Being that they're the "plain folk", it's almost gloriously contradictory to see some flashy sorrel or glossy dapple gray stepping out in style, hauling his black-clad 'family' in their black-on-black carriages.
The horses really clip along in traffic with their ground-eating strides and you can see the pride in their eyes and the arch of their necks.
The kids hang all over them, petting them and giving them treats.
I've seen quite a few Thoroughbreds pulling too but they do tend to favor the gaited horses.
FWIW, I take my dogs exclusively to Mennonite vets in Greencastle PA.
They get treatment there like they've never gotten anywhere else.
I'd rather have a Standard than a T-Bred hauling my family, likewise. The trotters and pacers I saw auctioned also had some sense--regretted they were such poor rides and thought their futures were grim, but didn't think about the possibility that they were headed for a better life in the country where they'd be appreciated. But, this was quite a few years ago--didn't know much about the Amish when I was a teen.