Working with Horses?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

Greetings, We have a six acres site, three acres of Apples and with three acres tillable and we are very interested in working those tillable three acres with work horses. Has the magazine done any articles on this subject or is there anybody (I'm sure there is) out there working their land with horses and how do I get started, what are the pro's / con's? I have 5 outbuilding, one of which boarded livestock in the past, so I have the facilities, the land and I'm pretty sure that I have the courage to do it. Please Advise. P.S. Your magazine is the best!!! Regards, Joel & JulieAnne Turino Free Spirit Orchard Beaver Dam, WI

-- Joel & JulieAnne Turino (joel.turino@pwrsysa.com), October 11, 2001

Answers

Just something to keep in consideration is how much it will cost you to feed such a large animal vs. the cost of machinery. Didn't sound like you have much pasture or hay fields. I personally would love to own a draft horse! I've always been attracted to them. We own 2 horses and they can go thru 1 1/2 bales of hay each day. Just a thought.

-- Pat (mikulptrc@aol.com), October 11, 2001.

Small Farmers Journal is all about farming with horses.

-- Just Duckie (Duck@spazmail.com), October 11, 2001.

Draft Horse Journal has excellent articles as well.

-- beckie (sunshine_horses@yahoo.com), October 11, 2001.

THE website for farming with draft animals is..

http://www.wmich.edu/tillers/

-- Jason (AJAMA5@netscape.net), October 11, 2001.


Rural Heritage is another good source for using animal power on a small farm.

-- Deb Foster (DFoster987@aol.com), October 13, 2001.


You might want to think about draft ponies instead of horses. Since your acreage is not large, ponies might be a better choice, as they eat proportionately less. They are still strong beasties, and being lower to the ground, their center of gravity allows them to pull strongly. I have seen numbers of what appear to be BelgianX, & Percheron/Welsh bred ponies, as well as Haflingers, and Fjords used for wagon pulling as well as for pulling matches. The president of our local horse club works and breeds Fjords, and uses them for a hay/sleigh ride business as well as for pulling his syruping sledge in spring and his lumber wagon. They also are a good size to do additional duty in riding.

Did a Google search on draft ponies just to see what it would pull up, and there were a lot of interesting sites, breeders, and links -- this one had a number of good links: http://dmoz.org/Business/Industries/Agriculture_and_Forestry/Livestock /Horses_and_Ponies/Draft_Horses/

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), October 13, 2001.


My answer is biased because we have four belgian draft horses and we think they are great! We have 15 acres, 5 of that is in hay, 3 in pasture (cows, horses and sheep) about 4 in garden (lots of pumpkins and gourds) 1 for the house and barn and the rest will be christmas trees some day. Two of our horses were amish bred and raised, the best, most patient workers that have taught us things. The other two did some farming but also lots of plowing - farming competitions. They are all wonderful. Small farm journal is a great magazine for draft horse lovers. Check it out. The best way to get started would be to find someone to show you. We were taught by a gentleman that was just thankful for the help during the parade season. Also remember, you can use the horses for hay rides ect. to make money also. We would be glad to offer advice, but it will have to be through this site right now. Am having computer problems and cannot receive e- mails at the moment. Good luck, Joanie

-- Joanie (ber-gust@prodigy.net), October 13, 2001.

I understand your "fever" I own a pair of Percheron draft Horses. I farm and log with them. We farm 73 acres together. I agree with all the Small Farmers Journal is a great resource. I am also in agreement that the best teachers are a willing and well broke team and a willing teamster. It looks as if you are planning to buy hay and feed based on your acreage. This cost will need to be considered. I had draft ponies for 15 years before the horses. They ponies that I had were welsh type and well broke ... but ... for me the horses are hands down better. I think I could help more if I knew what you were planning to use the tillabe acerage for, I can provide insight as to the cost of equipment etc. The Small Farmers Journal also has several good books published for the novice teamster that you may enjoy .. they are on line now too ! Best Wishes Ralph

-- Ralph Rice (roadapple@suite224.net), October 15, 2001.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ