Does anyone have an ex-Amish horse? Are some Amish horses are branded? I have a branded gelding that came through auction in the NJ/NY/PA/CT area. He has scars that look like they are from a harness. Plus other misc. scars that look like he was a work horse vs. a pleasure mount.
If he is freeze branded on his neck, he is mostly likely an off the track Standardbred. Many times they end up in Amish hands as driving horses when they come off the track.
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I currently own my second ex-Amish horse. Mine have both been Saddlebreds, and neither were born Amish. These have been the best 2 horses I’ve ever owned. I hope your experience with this new kid is as fabulous as mine have been.
I have two ex-amish horses who are not branded, but one of mine has a TON of scars like you described. It’s heartbreaking. My third horse has a neck brand and is an unraced standardbred. I don’t know if he was ever working for the amish, but it’s possible as he was picked up at an auction in PA.
There were two former Amish horses where I board. One was a big Standardbred x Percheron x ??? bay mare. I don’t remember her having any brands at all. The other was a 2yo pinto pony. Her chest was so narrow that her front legs would bump together when she was moving. She’s maybe 6yo now and she’s filled out great. Also no brand.
Both were used for driving. The big mare was also broke to ride, the pony they aren’t really sure but she was so young she probably wasn’t broke to ride before she came to the farm.
Located in PA.
I have been pulling horses off of the Amish road for over 40 years. I live in PA, close to the Nexxus to Hell for my breed of horse.
You’ll hear that there are good Amish and bad. The reality is that the care could be a bit better along the way, but the end of the journey is the same.
As long as the Amish are the HUGE Tourist draw that they are for the Commonwealth of PA- they’ll stay under the radar. It takes a truly heinous welfare offense for them to actually be charged.
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I used to ride a lot of them…had a friend who bought them at auction and we would teach them to jump and trail ride and sell as fox hunters.
IME some are sound and some are not, they have worked hard. But all are well broke and most take up something new fast. I would get a PPE. I had a lot of fun on a few of them…mostly Haflingers who can be super little jumpers. They are kind of strong often, so better for small Ammies than kids.
Not often branded. I can think of 2 brands out of 10ish. Some places have a farm brand…I had a stock pony branded like that too (not Amish).
many states require you to register your brand so you might get some info if you track it down.
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Correct that a lot of them are Standardbreds that are failed or retired racehorses. That would likely be the brand you are seeing, and it is likely he pulled a buggy as opposed to being a pleasure horse. If yours is branded on the neck, would be happy to look up the registration for you.
My retired mare was bred by us, raced for us, claimed off of us and ended up with at least one foal on the ground. She resurfaced some 15 years later in a kill pen, having come from the Amish. Her feet were in terrible shape, but she was fat and shiny and didn’t act like she had been ill-treated in any way. Also, whomever had her had attempted some shoeing to make her more comfortable, but it was pretty clear she just wasn’t staying sound enough to work (i.e., be used as a buggy horse).
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He is hot branded on the left shoulder. He has a ton of physical & mental scars. He was extremely head shy when I got him. He also had lice, snots & thrush. Dentist said she didn’t think his teeth had ever been done. Once we worked through some bucking & rearing issues, he was the most responsive horse I’ve ever ridden. He rides off your seat & can be ridden in a halter with one lead rope. He’s scared to death of people, but nothing in my obstacle course bothers him. He might stop to look at something, but then willingly goes forward. If you raise your hand too fast to adjust your hat or swat at a fly, he’ll scramble backward to get away though.
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Years ago…I bought a Reg. 3 yr. old QH that Amish “tried” to make a buggy horse out of…he wasn’t fast enough for them!! After we taught him NOT to pace…a faster gait than the trot…he was an AWESOME English horse. Born a “good old boy” from day one!! I guess if they “escape”/ 'survive" the Amish care and treatment they are grateful for life!!
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Pie’s brand… And pictures of the day I got him & after a few months of TLC.
I’ve searched all the brand books available online. I’d love to find out where he came from. It might give me some insight into his mental state…
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That’s a farm or ranch brand of some sort. He is adorable- you’ve got him looking like a star!
Best of luck on your journey with him, identifying him, and all!
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He’s really cute! Having grown up in classic Central PA Amish country, I would be surprised if he ever had a job as a buggy horse. He’s a pretty flashy color, they tend to stick to plain bay and dark chestnut/bay/black. Chrome and colors like that aren’t really seen as buggy horses from my total anecdotal experience.
(I do see on craigslist and the like, that there are amish/mennonite trained horses for cart for sale, and I have seen flashier colors there.)
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Yeah, I feel like it would be odd for a horse like that to have come from an Amish background but I guess weirder things have happened. He really is adorable.
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My first horse came from Shipshewana auction…a bay. Green broke, thought to be an ex-Amish horse. Years later, I had the opportunity to have someone put him in harness and drive him. Told he’s had lots of time in harness.
When I got him, he was spooky, scared to death of men and any fast movements with your hands around his head sent him ducking. Flat work bored him, liked jumping and was very handy.
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Amish have lots of American saddlebreds.
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I was thinking he might be too flashy, but it’s worth a shot to try to figure out his background. Thank you! 
That sounds a LOT like my guy. Vet says he was probably ear twitched too, which doesn’t help the head shy issue.
What @ASB Stars said. Tons of horses coming from out west, going through the local auctions at New Holland, Cranbury and Moores. Likely, he’s one of them that got sent to the pipeline, hoping to make as much money out of him as possible before going to slaughter. I got two like this from Cranbury almost two years ago. The older one is a 26yo QH that has a ranch brand and was head shy and people shy as well. He’s settled in now and he the other one are both doing great as lesson horses.
Best of luck with your new boy!
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I was looking at the Moores auction site on FB and noticed a lot of horses who were said to have come from the Amish. So what’s up with that? As soon as the Amish have a problem with a horse, they dump it?
