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Stories of the Heartland • Sunday, September 21, 2025 Page 33
Harnessing history:
Collector preserves horse-drawn legacy
BY SHEILA MCCOY STORIES OF THE HEARTLAND
Where the old plows rest, memories still work the land. Born on Oct. 10, 1945, Don Copa of Little Falls has seen and experienced a few things in his life, from attending country school and serving in the Minnesota Army National Guard to marrying the love of his life, Pat, and collecting hundreds of antique horse drawn farm equipment.
“ I’ ll be 80 on my next birthday. Where did time go?” he said.
What makes Copa’ s antique collection even more special is that just about all the equipment but the few he’ s repairing still works today once hitched up to a team of horses.
The desire to collect horse drawn farm equipment is closely related to his love for horses. What first sparked his interest was when he purchased his first horse at an auction.
“ I had the sickness back when I was in grade school already. I was probably in fourth or fifth grade. That’ s when I bought my first horse,” he said
The first horse he bought was an American Paint Horse he named Dolly. While she was broke to ride and drive, Copa said it was clear that those who trained her to drive had not used any backup straps, which purpose is to keep the equipment from running into the horse when it slows down, stops or goes downhill. He and his dad found that out quickly when his dad hitched her up to a buggy.
“ Because of that, every once in a while when you would drive her, she would just fire up and take off. I raised colts out of her, because she was OK for riding, but if you hooked her up, you never knew what was going to happen,” Copa said.
Later, the love for horses transitioned to buying Belgian horses. It was a horse breed he grew up with and liked its temperament and beauty. It’ s also what led him to raise Belgians for about 40 years
“ When I lost my wife( in 2022 due to ovarian cancer), the kids said,‘ You’ ve got to get out of that business( of raising horses), because you’ re going to get in trouble and mischief,’” you know, get hurt. So I finally sold the stud and quit raising colts, but I still kept horses,” he said. Today, Copa’ s farm is home to four Belgian horses, three mares and one gelding.
Reminiscing, Copa said the first horse drawn equipment he owned was a buggy he bought from his grandparents, Robert and Julia Schneider. As they had gotten the buggy from their neighbor, Mr. Bartons, the Schneiders always referred to it as Mr. Barton’ s buggy. It was a name for it that continued well after Copa bought it from his grandparents.
“ It was just a little buggy. Not a top buggy, but one you used when you might go to town to get groceries. Top buggies were more for traveling when going to church back in the day,” he said. Copa still has that buggy. The horse drawn farming equipment all serve a purpose. Some, he said, were really popular back in the day and as various designs emerged, became a“ hot item” of its day. Copa’ s collection includes discs, cultivators, drags in all sizes, road graders, slip scoops, mowers, rakes, manure spreaders, wagons, buggies and more.
Copa said the oldest equipment in the collection is