Dilemma #2…too much horse?

[Andy Carson]

Alot of team equipment for farm work is simply too big for a single horse, so you might not get alot of “bang for your buck” cutting it down. Substitutes come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and intended applications, though.

If you want to run the largest variety of equipment with the least modifications, I would recommend you get a forecart. You are probably going to want one anyway, they are handy for alot of reasons. I mostly use mine to give friends and family cart rides because they seem to love them, but they are properly used for pulling implements. I like to walk because sometimes I can be a contrary bastard. At any rate, once you have a forecart, you can hook all sorts of things up behind it in the same way that would hook them up behind a tractor. The implements are, obviously, going to be much smaller than tractor implements. I have seen manure spreaders designed for ATVs that you could pull easily with a single horse and a forecart, for example. I simply use a sled and a harroe to spread manure, though, because I don’t really have that much to spread and a sled is so useful for so many other things. The disc I use is modified from a lawn tractor disc and I will admit I did have a tough time finding a disc for a single horse that I liked. Harrows, both spike tooth and spring tooth often come in detachable sections and are easy to size to a single and can be pulled behind a forecart easily enough. Plows (if you are interested) do come in a size for a single horse. There are alot of walk behind cultivators for single horses too. I also use a broadcast spreader that was intended to be pulled by a lawn tractor. Not sure what else you might need… One of the nice things about using “repurposed” equipment is that the price is often low and with a little elbow grease you can get something nice without alot of money. When you have to outfit yourself in short order, the savings really help.

[Joshua Kingsley]

You may want to check out Clover Oaks farm in FL. They raise Fjords and Ardennes horses and Joyce is in Brooksville. She is easy to talk with and works her horses in harness and such as well she is online and also lists her # on her web site. http://www.cloveroaksfarm.com/home.html

Joshua

[Joshua Kingsley]

On another note I use Haflingers here for farm work and they do well with most all the farm equipment that I have. most of the old equipment was ment for horses that were smaller than todays drafts. I have found that the smaller horses rev a little higher but will do a suprising amount of work on less feed.
Joshua

[Thecowboysgirl]

At this point I am counting out ponies of any type, though I considered Haflingers in the past, because whatever I use to work the farm has to double as a trail mount for my husband or myself. I know they say adults can ride haflingers but I would just feel stupid! I’m 5’8″ 150# or so and I know from experience that anything under 15 hands feels too small for me. My husband is over 6′ and I promise you I won’t get HIM on a pony lol.

Due to grazing load on the pasture and other financial constraints I can’t keep a horse to only work in harness and not be ridden as well. For that matter there won’t be enough of either type of work to keep a horse fit, but combined I think it would be perfect.

So….for a moment I thought mules were the answer to my problem but hubby says he won’t ride a mule either!! I don’t mind riding a mule, so if a single mule could do the draft work then I can trail ride the mule and hubby can have a quarterhorse who does no draft work (and I can ride the QH for fun to keep it in shape for him). Or if I get a great mule who can teach me to drive passably well then maybe I can train the QH to drive too. (big dreams!)

Is everybody’s general consensus that a single well built mule or well built larger riding horse) would be strong enough to do the work here? Assuming it knew how to drive? I keep coming back to the mules since they are much more often broke to drive than are QHs etc.

[Andy Carson]

@Thecowboysgirl 26339 wrote:

Is everybody’s general consensus that a single well built mule or well built larger riding horse) would be strong enough to do the work here? Assuming it knew how to drive? I keep coming back to the mules since they are much more often broke to drive than are QHs etc.

I think you would do fine with a single work mule. The only work I see you listing that gives me pause is your proposed acre of garden, mostly because of the potential of plowing. I am very unfamiliar with gardening practices as far south as you are… Do you have an “off” season there or will you be growing different crops in small plots all year round? If this is the case, you could hire a neighbor with a tractor to break open your garden area for you (just once), and you could maintain it with your single. That kind of system works around here, but I am very unfamiliar with what farming/gardening is like in florida and have no idea what weed pressure is like there.

[Donn Hewes]

That sounds like a good plan. Over time you might be able to train the QH to double your draft power as your skills develop. I personally like a mule for riding or driving, but the folks that do the best with them are the ones that find them interesting, and don’t just think of them as different or difficult.

[Thecowboysgirl]

We have one great neighbor, it turns out, and he acutally already has disced (sp?)a section of our side pasture for us with his tractor. He’s the type of guy who will just do anything for you and doesn’t want money exchanged between neighbors. He’s just a nice guy who is happy to help. We are so happy to have such a great neighbor, I bring him fruit from our trees and cookies and things, and my husabnd buys him diesel for his tractor, and we’ve rpomised him anything he wants from our garden. So we have accesss to the tractor- I think he’s got most everything for it except a brush hog since he doesn’t have much grass. But he’s got a loader and a box blade, which we are planning to use to do our dirt work once the new pond is dug.

I regret all the fossil fuels but the work has got to get done and it would be a terribly long time to wait for me to get this all figured out, find the horse, find the equip, etc… My plan is to take over with horsepower as soon as I can get it together.

[Thecowboysgirl]

I have only personally known one mule in my life. I worked on a farm animal rescue that had a donkey stallion who had bred one of the pony mares. The mule was the only animal born there who hadn’t come from some terrible background. I loved all the other animals but she was a spoiled, pushy brat!

That aside, from the reading I’ve done i think I can understand why people like them so much- the draw for me is that from a resources standpoint- it seems they are likely to require less feed, shoes, and will fit in smaller trailers so it just makes sense. As for the personality thing, I am also a dog trainer and I think it’s safe to say that anything I haven’t encountered before (training mules) is a happy project. I love a good challenge as far as figuring out how to work with something I’m new to, I don’t get angry easily, and I’m not a pushover. (shrug)

As far as “off” season, there might be one month or maybe two where there’s a danger of frost. On a cold year. The biggest danger is the summer sun. It’s just brutal.

[Simple Living]

Just a quick note about Haflingers and size. I own 4 haflingers, 3 mares range from 13.2 to 14h and my stud is 14.2h. There are many of the newer Haflingers that range in and around the 14.2 to 15.2h (not my idea of a haflinger but non the less). Now, if you look at most of the previous and even current quarter horses that are the top winners in cutting and reining, they are in the same 14-15h. I believe that Smart Little Lena (sired by the great Doc O’lena) was only 13.3h. I guess I understand the thought of wanting to ride a “Tall” steed, But size can be more than height. When it comes to versatility, I believe the Haflinger can get away with most of it, and for a dual purpose easy keeper and willng equine, they are great.

As a side note, I have a mare out of my oldest mare and by my stud that seems to do it all. She works on the plow, pulls the cart, and rides very well. My youngest son took her last year(she was 6) to the Ohio State Fair in 4H in July and won 3rd in the Single Hitch Pony class as well as Champion in the Draft Reinsmanship class. Then brings her home and shows at the county fair, He also was first in those classes as well as placed in 4 of the 5 speed events he entered (poles, barrels, flags, down and back, and speed and control. By the way, he is 5’8″ and weighed 185lbs at the time and she is only 13.2h. 🙂

Another thing you may want to consider is feed. I can feed these 4 Haflingers for the same amount as 2 Full draft horses. The rule of thumb I was told was you can get 2/3 the work on 1/3 the feed and that seems to be a pretty close estimate.

I wish you all the luck in whatever you decide to get. Nothing better than having a good honest equine to help you through your day!

Gordon

p.s. Sorry to sound like and sale add for Haflingers, Just can’t help myself!! LOL

[Thecowboysgirl]

Gordon, I appreciate your input. Maybe I’m biased from growing up riding leggy dressage horses!

In any case, I know you have really valid points about versatility and feed costs. I will keep it in mind. Maybe I could compromise with a bigger Haf.

🙂
Juliana

[sanhestar]

Well,

I could pinch in with the same about Highlandponies and most likely Fellponies, too.

I had a Highlandpony mare, about 14h, never felt she was too small. These ponies have a very wide chest and you don’t feel like sitting on a small horse.

They are also easy keeper, adjusted to the poor feed of the Scottish Highlands and can work around the year with grazing resp. hay only.

[OldKat]

I’d bet that with all the range cattle in your area there are some old style “bulldog” Quarter Horses around. Look for “Foundation” QH’s; mostly these will be Warren Ranch, King Ranch, Four 6’s etc bred horses.

Many of the first generation QH’s came out of mares that were Percheron or mostly Percheron. These were the old style Percherons; probably weighed no more than 1,400 pounds or so and were probably 15.0 hands tops. I think it was lancek that said many a western field was plowed with Quarter Horses and he is right. They are cheap right now and would be acclimated to your area.

You may even find some broke to drive. I’ve seen them in my area and where you live, if you are within an hour of Bradenton, is not much different than where I live. I use to live in Wauchula and then Dade City, so I am kind of familiar with that part of Florida.

Good Luck.

[Thecowboysgirl]

OldKat you’re right, this area is loaded with little bulldog QH’s and they are surprisingly cheap. I was so surprised when I moved here, where I came from 14.2 is a “quarter pony”. Down here, they call 14hh and up quarter horses.

I guess it will boil down to whether I can find someone local to teach me about driving…I think if I can get no experience for myself I’ll likely buy any breed I can find that is dead broke to drive.

That type of QH is almost certainly what my husband will wind up with for his trail horse, so, like someone else suggested- maybe I can later teach that horse to drive once I’ve learned more on a veteran horse/mule.

As a side note my neighbor just got a donkey and it came to visit us at the fenceline (even was curious and not nasty to my dogs) he was so desperately cute. No point to that. He was just the cutest, friendliest most charismatic little bugger.

[Robert MoonShadow]

Borrow the donkey to “practice” on…he’ll be very forgiving for mistakes…as long as you’re good at earscratching and treats! :p
Warning: you’ll need patience (learn ‘donkey-time’) and an active sense of humor.

[Scyther]

When I lived in Pennsylvania I would see Standardbreds used for farm work sometimes. Usually at times of the year when larger multiple horse hitches were needed such as on springtooth harrows or manure spreaders in the spring. Also on places that didn’t do much farming but had large gardens I’d see the Standardbred buggy horse pulling the cultivator. You would need to get the horse used to walking. It would already be use to a harness and being hitched single. Some Standardbreds are fairly chunky and most that I have been around have good dispositions. Being lighter framed they would probably take the heat better than a heavier horse. I don’t know what the availability is in that area . Just a thought. Good luck.

[Author]

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