Michigan Horse Farms w/ Lori Ross

04/21/2026

04/10/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18HRPH7dMx/?mibextid=wwXIfr

1897 - Chicago, Marshall Fields department store, Delivery Wagons - What an amazing picture!
This photograph captures a moment right at the peak of a system that once kept entire cities moving.

In 1897, scenes like this outside Marshall Field and Company were completely normal. Before vans, before trucks, before modern logistics networks, horse-drawn delivery wagons were the backbone of urban commerce. Department stores didn’t just sell goods, they delivered them across the city the very same day.

What were these wagons used for?

These wagons were essentially the Amazon delivery vans of their time.

Customers would visit the store, make purchases, and instead of carrying everything home, they would have it delivered directly to their door. Marshall Field’s, like many major retailers, ran large-scale delivery operations that handled:

Clothing, fabrics, and household goods
Furniture and larger purchases
Food and perishable items (in some cases, same-day)
Catalog and telephone orders, which were already emerging

Each wagon was typically assigned a route, and drivers knew their delivery areas intimately. Efficiency mattered even then, and companies competed on speed and reliability.

Why so many horses?

A single large department store could own hundreds of horses. They required:

Stables
Feed and veterinary care
Blacksmiths for shoeing
Teams of drivers and handlers

It was a massive logistical operation, just very different from what we picture today. The line of wagons in your image shows a well-organised dispatch system, likely preparing for a day’s deliveries across Chicago.

When were they phased out?

The decline began in the early 1900s and accelerated quickly.

1900–1910: Early motor trucks begin appearing, but horses still dominate
1910s: Gas-powered delivery vehicles become more practical and reliable
1920s: Most major cities transition heavily toward motorised fleets
1930s: Horse-drawn delivery wagons are largely gone from urban centres

By the time of World War I, the shift was already well underway, and after the war, mechanisation surged forward rapidly.

Why the change happened so fast

It wasn’t just about speed. Motor vehicles offered:

Greater range without rest
No need for feeding, stabling, or waste management
Higher payload capacity
Lower long-term operational complexity

Horses, for all their reliability, simply couldn’t compete with the scale and efficiency of internal combustion.

What makes this image so powerful is that it shows a system at its peak, right before it disappeared. Within a few decades, this entire way of life, the sounds, the smells, the routines, would vanish from city streets almost completely.

It is easy to look at this and see nostalgia. But at the time, this wasn’t quaint or old-fashioned. It was cutting-edge logistics.

04/10/2026

May is right around the corner—and so is your chance to get in front of thousands of equestrians 👀

🗓 Saddle Up! Magazine Ad Deadline: April 16

01/24/2026

In 1952, a young Korean stable boy named Kim Huk Moon faced an impossible choice.
His sister had stepped on a landmine. She needed an artificial leg, but the family had no money.
So Kim sold the only thing of value he had: a small Mongolian mare named Ah Chim Hai—"Flame of the Morning."
A U.S. Marine lieutenant named Eric Pedersen paid $250 for the horse. He needed a pack animal to carry heavy ammunition up the steep Korean mountains where no truck could go.
The Marines renamed her Reckless.
But Reckless was never treated like a mule. She was treated like a Marine. She roamed freely through camp. She slept in the tents with the men on cold nights. She ate scrambled eggs at the mess hall, drank beer with the platoon in the evenings, and once devoured $30 worth of poker chips.
She was their mascot. But in March 1953, she became their savior.
The Battle for Outpost Vegas was one of the bloodiest clashes of the Korean War. The Chinese launched a massive assault, raining artillery down on the Marines at a rate of 500 rounds per minute.
The Marines on the ridgeline were running out of ammunition for their 75mm Recoilless Rifles—their only defense against enemy bunkers. The shells weighed 24 pounds each. No vehicle could reach the gun pits. The ammo had to be carried by foot up a 45-degree incline through a no man's land of explosions and sniper fire.
Reckless went to work.
Her handler loaded her pack with shells, slapped her on the flank, and she started climbing—alone.
When she reached the firing positions, the Marines unloaded the ammo. Reckless turned around, walked back down, and came back for more.
She did this 51 times in a single day.
She walked over 35 miles on steep terrain, most of it under direct enemy fire. She carried over 9,000 pounds of ammunition on her back.
She was wounded twice. Shrapnel cut her above the eye and tore into her flank. She didn't stop. She didn't spook.
Gunnery Sergeant Joe Latham had trained her to respond to the word "Incoming!" When she heard it, she would drop to the ground and crawl into a trench to wait out the explosion. Then she'd get back up and keep walking.
On her trips back down the mountain, she didn't go empty. She carried wounded Marines to the medical station.
Because of the ammunition she delivered, the Marines held Outpost Vegas.
After the war, Reckless was not left behind in Korea. She was brought to the United States. In 1954, she was promoted to Sergeant—and in 1959, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Randolph Pate, promoted her again to Staff Sergeant in a ceremony with a 19-gun salute and 1,700 Marines marching in her honor.
She outranked her own handler.
She spent her retirement at Camp Pendleton, where she gave birth to four foals: Fearless, Dauntless, Chesty, and one filly who did not survive.
When she died on May 13, 1968, she was buried with full military honors.
Her decorations include two Purple Hearts, a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, and two Presidential Unit Citations.
In 2016, she was posthumously awarded the Dickin Medal—the Victoria Cross for animals.
She wasn't a horse. She was a Marine.


~Professor Calcue

01/01/2026

12/13/2025

🎄✨ A Little Christmas Magic ✨🎄

There’s something truly heartwarming about seeing Santa sharing a peaceful moment with two gentle draft horses, all dressed in festive holiday gear. ❄️❤️

With their candy-cane hats and snowy backdrop, it feels like a scene straight out of a classic Christmas story. The horses lean in close as if they’ve known Santa forever — a perfect reminder of the warmth and joy this season brings.

Here’s to cozy moments, holiday cheer, and the simple magic that makes Christmastime so special. ✨