Amish Pony Carts Proliferate

Amish Children Exit School House.

Over the past ten years I have noticed a steady change in the Amish community. I can remember when I used to drive by an Amish school when kids were coming or going to class. I would always smile at the line of kids, walking barefoot and carrying their lunch pales and books. Times has changed.

If you look closely at the picture, you will notice that only two of the kids are actually walking home from school. Amish kids in Jamesport mostly "drive" themselves to school in miniature carts and wagons.

A little over ten years ago I noticed that miniature horses began appearing at Amish farms around Jamesport.  As the years went by I began to see Amish kids riding miniature horses. That was apparently only the first step in a quiet evolution that has culminated in a proliferation of miniature horses and pony carts. Now it seems that you cannot pass an Amish farm without seeing a pony cart for the kids. This is making the littlest Amish more mobile.

The size and style of the pony carts is diverse. The kids are as cute as ever. I hope they stay safe on their journeys to school and back.