Riding & Writing...: Horse Power: An Interview with Ohio Horseman John Hutchison

John Hutchison with his team

Horse Power: An Interview with Ohio Horseman John Hutchison

Gina McKnight

Archived from the December 2023 issue of Florida Equine Athlete
No duplication without permission - All photos by Gina

The first time I met John Hutchison was in 2021 at his farm in Albany, Ohio. My friends and I scheduled a wagon ride through the Albany countryside. I didn’t know what to expect, but I can say that it was the ride of a lifetime – and I am now a big fan! Meeting John’s Percherons, Moose and Bill, was exhilarating. Standing beside a Percheron is humbling; they are large and beautiful.

John was born on a small dairy farm less than one mile from where he now lives. He has a long history with horses. A true teamster, he uses his horses for farm work, teaching driving class at the local community college, and provides hours of joy giving wagon and carriage rides. I met up with John just before the annual PawPaw Festival in Athens County, Ohio.

Welcome, John!

GM: When was your first encounter with a horse?

JH: Riding on Grandpa’s Draft mare “Queenie” (black Percheron) when he would work her around the farm, typically pulling logs or “stave bolts” out to the log landing.

GM: When training a Draft to pull, what methods do you use?

JH: If you have access to big, quiet, older Drafts, they will do most of the training for us. Get the youngsters used to wearing the harness, ground drive a little, hitch with his “mentor” to plow or a wagon with brakes, and off we go. Typically, it’s a pretty simple process. Then I like to work on the farm for a year before gradually working in public. I like to start a two-year-old just a little; work a three-year-old (not too hard) on the farm; take four-year-olds out in public, starting with “easy” jobs that aren’t too scary.

GM: Of all the big breeds, which is your favorite?

JH: I like black Percherons cause that’s what Grandpa had. I think there are good horses in all the Draft breeds. A few random thoughts:

I think in general (with lots of exceptions), Percherons are a little more active than Belgians. Belgians are a little quieter. The average Percheron moves a little faster and the average Belgian can pull a little more.
I think it is easier to find a nice Percheron or Belgian with good conformation, disposition, etc., at a reasonable price than it is to find the same in the less common breeds.
I think Percherons, and to a lesser extent Belgians, are being bred too tall and without enough bone and substance. They are becoming carriage horses that could not do a days work in the fields.

Having said that, I like tall horses with daylight under them for the work I do – we probably spend 70% of our time pulling a wagon or mower. In both cases, it’s usually not a hard pull and I would like to move fairly quickly. However, I do insist on my horses having the bone and substance to put in a good day plowing! If I was crop farming or logging, I would probably like pulling-bred Belgians, or Percherons of that type.

I think disposition and conformation will always trump breed. I love my big black horses, but a blue-roan team is pretty special, too!

GM: What characteristics do you look for when purchasing a horse?

JH: Grandpa told me, “Never buy a problem, there will be enough problems without buying them!” So, first of all, the young horse needs to be 100% sound. You can’t always tell, but if something seems “off” follow that gut feeling and pass on that horse.

It would be nice to get a vet check but often not practical. Always look for…

Soundness
Conformation - should be balanced, plenty of bone in legs, good hooves. I like a pretty head and nice head carriage
Movement – often a function of conformation, doesn’t interfere at trot, and moves straight and freely
Size – I don’t always get this but it’s nice if a team is similar
Color – It’s nice if the team matches, I don’t have this in many of mine, but true black is nice
Breeding – You can’t work papers, but papers do provide some useful information
I really like a friendly horse that likes people and attention
I wouldn’t buy a horse that I personally didn’t think is “pretty;” might as well have something you are proud of.

GM: Your horses are beautiful; Mustangs, Percherons, etc. Do you have a favorite?

JH: Can’t pick just one! If I had to pick a favorite of all my equines right now, I’d probably pick Charlie, the almost miniature donkey. He was a gift, is older, took Amish kids to school, and opens gates and stall latches. He rides, drives, and is perfect with Grandkids: an eight-year-old can climb on Charlie without a saddle or bridle in the field and ride in; a four-year-old can go to the field, catch him to lead him in, tie him, clean his hooves, groom him, and he always cooperates with her; two-year-old climbs all over him and I don’t worry. He’s priceless!

Through the years, favorites would include:

Eon - my first ¾ Arab mare we got about a month after we were married.
Starbuck – our wonderful Arabian stallion that could do anything.
Sam and Bill – great Percheron geldings that did everything right (Bill is in retirement on our farm now).
Blue – our Mustang mare that liked people from day one and still does.
Moose – A Percheron stallion that I am using now and is constantly into mischief.
Duke – four-year-old Percheron gelding that our Granddaughter Clara calls “Pirit” (her version of “Spirit”) and hugs his head every time she visits. He’s the biggest horse I have worked and is half of the team I am using now.
Dan and Belle – Next team? One-year-old and two-year-old. Fourth generation on our farm. Dan is probably the quietest horse I have ever dealt with.

GM: Have you ever met a horse that was untrainable?

JH: I have never worked with a Draft horse that was untrainable, have a few light horses. We have used 13 different Draft horses on public rides and all were well behaved, they are much quieter than some light horses!

When we first bought Dick and Bill at Mt. Hope Sale [Ohio], they were five-year-old half-brothers. The Amish man who previously owned them asked my good friend and mentor, Roy, if I was a good enough horseman that Dick “wouldn’t kill me?” Dick was a real handful at first and several times I told Teresa we would have to sell him cause “he’s never going to be safe in public.” Roy repeatedly told me, “All he needs is a year with someone who speaks quietly and doesn’t use a whip.” We used them for a lot of years as our main team and they ended up probably the best team I have ever worked. I think that Dick had been shocked (cattle prod?) as a youngster being trained as a competitive pulling horse and panicked when he felt a heavy load. He is now retired on our farm with Bill.

GM: I know what it takes to feed a Quarter horse, but large, working horses may require a special diet. What do you feed Draft horses?

JH: All except Moose are out on pasture. Moose has to be kept in the stall/exercise lot because he feels he should kill geldings.

Moose watching the herd

Most get a very small amount of grain, less than a pint each, twice a day and all the grass they want. Belle, being a one-year-old, gets 1 ½ scoops twice a day. Moose and Duke, being worked, get 2 ½ scoops twice a day. In winter, we will replace grass to some extent with hay, if open winter may graze almost all winter. Will reduce grain to Moose and Duke when not working. The horses put up their own hay each summer, approximately 1,500 square bales. I help them a little!

GM: Take us through a day in your life with horses…

JH: Today it rained, so I am writing this! Here’s yesterday’s schedule:

8 AM: All the big boys came in from pasture to tie stalls in the barn so I can leave pasture gate open to work in pasture. I did other chores and repaired bent knives or machinery until 10:30.
10:30 AM: Tied Duke and Moose in the alleyway, brushed, fly sprayed, and harnessed.
11:15 AM: Received two phone calls concerning wagon rides. I fixed and ate my lunch.
Noon: Hitched the boys to mower – left dogs Bear and Sandy in the garage because the sickle bar mowers are very dangerous for dogs! I drove the team to the farthest part of the pasture from the barn and finished mowing that field. Very hilly, rough field, and hard work for the boys and I. There were a few walnut sprouts too large for the sickle bar, so I cut the small trees with my machete.
3:00 PM: Back to the barn after mowing that large pasture, which is 30+ acres, now clipped about 4” above the ground. I left the boys tied in the alleyway, rested for a few minutes and ate a snack, opened the gate to another, unmowed pasture.
4:30 PM: Separated the boys and watered them, then hitched them back to the mower.
5 – 7 PM: Mowed approximately 2 ½ - 3 acres, steep hill, but not rough with lighter vegetation.
7 PM: Unhitched the team. Teresa just got home and brought fast food from Larry’s Dawg House, so we had dinner.
7:45 PM: Unharnessed the team and did chores. Put Moose to bed with grain, hay, and water. Had to wait ‘til Duke finished his grain to put him out with the other “big boys.”
8:30 PM: Monday Nigh Football – old man went to sleep in the 3^rd quarter!

Next: Friday we will need to clean harness, take the wagon to Lake Snowden for the PawPaw Festival, trim manes and tails on Moose and Duke, and give them a bath. The harness boys, load in trailer and meet my helper Opal at Alexander School District’s parking lot. We will work the PawPaw Festival, giving wagon rides from 5 – 9 PM. Afterwards, we’ll come home, unharness, care for team and do chores, and return to Lake Snowden at 11 AM tomorrow. To arrive at Lake Snowden at 11 AM, ready to go, means getting up and going to work around 7 AM.

GM: That is an intense schedule! People probably don’t realize the work and time it takes to keep horses. What advice do you have for novice teamsters?

JH: If you get excited easily when something unexpected happens, you may want to rethink Draft horses! Here are some things to consider:

Buy an older team that has done a lot.
If buying at an auction, find a knowledgeable person to go with you.
Find a mentor who you can ask questions; getting help from on an ongoing basis is nice.
Draft horses are typically very quiet, but handling teams is inherently dangerous – they are incredibly strong. Take your time, be careful, and enjoy every aspect of working with your team. They are more work than using a tractor!
I think a team is quite practical on a small (160 acres or less) farm. If you plan to do a lot of work you will eventually need three horses. Three abreast are ideal for plowing which is very hard work, and if you do not have a third horse, there will be times when one is unavailable, and you will be down to one horse.
The Amish have a lot of knowledge and can help with all sorts of questions concerning Draft horses and equipment. I realize that some of us “English” have very strong opinions about the Amish but personally, I have found the Amish Community to be about like any other, made up of all types of people from perhaps the nicest folks I know to those I really don’t want to be around.

GM: What does horsemanship mean to you?

JH: Horsemanship means to have knowledge of horses, how they function physically and mentally, and the ability to work in a partnership.

Connect with John…

hutchisonshorses@yahoo.com

Milliron Monday: John Hutchison