Who's Who in the Black Swamp Driving Club

We hope to add new profiles in 2011. Below are some of our past and older members.

Pictured left: Joe and Ann Bell at Longaberger Carriage Classic 1999. Ponies Kate and Julie hitched to a wicker cutunder carriage. Pictured right: Grandson Nathan Strasbaugh giving Grandpa Joe and Sister Marie a ride in homemade sleigh.

Hello! We are Ann & Joe Bell. We live near Arlington, OH on a small plot of land. We grew up on farms where livestock was the normal activity. I, Joe, had ponies from about 5 years old until I was too old for to ride them. I always wanted a cart or buggy but never had one. As I grew older I became interested in horses. Always wanted a team of draft horses, Dad said no! We are going to farm with tractors. When I was a senior in high school, girls became more important than horses. Enter a gal named Ann. I thought she was attractive! She
wouldn't have anything to do with me! I graduated, went to work, saved some money and bought a new "57 Chevy. She would now go out with me! We were married in 58 and started to farm. 8 years and 3 children,
Patti, Barbara and David later we quit farming and I started driving truck. This lasted 15 years when I went into management of a truck terminal, which I have been doing for the last 19 years. Ann has worked in a bank for the last 20 years. Starting at the Citizens Bank in Mt. Blanchard, then to the Arlington, OH branch and it is now
the Ohio Bank.

Our oldest daughter Patti is married and has 3 kids, Maggie, Nathan and Marie, BSDC members know one of them, Nathan well. Barbara is married and has 2 kids, Taylor and Lane, more drivers coming on. We bought the kids, HA!HA! a pony in 1960. Then I bought a pair of Chocolate dapple Shetland pony mares that were 2 & 3 from my great uncle in 1969. When I got them home Ann had a fit! I told her we would break them & sell them and make a lot of money. Henry zumFelde is driving one of them and we had to bury the other one last spring. I guess they never became broke!

In 1984 Henry zumFelde talked to us at the Henry County Fair about a driving club and we had forgot about it until "88 when Henry sent out a letter about starting a driving club. We attended the meeting and Ann & I are charter members. We operated a 6-pony hitch from '78 through '85, advertising at fairs and parades for 3 Pepsi Cola bottling companies. At one time we had 18 head of Chocolate Dapple ponies on our little patch of land.
We now have 5 ponies in our barn, all home raised, and are offspring of the 2 mares purchased from my uncle.
Ann & I now have the 5th wheel hitch wagon, a doctor's buggy, and a wicker cutunder by Brown Carriage Co, 2 carts and a bobsled and a sleigh we built.

We really enjoy driving with the Black Swamp group in addition to just pleasure driving with the grandkids. We now pleasure drive and show at the Hancock County Fair. Besides belonging to the Black Swamp Driving club, Ann is very active in the Lutheran Church and Joe is a director of the Hancock County Agriculture Society and is draft horse superintendent at the fair.

Hello everyone. As our story starts, Willis Bible was born and raised on a farm 4 1/2 miles north and west of Montpelier, 0H. He helped his father farm till he went into the Military on Feb. 1, 1945. Up until that time they did all their farming with horses. That's where Willis learned to drive and care for horses.
   When he came home from the service the farm had an Allis Chalmers WC tractor with steel wheels to do the heavy work. Willis bought a farm milk route, which he operated for 15 years.   He started farming and
milking in 1949. On Oct. 15, 1950 Willis married Arlieta Michaels and over the following years their marriage produced a family of six girls and three boys.
Willis started his own dairy herd and purchased his family farm. At that time he had a pulling team, but as the dairy herd grew the pulling team had to go. As the children grew up and got involved in 4-H livestock projects and school sports, Willis was there supporting and attending their activities.   Willis never lost hope of having draft horses again. Through the years Arlieta became ill and passed away in May 1977. He continued milking cows and farming for two years and realized he wanted to spend more time with the family. He sold the dairy herd, farm, and equipment and moved to town.   Willis got a job working for William's
County Landmark Inc. driving the bulk feed truck. That's when he met Annabelle Schott, who had lost her husband Carmen. Annabelle had three children, two girls and a boy. Willis married Annabelle Oct. 6, 1979.
They lived in Montpelier until Willis' children were out of school. They moved to Annabelle's farm 3 miles south of Edgerton, OH. Willis then purchased a pair of Belgian Draft Horse Mares, Cindy and Mindy.
After having a couple of colts Cindy died of birth complications. Then Willis bought two mares at the Topeka Horse Sale, Dot and Carrie, He later sold Carrie because she couldn't get along. We saw her sold at the
Topeka Horse Sale four times. Dot gave birth to twins, which were sold when they were 2 years olds at the Topeka Horse Sale. As time passed, Willis started showing his horses, including a four-horse hitch, at
County Fairs, and winning many classes.
    We spent five years doing Carriage Rides in Acadia National Park in Maine. John D Rockefeller built the trails in the early 1900's and gave them to the National Park. This was a great experience. Henry and Becky
zumFelde and some of their family rode the trails with Willis. People from all over the world rode on in the carriage with Willis.
After the carriage trails, we sold all the horses except Bill and Prince, who were half brothers, they were out of the first mare we had. Willis has been showing them at local Fairs and Shows, giving hayrides, driving in wedding, family get-together, Grand Openings, hauling Santa to town and doing many parades.
He was asked to come to Farmers Day at the International Draft Horse Show at East Lansing MI. in 1998. That year he won the Obstacle course, farm team hitch, Barnyard Horse Pull. They pulled 9,360 lbs. the full
distance of 27.6 ft. In 1999 he placed 2nd in all those events and in 2000 he won all 3 events. This time he pulled 9,9 10 lbs. full distance. Willis loves to drive and compete with his horses. He has only been beaten in the obstacle course once. Willis got a job skidding logs with the Pike Lumber Co. Willis used Bill and Prince to skid 560 logs from one farm.
We have been members of the Black Swamp Driving Club approx. 10 years. We have a Surrey with the fringe on top, a hitch wagon, and an old farm wagon with grain box that we make into a covered wagon. We have gone on two covered Wagon drives, in Tennessee and Kentucky. We also have a Bobsled, and a cart to skid logs with, and another cart to pull the manure spreader. We have a 2-bottom plow and a one-row cultivator to work the garden. In the winter we go to Florida to see horse shows and horse pulls. Willis would love to have his horses in Florida but haven't found a place to keep them. Wish you all a Happy Horseman's New Year 2001.

My wife Joyce and I have been members of the Black Swamp Driving Club now for 2 years. We joined the club in hopes of learning more about the sport of driving and after attending our first drive, without horses, we were hooked. That first drive was at Independence Dam. It was such a beautiful day and the people were so friendly to us. We rode with Henry zumFelde, he was the person we contacted after seeing the Black Swamp web site.

Joyce and I have been married for over 24 years. The horses have always been our hobby. We do everything together and it usually revolves around the horses. When I met Joyce, I was a city boy and while I loved horses, I had no idea what to do with them. Joyce had returned from Europe where she lived and learned English equitation. She talked me into going and watching her ride and jump while we were dating. After we married. She asked why I didn't seem too interested in the horses and I told her that the jumping wasn't for me. I told her that if she ever wanted to play cowboys and Indians, let me know! About 2 years later we sold her thoroughbred and purchased 2 Quarter horses and we've been having a ball ever since.

About 4 years ago Joyce became interested in Norwegian Fjord horses. We took a trip down to southern Ohio to a breeding facility. That was the first time I ever drove a horse. And the horse I drove was a 2-year-old gelding. Not only were we sold on Norwegian Fjords because of their easy going attitude, I told Joyce, as I was going around the arena for the second time in the drivers seat, that I didn't care if I ever sat in a saddle again! We now own a reproduction of an auto top surrey and a Stoltzfus Country Gig (my personal favorite). Our good friends Henry & Becky zumFlede occasionally wil11et us borrow their beautiful hand made wagonette. I keep telling Henry that someday I want to own a zumFlede! Joyce and I love driving our Norwegian Fjords. Usually we drive pairs. And we've just started our 2-year-old this year. Henry zumFlede has been kind enough to lend a very skillful hand at training this youngster. He'll be ready for a full driving season next year. I own Cook Tool & Supply, I've been in the tool business for over 25 years and just started this business last fall. So far it's been very rewarding. There is something about owning your own business. Right now Joyce is my right hand "man". She helps with the accounting and she is also very good at bouncing ideas off of. We work great as a team. Our daughter Heather is 22 years old. She married a very outstanding young man on June 17th. We are very proud of them. The kids just don't seem to have the time to become involved with the horses, but occasionally they will come along for a drive and they are wonderful when we go out of town without the horses.

My goal as President of the Black Swamp Driving Club is to get our members more involved not only with our scheduled drives but getting more professional people in the sport of driving to put on clinics for an aspects of the sport. Combined driving has caught my attention. Hopefully our members will enjoy some very interesting driving clinics early next spring.

The one thing most people don't know about me is my musical past. I'm a drummer and singer and I use to play with some big time performers back in the early 70's. The one thing most people don't know about Joyce is her creative side. This woman does incredible wonders with plants, and art!

Above are JoAnn and Ken Davis. On the left is JoAnn Driving Matt at Longenburger Carriage Classic in 1999. On the right is Ken driving mares, Marion Sue and April at the Kenton Heritage Days in October 1999.

Hello everyone, we are Ken and JoAnn Davis from Liberty Center, Ohio and this is our story. Not in a million years did we ever think we would be driving! I guess you could call us crossovers from the Quarter horse world. We have always bred, raised and shown quarter horses up until 4 years ago. That's when it all started, well, actually it was a year or two before that. JoAnn got a job at Bittersweet Farms in Whitehouse, Oh. As the therapeutic horsemanship instructor for Autistic adults. They have 3 Belgian mares they use for riding and driving. The riding part was easy but the driving was a different story. With a few quick lessons and a lot of learn as you go, it soon became a passion. The only problem was Ken thought that Belgians were much too big so a compromise was struck. Haflingers! What a wonderful choice it was. We started with 2 and have since added 3 mares and are currently standing a stud and expecting 3 babies in April. We have been in the Black Swamp Driving club for about 3 years and have attended several drives. We currently have a Meadowbrook cart, a hitch wagon and a type of buckboard. Ken is a self-employed carpenter and enjoys building and remodeling different types of wagons in his spare time. In our younger days, when the kids were around, Scott and Kenna Jo, all of our time was spent showing the Tri-State Rodeo circuit. The kids won many awards at the local and state level and dad always had a good horse to ride or show at halter .We have always stood our own stallion and have enjoyed owning a World Champion producing broodmare. She gave us two World Champion performance geldings and a Reserve World Champion along with several other point earners. Those days sure were hectic. Now is the time for us to slow down, or so we thought, and enjoy driving around the countryside with family and neighbors. Between the carriage auctions, Haflinger sales, drives, fairs, clinics and 3 grandchildren, Josh, Tyler and Megan, things are as slow as they are ever going to get.

We have really enjoyed all the new friends we have made and those we haven't met yet- -Just stop in and say hello, we always have time for a visit.

The above pictures are of Gary and Connie Gillfillan. The left picture was taken at Heritage Day, Kenton, Ohio 1999. The right picture was at the Longaberger Carriage Classic 1999. The carriage is a Walborn & Riker cut under Arlington Trap make in St. Paris, Ohio. The pony is their Hackney, Babe.

Hello everyone. We're Gary and Connie Gillfillan.
We both grew up on farms and have know each other since our High School Senior year when we went to Gary's prom one night and Connie prom the next evening for our first dates

We've always enjoyed being around horses and ponies and started driving and showing ponies thirty years ago. Our first pony was a welsh mare and we drove her to a wagon. We remember how proud we were the first time we hitched up and drove to Connie's parents home to show off our turn out. Connie's dad come out of the barn and asked how we had make it to his place with the harness hanging off side and not hitched to the wagon in the proper way. So he rehitched the pony and made our way back home happier and wiser. It was nice to have such a well broke mare. (Ha) We hope we've learned a lot more since that first trip to dad and moms. Since that time we have driven and owned Miniature horses, Welsh, Shetland and hackney ponies' Arabian horses and other mixed bred ponies and horsed. We shown ponies at the Hardin County fair in Kenton, the Hancock County fair in Findlay and been in many parades thur the years. Gary was on the Ed Johnson ABN TV show with a team of miniature mares put to a miniature Marathon Gas hitch wagon. Also they hitched the miniature mares to a mini John Deere wagon.

In 1988, Henry zum Felde held a meeting about organizing a driving club. We were there making us charter founding members of the Black Swamp Driving Club.

Gary spent 2 years in the U.S. Army between the years of 1966-1968. He was in a tank division stationed in Germany. He has worked at Whirlpool Corp in Findlay Ohio for Thirty- two years and Connie is a homemaker and takes care of all the animals on their farm.

We have a son, Chad, our daughter-in-law Amy and two grandchildren Cody and Taylor.

We are members of the Carriage Association of America, the Driving Society of America, the Hardin County Draft Horse Club, the Hardin County Historical Society, the Hardin County Antique Tractor Club, and are members of the Grant Church.

We like to restore carriages and sleighs and have in their collection a Walborn and Ricker Arlington cut under trap made at St. Paris, Ohio, a wicker sleigh, Houghton cart make in Marion Ohio and a Kaiser buggy built in Kenton, Ohio plus several other carriage and sleighs.

We enjoy going to CAA and ADS driving events or any type of horse related events. We like to meet new people who have interest in driving and enjoy being around horses and ponies. We are thankful to Henry and Becky zumFelde for all the help they have given the members of the driving club and to Connie's dad for the help with our first turn out.

We are the Higgins family of Meeker, Ohio which is located 10 miles west of Marion or 16 miles of east of Kenton on state route 309. We consist of Roger M. (SR), Darlene, and Roger W. (JR).

We have been members of the Black Swamp Driving Club for several years and Roger Sr. is now Vice- President. I have been around horses most of my life which my Grandfather had a team and farmed with horses and Roger JR had saddle horses as well.

As of now we are currently "horseless" but we do still have the vehicles. We have a two seated carriage, a one seated runabout buggy, a box wagon, a hitch wagon and covered wagon. We have taken the covered wagon for exhibition to the Kentucky Horse Park, and to some of the clubs outing.

One of the highlights of our encounters was the Ohio Wagon Train, in which Roger SR was the President in 1976, the bicentennial year. It was a weeklong journey in our covered wagon pulled by a team of draft horses. Roger JR served as a scout for the train. The wagon train consisted of 49 wagons, which toured different locations of the state.

We also enjoy equestrian events at the fairs, Winter Royal Fair in Toronto, Canada, The North American in Louisville, Ky., or any other event that sounds interesting.

Our niece Brandy Eckard also of Meeker is a member of the club and enjoys the meetings and drives when she can attend.

We enjoy being members of the Black Swamp Driving Club for the sharing of Fellowship, the preservation of Historical Transportation and last but not least the "Good Food".

Hello, we're Angela and Albert Hohenbrink of Hamler, Ohio. My husband was a city kid and didn't realize what he was getting into 28years ago when he married a horse crazy wife. We moved out on the family farm where I grew up a few years later. I'm the third generation to live there. When we first moved in we spent so much time and money building fences that I called it "Poverty Paddock". A name that we've lived up to ever since.

I received my first driving experience at the Huntlea Horse Center in Tennessee (home to the Mells Foxhounds) where I spent 4 months taking an Assistant Instructors course.

In the 1980's I joined the Western Reserve Carriage Association for one year but it was too far away to be practical. When I saw in the Corral that a driving club had started in Northwest Ohio I went to the next meeting and became a charter member. I've meet so many nice people in the Black Swamp Driving Club over the years it's hard to believe that at the first meeting I didn't know anyone.

A lot of BSDC members saw my kids growing up. My daughter Abby is a senior in high school and my son Aaron just graduated from Wright State with a degree in Computer Engineering. It's hard to believe that the three of us ever fit side by side on an Ohio City pony cart pulled by Abby's little beloved pony "Crazyleggs".

We are members of the Carriage Association of America and the American Driving Society. We are also members of St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in Hamler. Sometimes we clown around with the Chuckleberry Clowns, a clown club that visits nursing homes and does company picnics, etc.

For 25 years I've worked at Philips Display Components Company, presently on the Computer Help Desk working the graveyard shift. It's my shift of choice and gives me all daylight hours with the horses. Al works at Campbell Soups on the more conventional 1st shift.

About 6 years ago I started the BSDC website. I couldn't find many places on the Internet with information on carriage driving so I though I'd make one. Since then a lot of carriage related sites have been put on the Internet so there is plenty of information out there if you need to find something.

To sum everything up, you can't beat the BSDC for good food, fellowship and fun driving horses. So far I've never met a person there that I didn't like.

Wayne and Ann Leightey in their restored Doctor Buggy
hitched to their Appaloosa horse Tokie

Hello everyone. We are Ann and Wayne Leightey of rural Upper Sandusky, Ohio. We have never known a life that has not involved horses. As early as 1939, Wayne was farming with horses. We were invited to the opening meeting of Black Swamp Driving Club, but at that time we decided we wouldn't have the time. We regret not joining then. We still have no time, but we do what we can and go when we can. We love the comradre of the Black Swamp Driving Club.
We raised eleven kids, four girls and seven boys. All of them know how to ride and drive. All of them went 10 years in 4-H. I have 13 years and Wayne has 30 years as advisors. We were horse advisors for Spurs-N-Spokes 4-H club for 13 years. We started the club in 1982 and abolished it in 1995. We were made honorary members of the Wyandot County 4-H Club in 1996. All our girls took their 4-H horse project with them when they got married and all of them still have horses today. Our oldest son, Dan is a farrier.

We have 11 Appaloosa horses and one Shetland pony. They all ride and drive. Our son, Matt's 4-H horse "Buck" was foaled on our farm and is still there after 30 years. The Shetland pony belongs to our daughter Dayna Pahl, and she is also 30 years old. "Chanco" our main driving horse up until last year is 25 and his sister "Will Kat" (his team partner) is 28 years old. Our stallions are 20 and 26 years old. In a perfect world some of these wonderful animals will be going to Horse Heaven and we wouldn't have so many. All of these horses were bred and foaled on our farm and have gone to the Wyandot County Fair every year of their lives. The current horses being used the most are Ann's "Babe
Ruth" and Wayne's "Buster". We recently went on a 5 hr, 13 mile trail ride with family and friend at Mohican State Park. It was the day after our children surprise us with a buggy ride in our own buggy to our surprise 30th wedding anniversary party. There was 93 guest that helped us celebrate our anniversary at the St. Mary's School. (10/28/00)

Our "carriage" collection started in 1975 when I bought a natural wood finished spring wagon for Wayne for Christmas. It has since been restored three times. In 1977 we took a running gear with rubber tire to Alvin J. Raber of A&D Buggy, Mt Hope. Alvin transformed it into a two-seat surrey. In 1979 Alvin gave Wayne the fringe top for it as a retirement present. Our Doctor buggy or Top buggy was bought at an auction in New Riegel, Ohio. Anna Keim of Fredricksburg, Ohio restored the buggy, and then Woodlyn Coach, Mt Hope, Ohio did the top. Our courting buggy was made by our son, Christopher his last year of school. We also have a party wagon that seats 10 and a grain wagon.
Wayne used the grain wagon and a team of horses to take soybeans to the elevator several years ago. He also logged out our woods with it and a team then used this wagon and team to haul the firewood home. The latest vehicle is a white Auto Top Surrey that we purchased from Ivan Burkholder of Woodlyn Coach, Mt Hope, Ohio.

Wayne retired from Sohio in 1979 and works on the family farm. We live in the house that Wayne was born in. Wayne has been a member of Appaloosa Horse Club since 1978 and rode with the Wyandot County Mounted Posse for 20 years. He also has given buggy rides for the past 20 years. We drove for Alvin Raber of A&D Buggy for about five year, picking up and delivering carriages all over the country. The farthest trip was to California. I can be found five days a week at the Corner Inn restaurant in downtown Upper Sandusky where I love waitressing. I also was an outrider for the harness races at the Wyandot County Fair for 27 years. We have twenty-nine grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and one on the way (April).

Member Profile: Roger and Susan Murray

BSDC: We're here with Roger and Susan Murray of Tiffin, Ohio. They agreed to be interviewed for what is the first and may be the last interview ever to be put in as a Member Profile. So Roger and Susan, just how did you get into driving and become associated with the Black Swamp Driving Club.

Roger: We use to be horseback riders, but when I developed arthritis in my hips, we switched to driving. Then in 1988 when Henry zum Felde was trying to get a driving club started in this area we were contacted and invited to attend the meeting and became Charter Members.

BSDC: Other than the interest in driving what was the main reason for joining Black Swamp Driving Club?

Susan: The people. They are the ones that keep the club going and they are a great group to be around.

Roger: No, we met when we were at Bowling Green State University. We got married June 10, 1968.

BSDC: Any children?

Roger: Nope. No kids, no grandchildren either.

Susan: Duh! (Dirty look from Roger)

Roger: But we have two nieces that are horse nuts too. One of them is Jennifer Murray of Huron. She is a member of BSDC also.

BSDC: Tell me, what do you folks do for a living? Where do you work?

Roger: We both work for the government. Never mind where or what.

Susan: Yea, It would make people nervous if they knew exactly what we do.

BSDC: Well then, let's talk about your horse and buggies. Is it horse or is it horses?

Susan:   We just got our second horse in October of 1999. He is a two-year-old Percheron/Tennessee Walker cross and his name is Derby. Our first horse is now a twenty-six year old Palomino named Acapulco Gold. We raised him from birth. He cost us seventy-five dollars. That was the breeding fee and half the cost of his dam. We started driving him when he was fourteen.

BSDC:   So what kind of buggies do you own?

Roger:   We have a single horse Goddard buggy that we had on display at the Longaberger Carriage Classic last year. We also own a four-passenger Flandrau sleigh, a park phaeton made in Piqua, OH, and a couple of "beaters" (Modern buggies for every day use)

BSDC: Other than the social drives with the BSDC, what else to you
folks get into? Do you get into any sort of competitive driving?

Susan: No, our driving is kept pretty low-keyed. We enjoy driving around the neighborhood south of Tiffin. Although we did participated in the tailgate lunch at the CAA Conference in French Lick, Indiana last year.

Roger: In 1993 we took a Nemitz tour for a week in Bavaria, Germany. We rode in an antique opera bus pulled by a team of horses. Then in 1998 we visited Ireland on a CAA tour. That time we traveled in a gypsy caravan with a "Traveler" horse for a week.

BSDC: You mention CAA. Then I take it that you also belong to the CAA.

Roger:   Yes we do and at the present time I am a State Representative to the CAA

Susan: He was also past president of the BSDC.

BSDC:   How about you Susan. Have you held any offices in either of the two organizations?

Susan:    I'm the secretary/treasurer for the BSDC.

BSDC:   I know horses and horse activities can take up a lot of time, so do you have time for any other hobbies or special interest?

Roger:   I also enjoy hunting, swimming and cooking

Susan:   I'm a gardener

BSDC: So Roger and Susan, you folks have been in the Black Swamp Driving Club since the start, but is there something that most of the member may not know about you?

Susan: Probably most of the member doesn't know that last year our horse and buggy was used to carry dignitaries at a dog funeral.

BSDC: A dog funeral?

Roger: Yes, the dog died in 1932 and he had to be reburied when the new Rite-Aid building uncovered his grave.

BSDC: That was a truly an honorable gesture and your part.

Susan: I'll bet there is something else most of the members don't know, even though some of them helped. When the club gave us our second wedding reception at the Kentucky Horse Park during the Carriage Roundup of 1995. They probably didn't realize that there were more people and more food there than at our first wedding in 1968.

BSDC: Well Susan, I'm glad the club could help out to make it a memorable occasion. Well I'm afraid we have run out of time and we'll have to wind this interview up. I do want to thank the Murray's for taking this time to talk with us.

Hi everyone I'm Gene Pore. My wife, Sheryl and I live in the rural McComb area. We were married in 1974. We have two daughters, Andrea and Kari and one grandson Mitchell (Andrea). I have worked as a shear operator at Whirlpool in Findlay for 27 years.

As a kid I spent a lot of time at my cousins house with his horse and ponies. When I was in junior high school I worked for Harmon Kleisch with his six-pony hitch for two years. When I started High School was the beginning of a ten-year dry spell away from horses. In that time Sheryl and I married and moved to a five acre "mini-farm" outside of McComb that we still call home. Equine fever struck again and I bought an American Saddlebred and her colt, and a pony. No one liked to ride except me so we decided to buy an Amish buggy. That was better because everyone enjoyed riding in the buggy. Our neighbor trained racehorses, so I worked for them for 4-5 years. This is where I learned
to trim and shoe horses and I still shoe my own horses. By now our saddlebred was getting old and all we did was drive her, so in 1990 I decided to get a team of draft horses. My first team was a 3 and 4 year old full brother and sister. Their names are JR and Ruby. They were named after the people I bought them from. This is the same team I have today. Since I started with the draft horses I have collected various pieces of farm equipment: a farm wagon, trolley, a bobsled, two riding plows and a walking plow, sickle bar mower, grain drill, hay rake and tether and a cultivator. All of this equipment is in working order and I use it today. I enjoy helping our neighbors farm in my spare time.
I have used my team to mow and rake hay and straw for the last 5-6 years.

I have used my team to pull a trolley for the Antique Tractor Show in Findlay (a four-day event) for the last few years. I have entered my team at the Hancock County Fair and the All Ohio Draft Horse and Pony Show in Findlay. Between the two events I enter the single horse obstacle and team obstacle course, the farm team class, the team to
class, team line driving and best match team class. Last winter I was asked to use my team and trolley to give rides around the courthouse in Findlay at Christmas time. I also give hayrides on occasion.

We have been members of the Black Swamp Driving Club for two years. We enjoy doing things with our horses for pleasure and the BSDC gives us one more opportunity to do this.

Pictured from the left: Jim riding with Anita Alden driving blind Morgan Snap. Denise

And Jim Ruffing. Denise driving Shetland pony, Beau at Heritage Festival 1999.

Hello we are Jim and Denise Ruffing and we’re from Michigan. We joined Black Swamp in 1999. A blind date for Denise to groom at a spring driving show for Henry zumFelde, was the first introduction to the warm membership of Black Swamp Driving Club. Since then, it has been a wonderful time of meeting the members, eating, driving, sharing information, eating, driving, and enjoying the adventures.

It was also a fateful blind date for us back in 1988 that sealed our future as husband and wife. Our second date was at the boarding stables, where Denise was keeping her Appaloosa mare Snow Angel. After an afternoon of trail riding, Snow Angel decided she had enough of us riding double and promptly sat down, leaving us both laughing hysterically on the ground. To most guys this would have been a good excuse for a last date. We have been married since September 14, 1991, and the mare is currently a healthy 21 years old. All our current children in the family are four legged: with two cats, a Shetland driving pony Beau, and the equine queen Snow Angel.

My grandfather’s farm used draft horses to work 100 + acres daily. I grew up listening to the stories my father told of the big draft horses that worked the land. Although I was raised in the city, my heart has always been in the country with the horses. I started ketch riding at age six. My first introduction to driving did not come until age 13 when I started working for a public livery stable and got a chance to hitch and drive a team of drafts. I have worked with many different breeds over the years in many different disciplines. From racetracks, to boarding stables, rental liveries, show barns, and breed farms. My driving credentials are growing as my love of this hobby increases. So far, I have driven ponies, horses, and drafts in single and pairs. I was fortunate to assist Mr. Holly Thompson (a former trainer for the Queen of England) at the Equine Affair in 1999.

Currently I work full time for Excelda Manufacturing in Brighton, MI as a Sales Service Representative. I have been in the customer service field for over 12 years. I also apprentice weekly with Pleasure Carriage trainer Anita Alden. My dream drive would be a Four in Hand of Morgan, Hackney Horses, or Friesians put to a Roof Seat Break. My future goals include learning to drive a Tandem, Random, and Unicorn hitches. In my somewhat spare time I also enjoy reading, photography, gardening, quilting, researching everything carriage driving related, studying interior design, and I love to entertain family and friends. Recently I have been elected as the Black Swamp photographer, videographer, and archives maintainer. My goals are to get at least one photograph of each member for our 2000 archives.

Some of the love of driving has rubbed off on Jim. He now hops on the hitch wagon in the driver’s seat to drive a friend’s team of Belgians. Jim enjoys the nature of the draft breeds and has a great respect for their power. He prefers recreational driving and really enjoys the Black Swamp Club drives to meet new members and view the different turnouts. He has also taken an interest in the mechanical function of carriages, which comes in handy. His dream drive would be a well-turned out pair of Halflingers or Drafts put to a nice hitch wagon

Slowly he is taking more rein time at home with Beau, and lately he has jumped in the sulky seat to take lessons under the watchful eye of Anita Alden. The amazing part for us is we both drive for lessons, a 17 year old Morgan that is completely blind. Snap is a former Park horse and can go along at a quiet walk for Jim till he gets more confidence, or I can wind him up and work on my rein handling, gait changes, and proper form. Jim is a great ground crew and is always willing to lend a hand to help someone.

Jim works for a printing company that does government forms and foreign currency. He operates a printing press, is learning press maintenance and the art of making plates. He got lucky with getting into this job, as the plant is only a mile from our home. Many do not know that he is also a skilled machinist, mechanic and welder. His skills come in handy with owning horses and carriage driving. His favorite ways to relax are golfing, dirt bike racing, working on scaled train layouts, deer hunting, computer games with intrigue, researching military history of W.W.II, and tinkering with anything mechanical

Together we are supporters of Therapeutic Riding of Ann Arbor and look forward to the fall fundraiser Ride & Drive every year. We are also active members of the Lutheran Church, Michigan Horse Drawn Vehicle Association, American Driving Society, Carriage Association of America, and The Carriage Museum of America Library. We also devote time to Horse’s Haven and equine rescue facility. Haven has a special place in our heart as our Beau came from an abusive past.

Though we are a young couple starting out on a new adventure, the membership of Black Swamp has made us feel welcome like a family. We hope to meet more of you as we travel along our journey.

Pictured above: Left picture is Sandy and Larry in their drop front
phaeton hitch to their Appaloosa, Sunny. Middle picture is Sandy and
Larry holding wedding present given to them by good friends Henry and
Becky zumFelde. Right picture is Sandy and Larry making the most of this
winter's snow.

Howdy everybody! This is Larry and Sandy Young telling you about themselves in this issue. Larry is the quiet one and didn't want to do this but Sandy took it on herself to finally satisfy our reporter who had been bugging for a profile. Hope we're not too boring to you. Our life however is never boring to us. It seems there is always plenty to do even though we're both retired. Yes, retired and loving it. Now enjoying the best jobs we have ever had! Larry worked at the Timken Company a little over 33 years and retired as a supervisor there, supervising Sandy who put in 30 years there, also, as a cone inspector. Married in August of 1998, Larry says the horse and buggies went with the package. He never had an interest in horses or the such until Sandy got him into it. The collection of buggies, sleighs, etc. they have was
started about 40 years ago by Sandy's deceased first husband, Donn, and his Dad, C.R. Knowlton who when in better health accompanied her to the BSDC functions. The last piece added to their collection is pictured and is the drop front phaeton bought at one of the Martin Sales in Pennsylvania in 1999. We fell in love with this one and this is what you
see us driving at most of the drives we attend.

This winter a favorite thing to do may be going out for a sleigh ride with our 23 year old Appaloosa gelding, Sunny. This has been a good year for making use of the sleighs, which often can not be enjoyed, when there is not much snow. Sunny is our only horse at this time. We raised him as a colt and he is retired from the show circuit having been National Appaloosa Barrel Champion in 1986. We would like to find a POA to use with some of our other buggies that are pony and cob size. We have some wicker pieces, which are favorites also, two traps, a wagon, a bobsled, and some breaking carts.

Our family consists and four sons and a daughter. Sandy's two boys are both farriers and live in New York and Texas. Grandkids, Kristy and Jonn are often seen at some of our drives. Larry's two boys and daughter enjoy coming around the farm with the five grandkids to enjoy the outdoors and feed Sunny treats.

Picture was taken at Longaberger's Ohio Carriage Classic: Henry and
Becky zumFelde, son Paul, granddaughter Kristi Rotroff and
great-grandson Austin Rotroff. The country-club wagon was designed and
built by Henry, who also raised the 10-year-old Andalusian X Saddlebred
crossbred.

Henry zumFelde was born July 6, 1918 on the farm near Wauseon, Ohio, where he and his wife still live. He is often asked about the small z and capital F in his name. The zumFelde family name is one of the oldest names in Germany, dating bock to the 5th century. The translation is "to the fields," and the German style of capitalization is different than in English. As a first-generation German-American, Henry grew up speaking German and did not learn English until he started school. , Some of the words he learned on the playground were soon "unlearned" when he used them at home. Henry's upbringing on the farm included driving and training horses (always using open bridles) for use in threshing and other farm chores. From 1934 until 1941, Henry showed Belgian horses, and continued to farm with them until 1943. In 1941, Henry married Loretta "Becky" Beck, and they had four sons (three survive) and one daughter who died in 1956. The family farmed from 1934 until 1970. Henry, with the help and participation of his family, started a herd of purebred Guernsey cattle, which was maintained until 1969. During the 1950s and 60s, the herd was recognized as one of the best in the nation, winning the Gold Star Breeder award several times as well as blue ribbons and champion trophies at District, State, National, and International shows. At the annual American Guernsey Cattle Club banquet in 1958, President Gavin McKerrow paid special tribute to the zumFelde family's accomplishments and contribution to the breed.

Henry worked for the Ohio Turnpike from 1955 until 1981 when he retired as Western District Supervisor. From 1943 until 1970, he also kept busy judging livestock at county fairs and district shows. In addition to his farming and career responsibilities, Henry was active in many church and community organizations. He was president of the Northwestern Ohio Guernsey Breeders, a member of the Board of Education, and, at various times, served as president, trustee, and deacon of Trinity Lutheran Church. Henry was a charter member and the first president of the Wauseon Rotary Club. He organized a 4-H club and served as advisor for five years. Henry's volunteer achievements have brought him several awards over the years. He received an honorary degree from Wauseon F.F.A. for work with livestock judging teams and was inducted into the Fulton County Agricultural Hall of Fame. He was named a Paul Harris fellow and an honorary life member by the Wauseon Rotary Club.

In May of 1988, Henry and Becky sent letters for a meeting, to organize a driving club, which led to the founding of the Black Swamp Driving Club, with Henry as the first president. In 1992, the club made Henry and Becky honorary life members. In 1996, the Michigan Horse Drawn Vehicle Association named Henry an honorary life member. Even with all the tasks of daily life, Henry has also made time for hobbies. He and Becky enjoy traveling and have visited all 50 states, all of Canada, and 17 foreign countries. Ten trips to Europe have been especially meaningful as they always include o visit to the zumFelde relatives in Germany. Henry also enjoys woodworking. He has built clocks, bookcases, beds, a dresser, kitchen cupboards, and five carriages (three of which he and Becky still own). His most recent woodworking accomplishment was the completion this past summer of a cradle for his newborn great-grandson.

Henry enjoys genealogy research, and has records of the zumFelde family dating back to 1280. Since he is still fluent in German, he has translated many of the area church records, which were written in old German script. Horses have always been of interest, and all have been trained to ride or drive without the use of blinders. Henry has enjoyed working the farm and meeting people from all over the country and the world, especially his "driving friends." He is also grateful for his health and his wonderful family.

We are sorry to report the passing of Henry & his wife. They were insurmental in starting the club.

ZUMFELDE Henry F. Henry F. zumFelde died on November 10, 2009, in his home on the family farm surrounded by his family. Henry was born on this same farm near Wauseon on July 6, 1918, to Fred and Mary zumFelde. He married Loretta "Becky" Beck in 1941. The family farmed near Wauseon from 1934 until 1970 and raised a champion herd of Guernsey cows. Henry was a livestock judge at county fairs for many years. He worked for the Ohio Turnpike for 26 years and retired in 1981 as the Western District supervisor for toll collectors. He also worked as a Fulton County auditor from 1951-55. Henry was very active in church and community organizations. He was president of the Northwest Ohio Guernsey Breeders, received an honorary degree from Wauseon FFA and was inducted into the Fulton County Agricultural Hall of Fame. He also organized a 4-H club and served as an advisor for five years. He was a member of the York Twp. Board of Education and the first president of the Wauseon Rotary Club, where he was also named a life member and a Paul Harris Fellow. He had the honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the opening of the new Biddle Park ball diamonds this past May. Henry was an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Wauseon, serving at various times as council president, trustee, and deacon. In 1998, Henry organized German Lutheran Heritage of Northwest Ohio and was known for his ability to speak fluent German. He was a founding member of the Black Swamp Driving Club, and was named an honorary life member of the Michigan Horse Drawn Vehicle Association. One of his greatest pleasures was giving carriage rides to people of all ages. Henry enjoyed traveling with his wife to all 50 states and 17 foreign countries. He had special fondness for visiting Germany where many zumFelde relatives still live. He enjoyed woodworking and finished many clocks, beds, dressers, and five horse carriages. He made a cradle for his newborn great-grandson at the age of 82. Henry also had a strong interest in genealogy, writing extensively on family history and assisting many area churches in translating church records written in old German script. Henry had a lifelong interest in horses and enjoyed training and driving horses for work and pleasure. In his later years, Henry enjoyed attending Wauseon basketball games and also traveled to see his granddaughter's games in Indiana. First and foremost, he enjoyed spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. There are many special memories of grandpa's stories, jokes, and hugs. Henry is survived by his wife of 68 years, Loretta "Becky" zumFelde. He is also survived by three sons, Paul (Suzanne) of Wauseon, Dale of Santa Rosa, California, and Roger (Evelyn) of Goshen, Indiana and four grandchildren, Kristi (Kevin) Rotroff, Brett zumFelde, Jakob zumFelde, and Marla zumFelde. Henry also had two great-grandchildren, Austin and Lukas Rotroff. He was preceded in death by three children, Melvin, Karen, and Larry. Visitation will be 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Thursday and 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Friday at Trinity Lutheran Church, corner of Shoop and Leggett in Wauseon. A memorial service will be held on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at Trinity. In lieu of flowers, memorials should be directed to Trinity Lutheran Church, Wauseon or a charity of the donor's choice.

Published in Toledo Blade on November 11, 2009

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My name is Fred Thompson. I live in the rural Carey, Ohio area with my wife Sue and my daughter Katie. We also have two sons (John and Matt) that have grown and ventured out into the world to seek their fortune.

We've been members of the BSDC since 1996, so were really kind of new to the club. In 1999, I was elected trustee and asked to do the duties of reporter. I don't think they knew what they were getting into, but I'm having fun with it.

We got interested in driving after reading an article on Haflinger horses. In the article they said they resembled little Belgians. That got my attention and the search was on to find some of them. Well it didn't take long since there was four of them less than five miles away at the Russell Huston farm. After talking to Russell and seeing his horses, I was hooked. It took us a little over a year before we bought our first Haflingers at the North Ohio Draft Pony Assoc. auction in Wooster, Ohio. We now have four of them and have not regretted it yet. Just to show everyone we are not die in the wool Haflinger people, we also own a Hackney-cross.

The love of horses has always been in my blood. I think I got it from my dad. Of course he farmed with the big drafts. He showed them down to the Hancock County fair back when it was called the Horse and Colt show. His greatest love was pulling draft horses. Matter of fact that is what he was doing the day I was born. I was small when he sold his last workhorse. The man came to pick him up and it was probably a good thing it was suppertime. Dad came up to the house to eat. I don't think he wanted to see old Dan go out the driveway. Dad bought us kids various ponies when we were little. I was probably around 14 before we got into the registered Shetland pony business. That was when I had my first taste of driving. Back then I used the ol' yank and jerk method of driving. Now I realize that the jerk was in the cart. Thank goodness for a good pony and seventy acres to keep me out of trouble. We showed them in halter class down at the Hancock County Fair until I got out of school. Then I thought I didn't have time for them anymore. Boy what a mistake. Thirty years later I'm trying to learn what I should have been learning back then.

Other than driving for pleasure, we do a little showing at the Wyandot County fair. This is mainly so our daughter Katie will have some exposure before she gets into 4H. She seems to really enjoy the horses and has started riding lessons. She isn't a bit bashful about asking to drive whenever we are out in the cart. She should make a good horse person some day. In 1998, our one Haflinger mare was a 4H project for a Carey girl that didn't have her own horse yet and needed a one.

At the present time our horse drawn vehicles consist of an easy entry cart just about too small for the Haflingers, a road cart I built but won't brag about and a vis-à-vis I bought at the Topeka, Ind. Auction. Since woodworking is another hobby of mine, I hope to build an oak Meadowbrook cart and to restore a carriage someday. What kind of carriage? I'm not sure of yet. I will know it when I see it. I just hope I don't bite off more than I can chew.

At the present Time we also belong to North Ohio Draft Pony Assoc. and the American Haflinger Registry. Both of these groups are fine organization but you can't beat the BLACK SWAMP DRIVING CLUB just for the fun of it.