A Horse and Buggy Is Our Alternative Transportation

By Shaun Ann Eddy
Published on November 1, 1974
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The Amish of Cattaraugus County, NY were such an inspiration she had to have a horse and buggy too.
The Amish of Cattaraugus County, NY were such an inspiration she had to have a horse and buggy too.
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Pulling a fully enclosed carriage.
Pulling a fully enclosed carriage.
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Trotting on through the snow.
Trotting on through the snow.
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Shaun and Handy, in harness.
Shaun and Handy, in harness.
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A properly trained driving horse isn't spooked by cars 
A properly trained driving horse isn't spooked by cars 
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Tooling around town.
Tooling around town.
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Handy, hitched to a post on a sunny day.
Handy, hitched to a post on a sunny day.

Our family homestead is located in western New York’s Cattaraugus County and, intentionally, near an Amish settlement. My husband and I made that choice because we admire our neighbors’ gentle lifestyle and value the products and services they offer. We’re especially grateful that skills and crafts forgotten or abandoned by the “English” still flourish here and are eagerly taught by our Amish acquaintances.

One particular aspect of Amish life has long fascinated me more than any other: the driving horses and the big, black-top buggies. Meeting such a rig on the road was always a delight. I loved to see a flashy, long-legged team, manes whipping and hoofs pounding in tempo, streak into the village with an Amish family bound for supplies.

The beauty and thrilling sound of a driving horse and buggy were enough to convince me that this was my “alternative transportation.” My husband, always more practical, hesitated to buy anything so unlikely … until later, when circumstances gave my notion some solid backing.

At that time we were driving two automobiles. One was maintained by the company that employed my husband and didn’t cost us a cent, but our own 1966 station wagon was running on luck. Finally, when a major repair was necessary, we decided to sell the old machine and buy a buggy for me.

I’m sure our decision came easier because we live in an area where horse-powered travel is common. Everything the buggy owner needs is available here, even the right traffic conditions. Local motorists expect to meet old-time turnouts on the highways and back roads, and the State Highway Department has put up signs alerting non-area drivers to their presence. All that helps, of course, but even in a non-Amish community anyone who wants to should be able to put together and use a rig like mine.

“Get a Horse!”

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