That is so cool! I'm here in Texas watching my monarch caterpillars chew up my milkweed and even had to borrow some in pots from a friend. So different.

Oh how fun, Springroz!

Our sleighs had wheels and we used them exclusively in parades back in Texas! Here, they get real use!

I would love too do that!

I LOVE it! The horse is beautiful and very well-trained. You just SAY 'Trot' and he/she does?

I enjoyed the 'ride'! That is so cool that you have sleighs. I have only been on commercial sleigh rides at ski resorts but enjoyed them very much. So much fun with friends, riding along through the woods.

Great video! When your horse turned his/her head back to you, it was like he/she was saying, "What the hell are we doing out here, it's too cold for this."

My3dogs...yes, like dogs, for some people, they just do what we say. DH could tell him what to do all day long, but the horse would just stand there, lol !!

fun2bhere, he does check to make certain that I asked HIM....he stood in his stall, looking out the window while the snow was falling, trying to figure out if he could kill himself....he knows he is the best horse to pull the sleigh!

he was a rescue....the only time I ever bought a lame horse. I did not pay much, but after I got him healed up, he has been the best! He is quite gallant. He is a Morgan horse.

Oh that looks like fun. Wish I could go for a ride! What a pretty horse. He doesn't like to be hitched up to the sleigh?

Knowing that he is a rescue makes it even more wonderful! He's beautiful, and tell him he has a big fan in Maine. I'd love to see a 'beauty shot' of him, so we can see more than his back side! How old is he and how long have you had him?

Springroz! I am so jealous!!! Perfect winter fun.

We have 5 horses now - down from 7 (2 were rescues) and I no longer ride, due to my hips and other back issues. How I would love to have a driver and sleigh. We have 70 acres now and it looks like such fun. We have never driven horses so would have to learn the ropes. I would have to rescue a oldie from the Amish around here because of my 5, none would consider pulling. Retired eventers. At this stage I am not about to teach an old horse new tricks...not these guys anyway...

Please post a pic of your good boy. Morgans are such special horses. Smarties ;)

Yes, would love to see a full front shot of your beautiful horse. Hearing his story makes him more special! And your property looks beautiful too, Springroz.

Awwww, that was so nice to watch! Thanks for sharing it with us. I really enjoyed it, Springroz.

That was great! I remember "Justin Morgan Had a Horse."

All I could think was

Bells on bobbed tails ring, making spirits bright

Thanks for sharing, it did make my spirit bright. And add me to the "we want more pictures!" group.

Only horse people understand buying a lame horse ;-) When I realized by bag 'o bones rescue horse had cost me $1200 the first 4 months, I quit keeping track.

The JR story.....

We met JR at a Mennonite farm. Our local Mennonites are Old World...no power, running water, no motorized anything. They use horses for everything.

The light horses, usually Standardbreds, but occasionally Morgans or Saddlebreds, are their road horses, able to trot 15+ mph to get into the nearest town, or church, and to run errands in the community.

They use draft horses for farm work, and for the "horsepower" (a type of stair stepper treadmill that makes power to run their machines) .

JR was pulling a wagon LOADED with produce out of a field. By himself. Most of the time, a team of drafts would do this work. We asked about the horse, because I train my horses to drive, and could use a steady horse to train the young ones. (I gradually introduce them to weight....the draft horses are usually trained the opposite....hitch them heavily to start)

The farmer said, "Well, IF he were sound, he would probably sell for about twice as much....but he can no longer go down the road....but I can't sell him now, because my other road horse has an injury, and I don't HAVE a draft horse...so we are making do with JR." I left him my address, and asked him to contact me if he wanted to sell him.

Several weeks later, I got the letter. I went out there and drove him, figured out what most of his problem was(his feet were infected because of overdue and not -very-proper shoes). Made arrangements for the vet to get him up to date, and picked him up around Thanksgiving.

I took him him directly to my friend's farm a few miles from the community to have the shoes pulled. The pot bellied pig, 5or 6 dogs, and several children ran directly underneath him, and the young woman who helps my friend asked " This is such a nice horse...how long have you HAD him?" My friend looked at his watch, and said,"Oh, about an HOUR!!!".

i rested him for about 4 months, (it was winter, anyway) , and worked on healing his feet. His heel of his hoof was about 3" long, where there should only be about 1/2", if that. It can't be cut off all at once, because all the tendons in his leg were contracted to compensate. He could have had permanent damage.

So, we brought him back gradually to where he is today. He was 15 when I got him, so he is 18 now. He is mechanically inclined. Opens everything! But he is strong, and game for almost everything. The neighbor girls ride him everywhere. Here is a picture from the Shaker Village Carriage parade Thanksgiving weekend. Not the best, but he was resting....it was drizzling rain.

Great photo! Thank you for the backstory on JR and his road to recovery. He's a handsome dude! I hope you (and your friends) enjoy him for many more years.

Wow, so amazing, and what a beautiful boy. I would have gone bananas for the sleigh ride as a kid. Heck, I'd go bananas now!

No animal horses, just a Mustang here.

Springroz- JR is beautiful! Looks like the old fashioned Morgans, with a bit of heft to him. And your rig is wonderful too!
I would LOVE to learn to drive - wanna come teach us? :) JR is lucky you have him and patiently helped him become sound again.

My first horse was an arab/saddlebred; he too was "mechanically inclined" love that! No stall latch could hold him or blanket buckle...

What a handsome dude. I don't know anything about horses but I enjoy seeing them. They are such impressive animals.

Once I read that they are very intuitive and can read people's emotions. The Budweiser Clydesdales were visiting my town and you could go into their temporary stall area to see them close up. I was studying one, named Sammie according to the name over his stall, and trying to communicate through mental telepathy. I thought "Sammie, show me your teeth" and he smiled and showed his teeth! He gets me.

In April my women's club is touring a therapeutic horseback riding place. I'm anxious to meet the horses. Maybe I can get some of them to smile at me.

What a wonderful story! JR and I have something in common, sort of...I had knee surgery last Wednesday, and am going to PT sessions, where they check my 'gait' and give me exercises to loosen it up. I can understand what we went through with his hoof, taking it slow and easy.

To have an animal that large be so gentle and with a sweet temperament just makes me feel good all over. Many years ago I visited a friend who had a horse, and I just had to go into the corral and pet him. I was scratching him above his tail, and he followed me around like a dog to get more!

Our older neighbors who had horses downsized & moved a little over a year ago. They once had 5 horses but due to their age, and the wife not riding anymore had pared down to 1 of their own but boarded a few for another neighbor. We miss going over to feed apples to their pretty horse Dancer now and then. She was the sweetest thing. Our neighbor was originally from Oklahoma and had ridden since he was a kid. I know he misses his horse more than anything.

You would think that people like the Mennonites, that depend on their horses for their livelyhood, would know how to properly care for them. I am sure JR really appreciates you and his new life.

I believe they do what they can....but I can just put the horse in the trailer and go to the vet.....they cannot even have the vet out for diagnostics because they have no electricity or heated running water. They did take the horses to the vet, and did as much as they could, but selling him(even for the little bit I gave for him) allowed them to find another buggy horse.