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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] no-till and farming with horses

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  • From: "Wyatt Jones" <wyatt_jones AT netzero.com>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] no-till and farming with horses
  • Date: Fri, 14 May 2010 20:18:28 -0400

I farmed at a "living history museum" using draft horses.  Lynn Miller has quite a few books on it.  I would highly recommend you find somebody experienced to learn from and get some experience with if you want to take this route as it can be quite dangerous, I would also not do it if you farm alone very much.  Horses are great and I couldn't recommend them highly enough but they can do some unpredictable things and you have to be on top of them.  I came close to getting crushed once because this, well I won't say it here, started feeding them grain when I wasn't finished hitching them and they of course went nuts trying to eat each others grain with me caught in the middle of two 2300 lb percherons wondering if it was my last day on earth.  Grain is like heroin to horses and they will eat it till they bind up and die if you let them.  Never trusted that guy again I can tell you.  They can spook and take off running like a bat out of hell for no apparent reason, their eyesight isn't very good.  I worked with a young mare who spooked whenever she saw a hedgeapple, hated woods.  They all have their quirks but they are great animals.  I'd work with them myself if I didn't work alone so much and I hope someday to do it again, they are great working companions.  Some people like to work with warm bloods, they aren't quite as calm but they are half the size of a big draft and easier to harness, etc.  Many Amish like to use halflingers.  I don't like their personality as much but they are hard workers, small, tough and you can do a lot with them.  There are quite a few other types of draft ponies as well, some people hitch up 10 or 20 of them and pull quite a bit.
 
Sorry for the sermon but my point is that. if you want to use horses, please get some hands on training.
 
Wyatt
 
Jamestown , Ohio
 


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