I’ve been spending most afternoons this fall with Thacher’s team of Percheron work horses, Pancho and Pedro, who have performed  nobly since they moved here from Meredith Bressie’s (CdeP 1994) ranch in Montana six years ago. In the fall and winter terms since then, small groups of Thacher students have learned to harness, hitch, and drive this formidable but friendly pair in order to do chores for the school: delivering hay, feeding the herd, and sometimes grooming the arenas. We have also had some fun driving our three different vehicles during alumni weekends, reunions, and other events. The “teamsters” have done good work and have had good fun while learning a skill that not many college-preparatory students understand.

Sadly, the “big boys” are getting old, and the bone spurs that have afflicted Pancho’s forelegs make it hard for him to pull the wagon, especially on the downhill. We’ll be retiring the team soon, therefore, and will soon look to replace them after reviewing the program for the future. I know the alumni “teamsters” who have loved their days with the Percherons over the years will be saddened by this news, but I’m sure they are happy to know that the horses will have a well-deserved retirement.

To be sure, there is a strong and vital community of draft-horse owners, breeders, and drivers across the nation and Europe as small-scale farming makes a comeback and fancy, eight-horse hitches thrill spectators at fairs and competitions. Our simple operation requires only a few good, strong horses and a handful of students willing to harness the horses and lift the hay-bales.

As for me, I am grateful for what these graceful, gentle fellows have taught me. I have been able to spend my afternoons doing the kind of good, simple work that our farming forefathers have done for centuries. I know a little more about horses, about leather harness, about wooden and steel vehicles. Most of all, I’ve been able to sit atop the hay wagon or the “Emerson” wagonette with student drivers, having fed the horses at Carpenter Orchard, enjoying the view of the valley, and returning to the barn with two honest and intelligent beasts who have done their part to keep our school connected to the simple things of our world.

¡Viva Pancho! ¡Viva Pedro!