Mean Horse
New Ipswich Historical Society
Marion Davis Audio-Tape Transcriptions
Sometime before her death in 1986, Marion Davis recorded her memories at the encouragement of her brother, Walter Buck. The recordings were transcribed by a secretary.
The Friends of Wapack have made these available to the Historical Society. Marion was born on February 8, 1894 in Fitchburg, MA.
A Mean Morgan
We cut hay down in Toffat Swamp for quite a number of summers. There was an old barn down there that we could put the hay in. One year we had the use of a horse through the summer--it was a horse that was used on the RFD route.in Ridge. It belonged to Edwin Winship. It was a Morgan, but a mean one. I was raking on the meadow with him one day and he began to stand up and try to throw himself back toward me. I drove him up toward the edge of some brush and I was going to get a whip when Mr. Robbins hollered to me, "Nothing doing; you wait a minute". He came over and got onto the horse- rake and he turned that horse around and around and around until he got him so dizzy--then he finished the raking. I took that horse to go to Fitchburg once. This was late fall and there was snow and icy places. It was good sleighing and that horse would dodge every little puddle, first one side the road then the other By the time I got down to my folks in Fitchburg I was kind of lame in the shoulders from trying to hold him. We put him up in Dad's shed --he had hay there--and I stayed overnight. The next morning when I went back there weren't any puddles; everything was frozen over and boy, did I go home like a streak.
He was a mean horse. At one time he cornered Mr. Winship. in a horse stall. He'd gone in to bathe a sore on his shoulder. The horse reared up and began to strike: he was able to duck under the hay manger until the horse quieted down and he could get out.
Photo Archives
Tophet Swamp in New Ipswich
James Roger diary entry - Pullets 23
17th January 1913
Rainy day; wind south west to west; roads very muddy. David choring round in forenoon, and Daniel and him went to Greenville for grain and bought overshoes and a package of screws; also got paint from Mr. Gordon. He brought a 100-lb. bag of sugar from Prescotts’. We got a postcard from May last night; all well. Pullets 23.
Each animal has a unique personality, like humans. If you spend time with animals, you get to know their traits. Haying with horses is much more difficult than doing it with tractors. I find it interesting that Marion refers to Frank as Mr. Robbins.