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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Using a horse instead of a tractor really, really appeals to me.  Now, I 
have neither and the farm suffers.  There is so much deadfall in the 
woods that needs to be cleaned up.  All kinds of stuff needs to be moved 
and could be pulled...Of course, my garden is just the right size for a 
horse or mule to plow-almost too small for a tractor. I have the pasture 
to keep one, blah blah blah, but here's my thing...
I know I can buy a trained horse for less than I can buy a tractor, for 
sure, but who is going to train ME to do things with the horse, i.e. 
log, plow, etc., and how much would all that tack and equipment cost in 
addition to the horse?
Moon, I've had a couple of border collies..and yes, I worked my sheep. 
The first one, the best one, was a borrowed dog..a two year old could 
have worked that dog..then I 'tried out' several before buying, and 
realized that I couldn't whistle-that I needed a voice trained dog. 
Well, try to find that in an area where IF you can find a trained dog, 
they are trained to compete, not necessarily to work, and they are all 
whistle dogs..
Anyway, to make a long story shorter, I have learned my lesson about 
getting the personal training for myself...just buying a trained animal 
isn't good enough, and I wouldn't have a clue as to how to learn how to 
actually work with a horse.

Bev

Clansgian AT wmconnect.com wrote:

> Not that I'd hesitate to buy one.  There's a draft horse auction here twice a 
> year and while a well trained (usually meaning Amish trained) Belgian will go 
> for as much as $4000, this past year many feasible Belgians and Halflingers 
> sold for $800.  You don't get much tractor for that money at any rate.
>
> Do you use your Halflinger in harness or do you ride him or both??   </HTML>
--
BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm   NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W    Bev is Earth, Ron is Sky