The Vagabond Chronicles 1

I didn't initially begin thinking of journeying as a plan; there was definitely no thought of journeying for journeying's sake. Instead, the idea of horse-drawn travel was part of a long romance with old-fashioned things, much like my love of antique kitchen things, old dolls, and old history.

More often then not, my love of this sort of lore broke down into two distinguishing routes: all things gypsified, and all things old American.

Gypsified is exactly as it seems. But while my mother is Hungarian and my father hails from the place where gypsies get their name, I'm not of Roma (the "more correct" terminology for gypsy) descent. But that wanderlust notion of traveling by Vardo (a gypsy wagon), has long been appealing to me. It doesn't hurt that the wagons are beautiful. There are still masters of wagon restoration, particularly in England (where there is still, to some degree, wagon transport in the countryside, and a Roma culture that remains closer to its roots than American Roma), and you can see the beauty of the carriages, past and present, such as these:





Another love of mine was early Pioneer history. Resilient folks in horse drawn wagons setting out for new territory was a favorite subject of research--there actually are a variety of wagons, not just one!

Schooner's, or Prairie Schooners are the wagons most people have come to associate with when they think of Pioneer travel. They accommodated a few people and their supplies.

Conestogas were much larger versions of the Schooners. They were meant for a large group of people, or a huge shipment of supplies.

Sheep wagons were not used as a method of prairie travel. Instead, they were used by American Shepherds to live in while following their flocks. Early sheep farmers free ranged their sheep over vast acres, and simply followed them while living in these cozy quarters.

In fact, there are people who still restore and recreate these type campers, and they can be used with horses. And this is one of the models I'll have my eye on in regards to Vagabond travels...

Until next time, Friends!

Horse Sense....

There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.
~ Sir Winston Churchill

I don't know when, exactly, but like many girls, it seems I've always loved horses. My love was no more extraordinary than the next wee lass's, and was perhaps only significant in that I never did get to ride that shiny pony in childhood. Indeed, I probably would have envied those sorts of little girls, but we nowhere near farms when I grew up. We lived with new-fangled fancies only found in the big cities, and although I was an avid animal lover, cats and dogs and classroom gerbils, turtles, and bunnies were enough for me. Horses were things to be admired in large colored books, but the understanding was that these creatures would be out of my realm forever.

When I grew older, we moved to a more rural surroundings, and I was treated again to the now real images of these Goliaths. Perhaps then there was a twinge of longing, looking at these animals close up...but again, there was an internal "stop" mechanism going on in my head, mostly in the form of telling myself that I was too old and too inexperienced to ever deal with these animals.

In my animal and farm travels, I did eventually get to care for these creatures, however briefly. I also studied them in the capacity of carriers and pullers and conquerers of all sorts of civilizations (or, rather, the people who rode horseback). I was fascinated particularly by horse drawn carts and schooners of the pioneer settlers and the large and often ornate carriages of Gypsies from the old world.

And yet, for me to connect the idea of these animals possibly STILL doing such important work came to me in vivid form roughly two years ago. At that time I had been on one of a seemingly never-ending string of promising farm jobs that were not panning out (a story for another time!), and at least in this case, the town of Rocky Mount, North Carolina was at least beautiful, charming, and almost from another era. In the midst of the farm finagling that was happening, my benefactor at the time was invited to the annual community event known as PLOW DAY, which was a display of the county's finest plowing equines.

I was instantly enthralled. I'd never seen animals up close and personal in their finest gear, and so SMART working their jobs. And beautiful. But judge for yourself. I've reposted this entry from my older blog (actually, I'm so in love with this post that I might have reposted it SEVERAL times!) for you to enjoy!

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Plow day happens every mid-October there. It's a heritage show that utilizes someone's huge unplowed field. The community then brings out their finest plow horses and mules, and the whole day is spent with these people and their wonderful animals showing off a few skills by plowing a few lines. There is also an alternate ring for people showing off their draft horse riding skills. The day wouldn't be complete without a huge cookout, people bringing their working dogs and trick mules...and their kids, of course. It's a really lovely community event.

Here are some pictures of the lovely animals at Plow Day:

A black "gypsy horse" hitch trio.

These three beauties belonged to "Frankie," who was practically the mayor of this event. A jolly, happy farmer in his fifties, this guy had all sorts of jokes and war stories and invited EVERYONE over. He didn't care who you were, or what you looked like. Everyone knew this guy, and I loved him AND his horses!

I also loved that they were the only white/grey horse team in the entire place--Percherons. To top it all off, the lead horse (the one smart enough to "turn" and listen to commands) was the MARE. The others are an older gelding and a younger male.

Beautiful coming from the left (Clydesdales)....


...and coming from the right (Mule hitch team).

Andy, the trick mule.

Andy's "sidekick" (who knew mules could have sidekicks?) and best buddy, Aussie, the trick Australian Shepherd

Look at this lovely mare...

Cooling off at the end of a long day....

I have to say, I'm ENAMORED of this event. Is it weird if I say I suddenly want to plow with some horses? Yes, I know, I know. But you already KNEW I was a little off in the noggin. I refuse to apologize though: I am a TRUE, unabashed horse-lovin' kind o' girl. There, I said it. So go ahead, make your "horse whisperer" jokes. The way this economy is goin', we'll probably need to get more of these anyway. They cost less than gas and you'll probably get into fewer massive accidents, that's for sure!