I rarely fail to see and admire a small herd of Shire draft horses that live and work at a farm on Kitchen-Dick Road. It was a car-stopping event on Saturday when we saw two of them harnessed and working.
John previously lived and farmed in Eastern Washington. He’s been in Sequim for 10 years. He teaches horse handling and has the skills of a traditional farmer: welder, blacksmith, and the woodworking skills to make wheels. And he’s a great conversationalist.
The sweet and beautiful horses patiently waited for us as we talked. “They’re happy as long as they’re not working,” said John.
And then it was time to get back to work. John is going to plant potatoes and 19 kinds of garlic are growing to the left. If you want to see more of his horses and operation, Google “High Bridge Shires Blog.” (Sorry. I can’t get the link to work.)
It’s been a longtime since I’ve seen horses working in the field.
Wonderful photos to give us a sense of the whole operation.
The equipment seems almost archaic, doesn’t it! Beautiful animals.
Wow! What a great series. You could do a whole photo book on “traditional” farming if you spent some time out there. Those horses are so elegant. What a difference from the monster machines screeching and belching out smoke. We could probably have an impact on global warming by going back to this kind of farming but I don’t think most folks would want to do that! 🙂
What a wonderful set of photos – I love it when I come upon things like this. Last year we saw a wheat threshing with old time machinery – out near Sedro Woolley – great experiences.
Excellent captures, and magnificent horses!
Wonderful scene. The horses are so beautiful.
Reminds me of another era and how nice to still see ‘farming’ down this way. The horses are beautiful and look like ‘gentle giants’ patiently waiting for their owner to get back to work. Great photos and how nice of John to let you get a close up view!
You are four for four with these wonderful images, Kay. Posts like this keep reminding me how far I am from the simple life of farming and food production. Natural food in my world is the kind I might get at Whole Foods instead of Stop & Shop. Shame on me!