-Farm News photo by Doug Clough
A sturdy set of stairs that is original to the barn leads up to the hayloft where barn dances were held in the past. With the barn still in use, there are also still plenty of hay bales filling the area.

IDA GROVE — When Dan Schroeder introduces his horse barn, he does so by saying, ‘There’s a bit of authenticity about it,” and Schroeder couldn’t be more right.

“Originally, this barn was just for horses,” said Schroeder. “You can see where the harnesses wore on the wood from all the years of standing. One side of the barn still has the mangers.”

The barn was constructed by Theador Abbe — the first owner of this farmstead — in the 1870s or 1880s; Theador’s initials have been found in the grain crib with the date 1894.

“My great-grandparents would have bought this in the late 1930s or early ’40s,” said Schroeder. “My boys farm the ground now, so it’s five generations in our family. My three boys and I all raise cattle together.”

There is another large barn to the north, which is used by Schroeder just for the care of the family’s cattle.

-Farm News photo by Doug Clough
Boards on the sides of the horse stalls have stood the test of decades with some wear from the harnesses.

Schroeder has a handful of horses these days, and the smaller of the family’s two barns does the trick for their care.

“In the early days, there would have been stalls for horses on each side,” said Schroeder. “We’ve made improvements for tying our riding horses, but you can see we still have the old wooden pegs to hold the harnesses.”

The original farm was 240 acres which, Schroeder noted, would have taken a lot of horses for both planting and harvest as well as other chores throughout the year.

Today, Schroeder has a team of Percherons and three riding horses. The horses play a big part in local town celebrations, most recently in Schleswig’s 125-year celebration.

The horse-barn hayloft is designed to also hold grain, which can be scooped into a chute, falling into a bin for feeding. Schroeder still stores bales of hay up top just like the generations before him. License plates since 1920 are secured in the hayloft as a reminder of those who worked hard on the farm from the decades before the Great Depression. A rope sling was used to move hay, rather than a fork, as more hay could be moved with each load.

-Farm News photo by Doug Clough
The Schroeder horse barn was originally constructed to house work horses only. “In the early days, there would have been stalls for horses on each side,” said Dan Schroeder. “We’ve made improvements for tying our riding horses, but you can see we still have the old wooden pegs to hold the harnesses.”

A new roof was added in 2023. The red exterior paint looks fresh as if a coat was added as of late. The barn has rested on a foundation of stones since it was built in the late 1800s.

“When we replaced the roof, we found the barn just inches from being square on both sides,” said Schroeder.

Instead of a ladder to the haymow, there is a set of stairs that is original to the structure; Schroeder was told by Esther Abbe, an early resident of the farmstead and now 105 years old, that there had been many barn dances there back in the day.

“Esther also said that there were quite a few hobos who would stop to sleep in the barn,” said Schroeder. “The family fed them before they went on their way, and Esther said, ‘Boy, could they eat pancakes!'”

When Schroeder’s father was young, the transition from work horses to tractors occurred, and the barn was used to care for and milk dairy cattle. When Dan was growing up, half of the horse barn was for chickens and the other half for cattle or hogs.

“This old barn continues to serve our family well,” said Schroeder. “It continues to care for horses and does well at handling the elements that Mother Nature throws its way.”