About our Belgian Horses

The fictional children's horse stories are based on real, live horses we had the privilege to own, when we lived inside the boundaries of the Adirondack Park.  We lived in Stony Creek from 1986 to 2010.  Nancy and her second filly Princess were sold in 1994.  We moved to Day where we lived from 2010 to 2016.  In 2016 we moved to Maine.  We bred Nancy to Ned from Argyle, NY, in 1989, and Princess arrived May 1, 1990.  For the purpose of the story, Princess the flesh and blood horse becomes Prince in the fictional story.

In the pictures displayed on this page, Nancy wears a red halter and Princess wears a blue halter, so the viewer can easily recognize each horse.  In full harness for logging or driving, Duane is holding the reins on Nancy, and Gabe is holding the reins on Princess.  Unfortunately, there is no picture of the stud Ned, owned by Fern Delisle in Argyle, NY. 

The hooves on the Belgian horse are the size of small dinner plates, and Duane did all the farrier work by holding and trimming each horse's hoof on his knee and working the pick with one hand and the clippers with both hands.  The pick and blade scrape out debris and cut away excess hoof nail (like a toenail only thicker) on and around the frog.  The frog is a wedge shaped area underneath the center of the hoof that pumps and circulates blood to the heart while the horse is standing.  

Duane and Gabe hauled water to the barn in five gallon spackle buckets.  Whenever Princess wanted food or water, she would kick the bucket, and we could hear it crashing and banging from inside our house. 

In the narrow stalls Nancy and Princess would often pin Duane or Gabe between the wall and themselves by leaning with all their weight, and there was no amount of human effort to get them to stop.  The more Duane and Gabe pushed back  or hollered "stop!" the harder the horse leaned.  Gabe and Duane learned from a seasoned horseman to let the horse lean against a harmless sharp object, like a short handled, pointed garden spade, so the horse would naturally feel the point, pull away and stand up straight.  

Yes, even I got squeezed against the barn wall and stepped on.  'Though not intentional it still hurt!  Any resentment disappeared with an nudge and soft snort of sweet hay breath on my neck.  I readily accepted the apology.  To this day, and even though I have learned I am allergic to horses, I have eyes for no other horse, just the Belgians, and I perk up, whenever I see a Belgian on a farm or a team in the field haying or pulling a wagon.  

In August 2024 we visited Jim and Brenda Gordon in Brushton, NY, where we were nose to nose with our beloved gentle giants!!!  They have more than 600 horse videos on You Tube covering harnessing, farming, plowing, logging, breeding and training work horses.  Bree is a sweet young filly born May 27, 2023, to their Belgian mare Lady.  Lady foaled again in 2024 and the new foal's name is June.   workinghorseswithjim.com is their website.