LIFESTYLES & W ELLNESS
Four-legged
Hobby
Sam Schmitt photo by Susan Renfro
For Sam Schmitt, a passion for horses, really big horses, has f illed his stable and his pastures with these magnif icent animals.
S
am Schmitt rarely rides his horses, but about five years ago he became enamored with the idea of learning how to “drive,” meaning using horses to pull a wagon. He began accumulating draft horses, breeds that are sturdy enough to not just carry a rider but pull wagons and farm equipment. Equestrian-minded readers will relate to his herd, which includes a Clydesdale, a Percheron/Quarter Horse cross, and two Halflinger/ Brabant Belgium fillies, meaning young female horses.
176 O C TO B E R 2 0 21 | T H E L A U R E L M A G A Z I N E . C O M
His wife, Jennifer, has a Palomino Paint horse that she rides. However, Schmitt prefers holding the reins and sitting in a wagon – behind his horses – instead of on them. Recently, he purchased a crème de la crème team: two black Percheron mares. One is 17.3 and the other 18 hands. Here’s a quick horse measurement lesson: the average riding horse is around 15-16 hands; so these horses are tall. A “hand” is equivalent to 4 inches; horses are measured from their withers (high point where
