In its 18^th year, Horse Progress days took place at Henry King’s Farm in Kinzers, PA on July 1^st and 2^nd. The annual event focused on presenting the newest horse-drawn farm equipment; hitching techniques; produce equipment demonstrations and seminars; a vast array of breeds, along with mules, ponies, minis and oxen. Admission was $10.00 per person per day and included free parking. Estimated attendance on Friday ~ 18,000!

The objective of Horse Progress Days is to encourage and promote the combination of animal power and the latest equipment innovations in an effort to support sustainable small scale farming and land stewardship and to show that draft animal power is possible, practical and profitable ~ sustainable power. The organizers planned to accomplish this with various seminars on harnessing and collar demonstrations, produce demonstrations, logging demonstrations, round pen training with Rick Wheat, horse health seminars, pasture management, and many others demonstrations both days. On both Friday and Saturday, demonstrations were held on spreaders, plows, disks, sub soilers, harrows, and tillage equipment with multi-hitches ranging from a team to a hitch of twelve mules. Produce demonstrations were held on disks, plastic layers, cultivators, planters, sprayers, and seeders. Haymaking demonstrations were held on motorized and non-motorized forecarts, sickle bar mowers and haybines, hay tedders and rakes, small square bale and round bale, balers and wrappers, pick-up systems and storage systems. Logging demonstrations included a thorough review of techniques and equipment for sawing, log skidding, and tree removal.

The arena featured a barnyard mule pull both mornings, bull whip cracking demonstrations, harnessing and collar demonstrations, hands on driving for beginners, an auction on Friday afternoon, and a breed presentation. Vendors included various equipment dealers including Pioneer Equipment and I & J Equipment; tack and harness dealers including Peach Lane Harness and Draft Horse Superstore; cheese vendors; soap vendors; feed vendors; treadmill vendors; Rural Heritage and Lancaster Farming publications; and miscellaneous vendors covering all farm and animal needs.

This year’s theme “Something for Everyone” provided activities for all ages. Children under 14 were given free access to the event and all enjoyed the playground area, petting zoo, barrel train, free Frisbees, and coloring books. Many teamsters were invited from various states to provide wagon rides for the spectators to and from the parking lots or enjoy a leisurely ride around the grounds. We are proud of Art and Melanie Magner for providing wagon rides on Saturday with their team, Roxy and Herman. There was an abundance of food available for purchase including homemade ice cream and milk shakes, barbecue chicken and pork, fruit salad, coleslaw, fresh cut fries, fry pies, pretzels are just the beginning. If you left hungry, it was your own fault! Profits from food served at the event will benefit local needs.

Horse Progress Days is an annual event that rotates between host cities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Next year’s event will be held in Michigan. The next year that Pennsylvania will host Horse Progress Days will be 2017.