Do you rent or least horses to Amish folks in your area? If so, what has your experience been like? I spoke to someone recently who does this and it works well. I've heard of people charging quite a bit, although I'm only interested in it as a means to keep the horses fit during seasons when I don't have as much for them to do.

I think you would have to carefully select your renters. Just because they use horses in every day life doesn't mean all Amish are good horsemen. That view was confirmed when I last week talked with an Amish farrier who said to me verbatim:" Not all of our people are good with horses just because they have to use them for transportation". And it makes sense, not all Americans( or Germans for that matter) are good drivers just because they drive a car daily.
Look at the condition of the horses of your possible renter to be able to judge. How well-fed are they, do they have harness marks on them which would point to carelessness, are the corners of the mouths smooth or rugged, do the legs show rope-burns etc.? Maybe you can observe how the horses are being worked- you do not have to announce your intentions before you offer your horse to anybody. In any case, if you value your horses you certainly want to make sure that they will be well-treated, not just worked sufficiently.

Just be careful when selecting the people to whom you will entrust your horses. My farrier had two Suffolk full brothers that he placed with an Amish farmer. The farmer, against express instructions forbidding him from "lending" the horses to his friends, did exactly that 2 years ago during some of the hottest days of summer. Apparently, the girl who was driving them was either unknowing or uncaring about the dangers of overheating them. One horse collapsed in harness and died on the spot. They were both under 10 years old. Their dam was my Agatha, who is now gone.

I appreciate these cautions. It goes without saying that such an arrangement would need to be well researched.

Amish in Davies county Indiana used our mares when we took them in the spring to be bred to a great pulling stallion, Crackerjack.
The mares came back used, and a little thin and stressed, mainly because the other horses would pick on them during non working hours.

One of the people I've known who loved horses the most was a guy that had left the Amish in his 20s. But he still treated horses very differently than most non-Amish would. It must suck for them if they don't particularly care for horses. You have to use a tool to get a job done. But unlike a tractor or other machine, that tool has a personality and thought process of it's own.

Just to offer a positive story. I did have my horses work with Amish friends this spring. They were very careful with the team and it was a good experience for all concerned. I knew these folks and we discussed the details. I would occasionally stop in and I had a strong impression of the family from one of their english neighbors. It wasn't at all blind. You can learn al lot about people by observing their own animals. Interestingly, they want my horses kept separate for the very reason of not seeing them stressed.

Just a thought. I have a 2 year old stud colt that I am pretty proud of. Have a good friend who I trust as both a person and as a horseman. I shipped Pete down to this friends place to cover some mares and be a work horse. As a precaution, and put insurance on the horse. Not for my sake because I know horses can die at anytime and sometimes for no reason other than because they want to. They also can get hurt. I looked at the insurance as friendship insurance. If something happened to Pete I didn't want to lose a good friend. He would feel bad or any other drama. Horse dies and we are both covered. It really isn't that much. I think it was $30 per $1,000 of coverage for a year.