Horse and buggy travel a way of life for many Mennonites. Recent tragedies have led to safe road use efforts [Video]

NOTE: To respect the core value of humility held by members of the Old Order Mennonite community in Desbarats, Ont., CBC has agreed not to use the full name of the people interviewed for this story. 

Oct. 29 started off as an ordinary day for Edwin, a member of the Old Order Mennonite community near Desbarats in northeastern Ontario. 

He was heading to a farm about a kilometre from his home to help fellow Mennonites build a barn, a trip he makes every other week by horse and buggy on Highway 17. That morning, he used four-year-old Sparky, a “gentle, willing and quiet-natured” horse raised by Edwin and his family. 

Horse-buggy travel is typically done on the shoulder of the highway, but sometimes gets pushed into part of a paved lane due to snow, guardrails and …