faith community that bans automobiles and tractors in a desire to live simple, agrarian-based lives. Stories and interviews accompany over 240 candid photos depicting the most common horses at work and play in Lancaster County-from foals frolicking at their mother's side to six Belgians hitched abreast to harrow a field. The book features six draft horse breeds and five carriage horse breeds-Belgian, Percheron, Mule, Suffolk, Spotted Draft, Haflinger, Standardbred, Morgan, American Saddlebred, Dutch Harness, and Friesian. The photos and stories show how they are trained and cared for, offering profound insight into the emotional connection that Plain people have with their horses.