Thanks for the cart photo. I love its economic commentary. That is a light horse pulling it, too. Half the caloric intake of a draft animal. I know that the economy is presenting different challenges through out the country but here, horses are dirt cheap (as in you can't give one away). Unlike much of the country, hay is cheap and plentiful although not very nutritious. Using horsepower, I can go places that even ATVs can't get to and in just about any snow, rain or mud conditions that make our roads impassable. They've also helped me to turn vine covered woods into park - like settings. You have to stop them before they create a desert like setting. I don't have the mechanical skills of most of the people in this group but you really can 'rig' just about any pulling, harness, braking set up for a given situation. All that aside, they are a constant maintenance type chore added to every day. Draft horses, while certainly not for everyone, really are an eco~friendly power source. They have certainly improved the clay here so that some good things can grow and removed all sorts of brush. This year, making one more step towards sustainability, we are experimenting with millet; traditionally a forage crop that is used in Europe much more than here. At about 2000# each, they consume about 200# of forage per day and can pretty much tell you where to go, when they feel like it. I don't know how that compares financially, to using gas powered equipment. There is something really satisfying about accomplishing a job that I couldn't have done alone, using their help instead of a tractor. Clarissa --- On Sat, 3/17/12, JayH <slurryguy@yahoo.com> wrote:
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