MT. HOPE, Ohio – Whether it was an old friend or a new idea, visitors will find it at Horse Progress Days in Mt. Hope. Now in its 27th year and back in Ohio again, the annual event draws thousands of people from across the United States and as many as 16 different countries. The host site is typically in a plain community. This year the event will be July 2-3, with the gates opening at 8 a.m. The cost is $10 per person per day.

The two-day event is jam-packed with field demonstrations and seminars geared toward farming with horses, and small farmers.

Field demonstrations include the newest and improved vegetable production equipment, manure spreaders, logging equipment, tillage equipment and hay-making equipment. There will also be a presentation of popular draft horse breeds and round pen demonstrations, including working with mules and training horses to help them perform at their highest potential.

The produce demonstration area has been part of Horse Progress days for 10 years and has grown in the number of seminars, displays and demonstrations available for produce growers. The area will include a greenhouse featuring flowers and vegetables, the latest in produce growing equipment and products, and a trade show with the latest innovations in the industry.

Logging demonstrations are popular during the event. Proposed plans for the logging demonstration area include a portable sawmill, a contest for mini-pony teams and their teamsters, as well a horse pulling demonstration with logs. The committee also plans to demonstrate a treadmill used to power a sawmill.

The event will also include seminars for homemakers and farmers.

Farmstead seminars include making maple syrup, managing your farm pond, a panel of dairy farmers including an organic dairy farmer, a conventional dairy farmer and a grass-based organic dairy farmer, a panel on sheep production, and the role of horses in the Amish community. Homestead seminars include essential oils, flower production and bread baking.

Horse Progress Days will also feature a day-long tour featuring stops at farms, businesses and tourist attractions, as well as a meal at an Amish farm. For more information visit www.horseprogressdays.com.