Draft horse wagon rides are a big draw at Pioneer Day
by Joan Tucker
The Waterloo Area Historical Farm Museum’s Pioneer Day on October 8 provided a great opportunity to take a wagon ride pulled by draft horses. The cool, crisp autumn Sunday was perfect for these rides, during which, the adults were as much in awe of these mighty, muscular horses as the kids—in fact, maybe more so!
This year my husband, our grandson, and I attended the event and rode on a red wagon pulled by a pair of powerful, gray Percheron draft horses. Donna Doneth, from Doneth Family Hitches near Corunna, rode on the back talking to our group about these special horses. Did you know that the Percherons are born black and turn gray and finally turn white as they age? Shoeing these horses can cost as much as $1,000, and the shoes only last six weeks because of the rapid growth of the horses.
Clearly, Donna, her husband Kevin, and their son who drove a second team, have a love and passion for these beautiful animals. Steve Opp of Gregory, organizer of the wagon rides, drove a third team of draft horses, and Monica Wentz out of the Durand area drove the fourth team. These teams took passengers on a scenic drive down Schumacher Road to the beautiful Schumacher Farm and back. Each ride was approximately 30 minutes, with at least 15 adults and children on board. The four teams each made approximately eight trips, carrying a total of nearly 500 passengers during Pioneer Day.
This year’s Pioneer Day had over 1,500 guests, an attendance number that harkened back to pre-COVID days. Twenty-five vendors and another 25 demonstrators also participated. Demonstrations ranged from cookie making in the bake house and weaving in the big farmhouse to apple-cider pressing, forging metal tools in the blacksmith shop, and soap making. And there was so much more.
Susan Dewey, who has some Native American ethnicity, demonstrated Native American cooking. She ground acorns into flour, made biscuits with it, and then made a fruit compote with wild cranberries to complete the treat.
Pioneer Day always offers so many things to see and do. What a gem we have in our own backyard!
All photos by Joan Tucker
The view down Schumacher Road from the back of a wagon on this cool, crisp autumn Sunday.
At Pioneer Days at the Waterloo Farm, Kevin Doneth drives a wagon pulled by a pair of powerful, gray Percheron draft horses.
Monica Wentz of Durand drives another of the four teams of draft horses. All totaled, nearly 500 passengers enjoyed wagon rides during Pioneer Day this year.
