Thursday, May 5, 2011

Harrowing Tale




We gave Willis and Kathy a painting I had done a few years ago depicting Willis Harrowing with a team of six draft horses. They were so excited Kathy had to run next door to the daudy house to show Willis' parents.

Willis told of a time when his brother Mark was only 10 or 11 years old and was harrowing with a team using the old style spike harrows. They had long steel spikes about 10 inches long and would level the soil after plowing and before planting. The kids had a favorite work horse that was of gentle nature and easy for the kids to use, they have many stories about her, a sorrel mare, they called her Chatterley.
Mark didn't know that you could turn a harrow too tight in a turn and it would up end. When he turned tight on one pass, the harrow flipped as the team stumbled. Chatterley fell, she was the inside horse of the team and the full weight of the harrow tines came down on her chest, impaling her. There was nothing he could do, Mark watched her die where she lay and was effected for many years.

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