We’ve had a string of overcast days with rain and some light snow flurries. On Saturday, I headed down to the southern part of Holmes County towards Coshocton county and saw a lot of interesting sights. Pictured here is an Amish girl driving the “big rig” with a big tire in tow. I would guess she was no older than twenty, probably younger. This photo was taken at the corner of Holmes County Road 407 and State Route 557 between Berlin and Charm, Ohio. I posted the pic on my facebook and got a bunch of comments including a question: “Why is the tire being pulled along behind the wagon instead of, in the wagon?” There was some speculation as to why this was so but nothing definitive. So this morning I thought I’d head on down to Hershberger’s Farm & Bakery which is located in the vicinity of where I took the photo. When I got there at 8am Hershberger’s was still closed. However, I saw Daniel Hershberger, the owner, coming across the road from his house and was able to get the scoop from him. He said the wagon belonged to him. The girl driving the wagon was his daughter. The reason the tire was being pulled along behind was to give the horses a good “workout”. Just like me going to the gym and exercising, work horses need good exercise to stay more fit. Daniel stated that the horses don’t get as much of a workout in the winter because they are in the barn and there is not as much farm work to do. So they get a little soft. Fastening the tire to the back of the empty wagon makes the load harder to pull because of the additional “drag” created by the tire being pulled along the road surface. This gives the horses a more robust workout. He said he is getting the horses “in shape” for the horse sale this Thursday. I had speculated that perhaps the tire was extraordinarily heavy to lift onto the wagon and that therefore the tire was just fastened to the back of the wagon. I was wrong. Daniel’s explanation makes perfect sense.