Lessons from an Amish horse sale

I recently had the privilege of attending the Spring Draft Horse Sale in Kalona, Iowa. Less than an hour’s drive south, the Kalona Sale Barn must look, feel, sound, and smell like what was common a century ago. Arriving early, my goal was to see and understand the advertised “driving of horses”.

“Driving” appears to be at the request of potential buyers and simply involves the consignor walking or trotting the horse or horses, with or without a carriage, around a track south of the barn. The route I took to the track involved walking through the sale barn itself which was full of more than 100 horses of various breeds. Not many horses were driven or ridden on the track that morning, giving me the opportunity to spend more time roaming through the barn, getting closer looks at the horses in and out of their stalls.

I purchased my $5.00 bench seat (chairs are $10.00), reserving a spot on the bench all day in the arena. While enjoying a cup of coffee and a sweet-roll, i perused the sale booklet which described the horses with a number of phrases I didn’t understand.

My reserved seat was next to a pleasant Amish man about my age, sporting a straw hat, denim jacket with matching pants and a long gray beard. He politely answered my first question and, just as politely, replied “I don’t know” to my second and third questions. The meaning of some phrases could be inferred, but more complete definitions came from Google as the sale went on.

“King,” a four-year-old Percheron, was “green broke,” meaning that he has received basic training but is relatively inexperienced and needs more training. “Ranger”, also a four-year-old Percheron, “lopes a nice circle,” meaning that he behaves well when being walked in a circle, a good sign during early training. “Dick”, a 13-year-old Belgian, is “not for a beginner,” which means he is hot-blooded or high-strung.

Most horses are sold as “sound,” meaning they are free from lameness or any other significant ailment. If one buys a sound horse but finds within 30 days that it is unsound, it can be returned for a full refund. A few horses were sold “at halter,” which means that they cannot be returned.

As each consignor leads their horse or team of horses into the auction ring, they are obligated to tell the auctioneer of any unsoundness. Some consignors give more details than others. Some felt compelled to give more details as their horse or team behaved a little poorly. Twice, the auctioneer directed the consignor and horse out of the ring without a sale; once when a man brought a horse he claimed was “halter broke”. When that horse soon proved otherwise, the auctioneer directed the consignor and the horse out of the ring abruptly.

The consignors are all named in the sales booklet and it seems likely that each consignor’s reputation for the care of horses and for honesty affected the prices paid.

In this era of “alternative facts”, there is much to learn from our Amish brothers and sisters at the Kalona Sale Barn. You should consider a visit: www.kalonasalesbarn.com.

Frank Nidey is a retired attorney in Cedar Rapids.