I am the caretaker of the family “Century” farm in West Tennessee. I have saved all of the mule drawn equipment from my grandfather. It is tucked away under the lean-to of the board and batten cypress barn now. When my grandfather started the farm he had two mules, Blue and Belle.I have completed restorative work to the barn and in hopes it will stand another 100 years! I just love your videos.

I'm from (Almost Heaven) West Virginia, born & raised here in these beautiful mountains. The older I get the more I realize just how much God has truly blessed me by placing me here in these beautiful mountains. I thank God everyday for these beautiful mountains & all the beautiful people I live around. I Love and appreciate your videos, you're doing a wonderful job at helping preserve appalachian history & the struggles & hardships of generations gone by. I'm convinced now more than ever that hard as old timers had it back then it was a better lifestyle than living in the fast paced world we do today. Men & their families worked hard and Loved one another, communities & neighbors came together to help each other. If people still worked hard as our ancestors did back then people wouldn't have time to be flipping out & killing each other, they would be forced to help & Love their neighbors in order to survive. Idle hands is the devils playground. I firmly believe that. May God bless you & thank you for sharing & preserving bits of appalachian history with us. 🙏❤️

Sr.Donnie you made me go back to my childhood and remember when my father used two oxen to work our land. there he grew corn and barley. At the time of harvesting the corn grains and growing the barley, our neighbors who were many in our community joined us. They did not always help and also in payment for helping us they were allowed to collect as much as they could to supply their own families. in those times there was a lot of unity between neighbors . In my house there were always children from the community playing with all my brothers and sometimes we (my brothers and I) moved to theirs. In those times there was respect , humility and above all the words of the people were like signing a commitment to pay . watching and listening to this unforgettable video until my eyes got wet. I was only 7 years old and today I am 62 . I live in Leesburg, Virginia. How I would like to return to those times where, despite the lack of comfort, people lived better.

Oh Lord Mr. Donnie, once again you have struck some of the best memories of my childhood with my Grandpa !! I've helped him plow, mow hay, rake hay, and log out trees with an ole mule named Kate, she was a big red mule, strong too, she would pull anything Grandpa hooked her up to !! She worked hard as Grandpa asked her but, when she wanted a "breather" as Grandpa would call it, she would just flat out stop a few minutes and Grandpa would say "well, I reckon we can get us some cold water to drink from the spring while Miss Kate catches her breath" ! Lord I sure do miss my Grandpa, we made a lot of memories together , and I reckon I miss ole Kate too !!! LOL thank you Sir for yet another sweet trip down memory lane !!

Mr. Laws, thank you for the program. I recall in '76 at the Wasco county fair they had a horse draw pull. The winner was a mid weight team and I'll never forget the driver, a big man 300# plus brought his team to the line. All was pin drop quiet and you could ear him say in a calm voice, Jim,Rob then he moved his line forward. The horses looked at each other looked ahead and leaned into the harness moving their legs like a locomotive, pulling until their legs dug in in unision. It was the most beautiful thing I ever saw.

Being a truck driver, I travel through a lot of the Amish communities around the country. Watching those Amish farmers with their draft horse teams working their fields is really impressive. When you look at how they still do it today, and the superior quality of their crops, then you look at the modern, GPS-guided, computerized equipment and the crops on the modern farms, you have to wonder if all the technology and "progress" in modern agriculture is really better, at all!

I remember my granddaddy talking about he started out in the mines as a kid taking care of mules. There were 2 or 3 that came home every night with him. He combed and polished those mules as if they were like a fancy car. He collected up unusable mining helmets and redid them to fit the mules' heads so they wouldn't hit their heads in low places. The foreman noticed how well he cared for the animals, and put him over the other boys to teach them how to care for the animals. He said he really took it personal if one of the other boys didn't take care of their animals right, but after giving them a few black eyes, they usually came around. This was in eastern Kentucky.

Mr. Laws, please don't let old ways fade away!! Keep the stories and memories alive! God Bless You!!

I can't imagine any other person narrating this video. Very calming and relaxing. Times have definitely gone by. Bless those ole times animals. ❤️

It's amazing how times have changed... This video shows hard work. How family's struggled. Back then family's and neibores worked together. They appreciate everything....Love and gratitude..... I think we have forgotten this.....Thank You Sir.

I think there is GREAT historical value in this video! I wish it was required for school children to watch and to understand just how hard it was to make a living in these generations. Maybe it would make children appreciate modern conviences. I know it does me. I spent my childhood listening to my grandmother explain everything you are showing in this video! This one is one of your finest. I’m going to save it in my favorites file. Thank you!

The generations that have left us had so much knowledge and work ethic that are sadly missing in this country. Mamaw always said life got too easy back about the 50’s and the TV ruined (rurned) a lot of people.

They had a work ethic back then that will never be matched today. Farmers and their animals were the ultimate team. Working hard to put food on their families table and to feed their animals was probably a day to day struggle. Another important lesson for us all Mr. Donnie. Thank you for all you do for us.

Donnie my friend you did it again. The beauty of of mule named Ed, oh yes my dad had one. He was red in color and dad raised him from a young mule. He was the strength behind our farm. Tobacco crop, corn fields,and gardens. Pulling timber out of hollows to cut up for wood to heat. Since dad raised the mule, in a calm voice and made sure he was well fed. Growing up we watched the work between my dad and Ed the mule. Being a young teenager I wanted to work with the mule and dad finally allowed me to. This mule and dad had so close of a relationship he listened for dad's voice. I hold on and kept the lines tight and dad would set at the end of the field plowing Tobacco. If Ed was starting to give me a hard time,stepping out of the row. Dad would call on the mule "straighten-up Ed" and he would go right back into order. We go to cut trees for lumber and wood. Dad and I would carry out equipment into the Hollow, pick the tree's and cut them. After all was trimmed up and ready to be pulled out of the Hollow. I go get old Ed, put all the gears and tack on him and send him over the hill. Dad would call on him and he would go straight to dad. Dad would use chains with hooks to tie the logs and send Ed back up the hillside to me. I'd unchain the logs, reset the gear (rigging and tack) and send Ed back over the hill. We would do that till lunch. Then I go over the hill into the Hollow and dad would work on top. Same set up, I'd hook the chains and hooks round the logs and send Ed to the top. Donnie yes it was work. But, I never saw working this mule with my dad as work. Believe it or not,it was just a route work and helping my dad and the family was always a great thing to do. Knowone could ride this mule except the children, all dad had to do was talk to the ole mule and tell him let that baby ride now. My dad passed at 60 yrs old 28 years ago. But Donnie the day he had a brain bleed. We had been in the tobacco field all day. I was grown,married with 2 young sons. But, every day I had a day off or even after work. I would be at dad's working on something. And hat ole mule Ed, well he was a great part of our life's. Oh I bought horses and we rode them on trails we cut thur the woods. Even my children were riding. But, the Beauty of a man and a mule working together and so well close. That mule knew what was expected of him and did it. And a good man who made sure that mule was well taken care of, just speaking to that mule. It was a beautiful thing to watch. So many memories of that mule named Ed, and I caring man would knew the best way to work a mule. It was a beautiful thing to see. Today my dad had been gone like I said 28 years, and the ole mule Ed lived another few years just retired in the paster, receiving ear scratches and some fed. I watched that mule after dad died. He would stand in the paster and watch for dad to come to the fence or barn. That's a bond that people don't see, a mule and his farmer and logger. Thanks Donnie again beautifully done and bring back beautiful memories of my yesterday's. God bless you and your family

Another great video Mr Donnie. One of many best ones to me. I loved because it reminded me of my Granddaddy. He loved horses and especially ole mules. He was always around them working them just like these folks was a doing. I remember him telling me when I won't big as nothing about how he would work the fields and different things with them. I remember he loved going every year to the Virginia State Fair to watch the horse and mules pulls, ha. I loved it just as much going with him. I just wanted to thank ya Mr Donnie for this video and bringing back memories with my Granddaddy. I always appreciate you my friend

When I was a little boy back then. I saw a team of horses pulling a fruit wagon where I lived. It was a sight, I never seen the like before, but when I was allowed to stay out a little longer I saw many. Many wagon of all types, fruits, beverages, sharpener who came to sharper knives or scissors and ice wagons. Those were hard times to those who had to make a living. It was a adventure and a wonder to us as kids. But we never as kids back then consider the hardship they all had to face. I miss those days. Once again thank you for reminding me of time past. Take care of yourself and be safe, Maranatha.

My mother used to tell stories about their mule, Old Dan. She did love that old critter! Thanks for another awesome tale, Donnie. Sometimes I wonder if we wouldn't be better off, going back to the older times! God bless you, my friend!💖

How well I remember those good old days. we kids couldn"t wait to visit our grandfather and other family members who lived on farms back then,especially during the summer months when we were out of school.Everything interested us wherever we looked and explored.Thank you,sir for these gone,but not forgotten precious times.

People these days ain’t got a clue what work is..ain’t got a clue what it’s like to go without..Awsome Video Mr Donnie!!!!

You have become my favorite channel Mr. Donnie. My paw paw always favored a team of mules, we lived up on a ridge and he said a mule was more "sure footed " than a horse. You remember them old "hit or miss" motors people used to use on the farm before tractors ? Them old mowing machines and hay rakes sure bring back alot of memories. Thanks for the video.

My Grandfather worked his farm with horses. I cannot imagine how long it took to hook up 30 horses! Those horses had to have a good disposition to all work together without a problem. This video brought back good memories of riding the draft horses bareback and how large they were. Kids now don't care where their food comes from. All they know is the grocery store. Sad. Thanks for another fantastic video!

God bless you too, Donnie. My uncle worked his farm with Henry, the mule, until they both became to feeble to go into the fields. As they grew older, Uncle Albert and Henry would walk around the pasture field when they could. Modern farmers might love their tractors but the tractors don't love them back.

I guess I was the only grandson that papaw taught to plow with a mule of course my dad said he worked the fields from sun up to sundown before WW2 I recall the particular old mule I learned with Pap called Duck a fine animal and can even remember my mamaw churning butter seems like a simpler time was a better time thanks for another great video Mr. Laws!

I grew up on an old farm like that in the hills of Tennessee, and I remember alot of these old tools. My Mom married an old timer that still worked the land with animals. He also had an old forge just up the lane from the old barn. He repaired and made old wagon wheels and any of the old equipment. He could not read or write but if you put something in front of him and said fix it would get fixed. I grew up listening to his ole' bear tales! Looking back I wished I would have payed more attention to those old tales. Thank you Donnie for these videos, they bring back so many memories of times passed. Many blessing to you from the hills of Tennessee

I have a long blacksmithing heritage in my family and I still have the old tools that they used back then and I'm still following those old traditions and teaching them to my grandchildren to keep it alive... thanks for the great videos

Here in the northern Piedmont of North Carolina, most farmers used mules. Grandpa had a team, Kate and Nell. Daddy said he got to where he could plow tobacco with Nell without the plow lines.

I'm Loving Living here in Appalachian Mountains ❤ it's a Blessed privilege living here ❤....... ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

It was a pleasure to see and hear this story...my families did the usual and fled the land for the city....but the culture they grew up in continued in many ways. But one thing struck me as the picture of the nurse on horseback came up. Just today I got a home visit from a nurse practitioner ....so some of old styles persist! Always a valuable lesson to look back and remember where we and our predecessors came from and how it was-- thanks as usual!

Hi, love your videos. This one was no exception. Raised on a small farm near coal camp # 13 , Pageton WV. We had 2 horses but they were for riding pleasure. With us 5 boys at home it seemed like my brothers and I were the farm animals. We hoed a lot of corn and potatoes. We had a good life but we had to work hard. Dad was a miner and so was Grandpa.

That brought back some old memories of the days when I rode an old horse rake, raring hay here on the old farm. By this time it was pulled with an old tractor a 1950 massy Ferguson tractor. I can remember when I was a kid the old horse collars still hanging in the tac room of the old barn. I have an old brass knob off the top of one of these old horse collars , and an old cow bell. Yes this brought back a lot of old and good memories for me, thanks Donnie, this as really brightened my day, these old memories.

Howdy Donnie- I remember my grandpa using his jennys for working his gardens. My Daddy collected old horse shoes and always had a soft spot in his heart for how hard them old animals had to work. Times back then was hard but people who lived out in the country knew how to work. Thank you so much for sharing this. God’s blessings to y’all

Grandma had a 25yr old horse named Cricket that she could send out by herself to round up the cows in the barn for milking... to this day l think animals are smarter than we give them credit for.

Thanks for bringing back a memory of my grandfather working his fields with his mules,he has been gone many years now,and oh how I loved that old man,well that memory stirred that love today which got me thinking about how that one day I will meet up again with my grandad on the other side,and I sure hope there are coonhounds and mules in that place we call heaven ❤

Some of my earliest memories of my Great Grandfather are of him in the field behind 2 mules pulling a plow in Arjay KY. I was probably 4-5 years old when I first saw him plowing the field.

We had 2 mules and 2 big Percheron mares growing up. Used the mules for mowing on the steep places and the big mares for heavier work like plowing and pulling logs. I miss that life. It’s mostly gone now.

What. Beautiful memories this brought to me. My great grandpa raised some of the best horses and mules around. I can remember as a little kid watching an old farmer working his horses....Gee and Haw...I had to ask my Daddy what that meant...lol.

I truly enjoyed the video on working animals in Appalachia. I've had several good work mules and riding mules too,in my opinion you just can't beat a Good Mule.Thanks Donnie for reminding us of how it used to be, less we forget 🙂.

Thank you for showing us a piece of our history. I loved it. You are a special man doing all your different videos for us. God bless you as you bring America closer together again.

Times gone by.......................something about those days when people had more self reliance than people of today. Back then they knew how to live without modern conveniences, had much more knowledge of healing and kinship as well. Thanks Donnie for sharing.

I've always had a soft spot for Pit Ponies and mules. Every man, woman, child and beast had to work together just to survive. They all pulled together.♥️

Enjoyable as usual! Thanks, Donnie. There were mines that actually kept stables at the bottom of the shafts for the mules & horses. It saved time not having to take them in and out. They worked there until they couldn't do it or died.

This was great Donnie! I personally feel some of the technology we have today has been beneficial, especially when it comes to working the land in any way. Handling a team of horses, mules or oxen took great focus, patience and very good care of the animals in every way. Tractors, plows, combines, thrashers, etc. have definitely been a blessing for farmers, ranchers and anyone that grows crops. Technology, however, does have its down side in other ways and places. Based on my 20 + years working in the medical field as a CNA/CMA/HHA and Medical Assistant, I personally do NOT feel Technology for use in exam rooms has been the right move. When you have to make sure every little box is checked for "meaningful use" which is required because of Electronic Medical Records in every single doctors office in the US, you're looking at a computer screen, checking boxes and typing. You spend 95% of your time in that exam listening to the patients answer your questions; the other 5% you can determine by their tone of voice, and that simply isn't reliable or enough. So much patient information is lost in translation that way. A patients facial expressions, eye contact or lack there of and body language will tell you EVERYTHING their words do not, which is vital; especially for patients at their initial post op appointment. When the server is down or the computers crash in any medical environment/setting, all patient information is inaccessible. That means you can't look up the most recent patient history per their last office visit. For chronic medical issues, post op appointments, that is a huge problem. Paper charts with handwritten office visit patient history, dictation, lab results, surgical reports, current medication, PT reports and so on NEVER CRASH. All you have to do is open the chart and everything you need is right there. Technology has also been a communication hindrance for those 30-35 and younger, generally speaking. They've spent so much time with their face staring at a screen they lack the ability to hold a real one to one conversation complet with eye contact. I've been told by many people in that age demographic that actually talking to people in person makes them uncomfortable especially where small talk is concerned. In any job or career where customer service is an absolute must, eye contact when speaking to a customer, patient, client or resident is 100% necessary, many younger people fail horribly in those settings because they don't understand or know how to use the art of conversation. As I said, generally speaking. Their English is awful and their spelling is even worse. To that end, too much technology has caused human beings to "devolve"; and that is a travesty. Thanks for sharing!~APRIL LIPKE

Thanks for another great video,, my grandpa Duvall was a moonshiner back in the 20's and 30',40's,, he used a mule,, buckboard to haul his shine out of holler's !!!

Everything you mention, including the nurse on a horse is what I heard from my grandma about life growing up in rural North Dakota in the 1930s. She was a premature birth, and the nurse came from 15 miles away on horseback in January to deliver her. She then spent a few weeks in a shoebox in the wood/coal oven while the nurse stayed at the house and took care of her and my great-grandma.

Fascinating video Donnie! Hard to believe how things have changed when you think about the days of oxen and mules. Love the tack room you visited-I noticed the horseshoe on the outside above the door.

Thxs for sharing Donnie. Brings back memories with pa paw and even my Dad useing a team of Mule’s farming & logging. I was 11 years old useing a team.

I love hearing this and seeing old photos. Thank you so much

A man I grew up around collie Payne of big pine north Carolina has a picture of him and his oxen in the Smithsonian! What a honor to know this hard working old man!

Well done Donnie. Around where I live, horse pulls are still a big deal. Several towns around me hold one or two pulls a year. We have a day dedicated one afternoon to the horse pull at our yearly Home Coming. Not just local teams either, men bring theirs from KY and MO and southern IND. I had saddle horses most of my life till I got too stoved up to ride anymore. Love me some mules and horses now.

Great video. I remember my grandfather talking about mules. Never heard him talk about owning a tractor before he got out of farming and went to work in a furniture factory.

Donnie,I call you the voice of the past. I only hope we as subscribers will be the voice of the future. Keep telling your stories so we can share them with this present generation. You do a fine job!

thank you Donnie for keeping this very important history alive. These are some of the things that made our country so strong. Families were held together with hard work. All members had their jobs in this. they lived good sound lives and cherished each other. Thanks for sharing Donnie. Your friend , Louise

I love that I live in an area with a lot of Amish. They still farm using the horses and mules. I see kids as young as maybe 12, 13, 16 driving a pony cart or driving the mules. I see the young working alongside the grandparents and just all working together. Oh, and Amish numbers are increasing so there at least will be someone to pass on these skills.

Hi Donnie, great video!. Hey Donnie it’s is a shame too see the old farm tack buildings and tack waste like that. It saddens me to see the old equipment set there and rust away. Donnie could someone or some organizations repair the old barns and save them and the equipment? In that area. I hope someone would. Donnie do you remember how old you was when you first learned how to plow by yourself? Lol. My dad was about 8 when he was turned loose on one. I’m from eastern Ky not far from where you was raised. I also was raised on a small farm. Love this video!. Thanks!.

Thank you Mr. Laws. My Great Papaw's plow horse was named Alice, according to those who knew her. It has been said that she'd bucked all but a few who tried to ride her---she never bucked my daddy. She went blind at age 25; before I was born. I remember her tack hanging in the smoke house. "Frank" never allowed a tractor on his place, and passed in 1976 at the age of 99 years and 6 months.

Another Wonderful Video! Many memories of my Grandfather and others from my youth. Thank you so much for sharing! 🥰

thank you so much Donnie I'm sure a lot of time was spent making this video. just wanted to let you know that I appreciate you recording all the history of the old days it's always a treat when you upload a video. thanks again Donnie looking forward to future videos!!

Good story and details sir...Search for local Mule Day festivals in almost every state. Cairo GA. has a great one. The mule parade ( also riding and work horses) gives a glimpse of the power in these animals and why they were valued..

Enjoyed the memories of the animals, especially the horses. Blessings.

In the late 50"s my Papaw would plow the ranch (well it was 2 ac but at abt 4-5 I thought it was a ranch) with a borrowed mule and plow. He was probably late 60's early 70's. Grew food for the family for the year. Hard but better days. Thanks Donnie.

Here in the Southern hills of Kentucky my Daddy wld log out cedar logs and My Grandfather used his mules to plow our gardens and tobacco patches.... Those were the days.... I sure miss them days.....

The animals were like partners. My grandpa told stories about getting the old mukes from the steel mills for a good price. People knew how to survive back rhen. I'm loving looking at all of your videos. I have seen many but there are a lot I've not seen before. We do develop a love for our content creators, Mr. Donnie. You said in your video, "If you love me keep my channel going." So every day I try to show you how much I appreciate the work you do, and love heals. May you have a speedy recovery. God bless!!

Oh wow I just got to the goat part. My Pap told me about them goat cars. Oh the memories. He did logging too. He used to gaff trees and I learned to gaff telephone poles. He was so arm proud of me. I remember he told me when he was a young child they had dirt floors. He said them floors were so hard you could sweep them just like a tile floor. Ty Donnie for the memories

THANK YOU DONNIE I REALLY ENJOYED IT. GROWING UP MY FATHER HAD A MULE '' OLD RED '' WE TOOK VERY GOOD CARE OF HER WE BRUSHED HER AND WE THOUGHT SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL/

I'm just about ready to move there Donnie! I got a few more days here and I got a bus ticket to Etawah

Oh, how I wish I could visit for a while,with people and places and times gone by . Thanks, Donnie. God bless.

God bless you Donnie for sharing history gone by.

I love history so thank you for the wonderful insight. God bless you !

So enjoy watching how farming was done back in the day. The dark horse that you said was a monster horse the breed is Percheron. They are big bulky animals that have a lot of power

I am so in love with our history, the old days were so cool. If I was ever given one wish it would hands down to have a time travel machine.

Thank you Mr. Donnie! For a tribute to the old days and ways.

Great video, Mr. Laws. All my relatives from that time had stories to tell about coming home late at night and when they got close enough to home that it was a road the horse was familiar with, they could tie up the reins loosely and go to sleep, knowing that the horses would get them home safely. Makes me chuckle every time I hear about these fancy new high-tech cars that can drive themselves (somewhat). All the genius scientists and engineers can't yet match a good horse. Other thing your video brought to mind was my grandpa's old mule, "Mary". She was a huge animal, but gentle as a kitten. She lived to an old age, but she loved to work so much that my grandpa would still do part of the Spring plowing with her even when she was an old gal. When she died, the county held a funeral ceremony for her. She was one of the last working mules in Lumpkin County. She is missed just like any other member of the family. This also reminds me of Wendell Berry, a good ol' Kentucky feller that still works his land with horses. Draft animals cost less than tractors and do better on slopes. I kick myself for not nudging my Dad to teach me how to work with horses. He was the last to plow and such with them. He loved them, too. It wouldn't have taken much to get him to stick with them, but I didn't know any better back then.

A melancholy comes over you as you describe the old ways. I love the photo of the little girl driving the horse during her chores. They probably started teaching her when she was old enough to stand.

My grandpa always had a mule. Dad would borrow mule and wagon at planting time. Mules name was Kate gentle as a lamb. After plowing we would all ride her. Great memories

My grandfather plowed with a mule named Belle. I would follow him and try to step in his steps. Jackson County, Georgia. Good memories from your video.

My favorite Uncle in Kentucky used horses and mammoth mules to work his farm for ages. His big ol' mules were the "Cadillac" of rides too. I was fortunate enough to be able to ride along his side on his farm equipment, like Single horse sickle mowers, hay rakes, large wooden mule sled and such. Mowing hay fields, cutting roadsides, planting the tobacco fields. He did it till he physically could not do so anymore. He was also the local blacksmith and everyone came to him with their horses, mules, and even goats. Whatever they needed, he had or could fix it, shoe it or trim it. He'd use his old blacksmith shop for something nearly every day. He also had both milk cows and beef cattle. I loved milking the cows at 5:am ever morning with him, and again in the late afternoon. He couldn't go to his barn without me following him. He once told me, for country folk like himself, the difference between a horse and mule, was that a horse will run through a barbed wire fence, where a mule will step on it, push it down and walk across. To most everyone around the area, a horse was worth $50.00, and it was a whole lot more for a good working mule. I miss him so badly. He passed away about 10 or so years ago now. 😪 You just cannot find them like he was anymore. I kinda agree that those days are now gone, sadly. 😪

THIS BRING BACK TO GROWING UP IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI IN THE 60S AND 70S FARMING AND LOGGING AND VISTING THE NEIGHBORS WITH THE MULES AND WAGON AND RODE MULES. THE GOOD OLD DAYS MORE LOVE AND HELP. SAVANNAH TN. 69 YEARS OLD. BE BLESS.

Love this video. I lived in the country in Illinois for 7 years, the driveway was a mile long. I had 2 horses then but just for riding but half way down the lane lived a older man and his wife. He had 2 horses, big horses. I can’t remember what kind but looked like the horses in this video. He had this huge wooden platform that he hooked up the horses to. He rode the platform and drove the horses. He let me ride with him one day, it was amazing just standing on that platform as he drove the team.

I thoroughly enjoyed this video.It made think of my Dad & his stories about a harder yet simpler life than today.Fortunately I learned how to use this living equipment.Like our milk cows,if you were mad at them for kicking your milk bucket & if you swatted or smacked that cow, especially one that has been milked for years,you got your tail tore up with a switch,belt or whatever was close & handy to pick up.

Love hearing your stories, you have a soft clam voice …

Thank you Mr. Donnie, I appreciate you sharing this video of the work animals of days gone by. Brought back a lot of memories of my childhood, watching some of the ole timers using some of these same animals on their farms and for transportation My Grandaddy was born in 1921 and use to tell me that he would plow a mule all day for 50 cents a week, that’s just hard to comprehend. I love hearing about our history in this country. GOD BLESS YOU MY FRIEND!!!! 👍🏻🙌🏻☀️☀️

I love you and your beautiful videos and I love the music you use sir. I really love all the videos you do and I truly appreciate you so much ❤.

Thank You, Donnie Laws Awesome look back into history Loved to had Mr.Laws as a history teacher in school 😆

An eye opener, Thanks Donnie. Takes me back to my childhood in the 60s on the countryside in Cinci when I was a kid. Horses and mules were still used. I lived on a Road where old WW1 vets still farmed. I learned a lot from them Gents and their wives. Hardship was engrained in there going through life BUT lots of happiness was had in there old days. I seen it. Tom

In rocky Idaho and Oregon some of the horse/mule/oxen wagon trails are still visible, they're deep and I've walked miles in them. The grandaddy though is the Natchez Trail, 12 feet or more deep in places because of softer ground. In Wisconsin we horse-osaurouses...those huge Belgians and others, awesome but gentle as lambs. You reminded me of: Oh, Don't you remember Sweet Betsy from Pike, She crossed the big mountains with her lover Ike, With two yoke of oxen and one yaller dog And an old Shanghai rooster one spotted hog.

Farming with animals is alive and well in Lancaster county in PA. We drive thru there to visit our daughter who lives that way, and we see the amish out spring planting with their mules and horses. It's a joy to see. Also the amish hang up their clothes outside with the pulley system. We see alot of quilts and dark clothes on the lines.

Thank you for posting this lovely, charming story of American working heroes of the past, often forgot about. We will not forget. Poor animals having to haul that giant stack of logs! Most logs are much smaller these days; almost all of the big trees are gone, especially since the chestnuts were blighted out. Oak is so scarce that the wooden attic of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, which burned a few years ago, is not replaceable. I think they have to use aluminum instead.There is a strong, old retired mule near our home named Ernie. When he heehaws, you can hear him over the next ridge.

My Uncle Brother had dairy cows and mules. Remember riding those mules. He was a country vet. He taught me so much about Doctoring animals.

I remember my papaw was a dairy farmer, he always had a beautiful vegetable garden every year & it was always plentiful, enough for the family and friends. Papaw used his mule to plow the garden, my papaws name was Joe Wheeler Clingan & his mules name was Josie! We all loved Josie, she was part of our family. When Josie wasn't working she played with me and our old redbone hound. Ahhh,the good old days, I remember them still & will never forget!

Wonderful video. Thank you Donnie for helping us remember those times.

Such neat pictures and history Donnie....My Grandpa and my Pops plowed with horses and oxen as well.....I used to love and sit and listen to them when they were alive...so much history ...Thank you brother....

Jerry Clower once said “you plow a horse until he falls over dead,you plow a mule,he’ll stop before you kill him” lol. True! 😀

Hello from Oklahoma, I just found your channel, I just love it. You make me homesick for the mountains and I've never lived there.

Great pictures and really good stories Moma said of the old mule teams that you had to keep them together if they were a pair you couldn't separate them so if you wanted to sell one you had to sell the pair that pulled together Beautiful old times

Another good one 👍. I just missed the mules, family had a tractor by my time. We have some collars and reins. A old cabin (1850s) is down the hill from me. I show everybody. Thanks brother.

Back in the 1920s my mother and all her 13 brothers and sisters had to work in the fields picking cotton from early to late and if they were caught playing they would get a whipping , but they always had plenty to eat on the 150 acre farm in Piedmont , Alabama ( Nice to read all the Stories ). Thank you for all the videos , Love them !!!! Gl. Az. 🐦

Thank you so much for taking me back in time best times ever

I would love to have all of the beautiful music 🎶 to this wonderful video Mr donnie,all of your videos are awesome and I watch your videos every day ❤

What a pleasure you are, my friend. I see I am not the only one who enjoys your work. I enjoy your channel . You bring history to life! My grandfather used mules for plowing and logging. You sure bring a bit of home to me. I am so homesick for Tennessee. Thank you for being the BEST CHANNEL ON KZfaq ! Just keeping it real. Have a beautiful Tennessee day!!

I really enjoyed this, thanks so very much. You brought back so many memories with these old farm machines...I spent some time on those old seats... ours were machines converted to be towed behind a '38 John Deere "A"with Pop driving and me on the seat operating the appropriate levers and pedals...mowing, traking, planting, cultivating, etc... An interesting fact is that it wasn't until 1954 that there were more tractors in America's farm fields than draft animals (1960 U.S. Census). By the way our horses were retired and living a well earned easy life… it used amuse me when they’d come to the pasture fence and watch us working the fields with a tractor pulling what they once pulled … I often wondered their thoughts… It is indeed sad to see those old farms returning to overgrown wood lots, their farmsteads dilapidated and fallen, machines and equipment rusting and rotting away… a forgotten and dying way of life and lost history… all things of the forgotten past. Thanks again, Sir for getting me to recall fond memories.. ,. Though we were poor and worked hard, we were fortunate… we grew our own food and ate well and relied upon, loved and appreciated one another.