Horses, Mules, And Oxen, Etc. Never Pull A Load.

[Bumpus]

.
Horses, Mules, And Oxen, Etc. Never Pull A Load. :confused:

They only push against a neck collar, breast strap, neck yoke,
head strap etc. to move your load.

They never pull loads while moving them.
Which includes any equipment, logs, sleds, wagons, plows, rakes, etc.

The only way they might pull a load is with there teeth while they are backing up.

They next time someone says they are going to a Horse Pull at the fair,
you could say you mean a Horse Push don’t you.

Think about it.
.

[Vicki]

Yes, yes, we’ve all heard this many times, blah, blah, blah. . .Bumpus, you are always trying to stir the pot. I suspect you enjoy watching others in conflict.

[Tim Harrigan]

Depends on your point of view. Hook a log chain to the back of your britches and ask for a quick mile or so. Was it a push or a pull?

[Howie]

The next time push a chain, film it so we can see how it is done.:(

[Carl Russell]

Point in fact, they actually lift the load as they move forward. If they only pushed they would not have traction. It is us that pull the load driving the animals.

Carl

[Tim Harrigan]

If they only lifted the load I would call that carrying the load. There is a vertical component (lift) and and horizontal (push/pull) to most loads, the vertical component increases as the angle of draft increases. Their body weight provides plenty of traction for them to move but they would have a tough time applying it in a horizontal push down by their knees.

[Carl Russell]

Equines lift their front end off the ground as they move forward, and cattle lift the load with their necks as they move forward. The power in draft animals comes from lift. If they could stand on their hinds then the “lift” might be only vertical, but they can’t and lift is part of their natural forward motion.

Of course with high wheeled vehicles the power is then turned closer to a push, but the active power that animals use to move a weight forward is lift, that is why the angle of draft goes downward from the shoulder toward the heel.

There is no doubt that the forward motion can be considered a “push”, but it is a push upward.

Carl

[Traveling Woodsman]

@Carl Russell 12209 wrote:

, but the active power that animals use to move a weight forward is lift,

Carl

I would reiterate what Tim said, there is both a vertical and horizontal component to a draft animal’s forward motion. They are not mutually exclusive, they are both part of what an animal is doing when it’s working. The active power that animals use to move forward cannot be just lift, because lift is vertical, not the horizontal direction of an animal’s motion. You can calculate the vertical and horizontal component of an animal’s draft easily by using trigonometry. There is more pull than lift on an average angle of draft. I would agree that lift is a commonly overlooked or misunderstood aspect of an animals draft.

And yes, the horse (or any animal) is actually pushing when it is working, but the collar, hames, and tugs transfer that push into a pull, which is what we experience when using animals for work.

[Carl Russell]

I never said there wasn’t a forward motion, only that the primary action for the animal is lift. The working animal cannot move forward without lifting. Even at a leisurely walk there is lifting action.

The primary power on comes over the hind quarters and is translated in the extension of the distance between the hind feet and the shoulder, which pushes the front part of the body upward before it goes forward. Because the front of the body is where most of the weight is, animals need to add lift from the hind quarters so that they can move their front feet without falling down. (This is the same translation of power that allows us to hold our torsos straight up as we walk)

If we used the push only, then we would be hitching to the draft point and drawing a horizontal line back to the load. Having had the misfortune of trying a few loads like this in weird circumstances, I can tell you “pushing” is not an effective use of animal power.

I only mention this (again:)) because “pushing” is an over-simplification of the power action of the working animal per the original post by Bumpus. I will settle for “lift-push”, but “pushing” misses the point when used alone.

Carl

[Vicki]

A great discussion!

[Bumpus]

@Carl Russell 12219 wrote:

I only mention this (again:)) because “pushing” is an over-simplification of the power action of the working animal per the original post by Bumpus. I will settle for “lift-push”, but “pushing” misses the point when used alone.

Carl

Even when it is brought down to a technical simplification, work animals still are not pulling a load as previously stated.
.

[tsigmon]

I am serious… what difference does it make so long as the job gets done.?

[Carl Russell]

tsigmon;12248 wrote:

I am serious… what difference does it make so long as the job gets done.?

The difference that I see is a matter of consistent efficient and comfortable use of the working animal.

In my mind it is important to realize that as animals move they must reflexively employ a lifting motion. Watch them lift their head with every step of a hind foot. When applying their power to the movement of weight, we should remember the innate mechanical action that is the underpinning working the animal.

When the hitch is low the animal will be able to use the involuntary muscle action that is hardwired into it. As the hitch point is raised then the animal has to use more forward power, limiting its effort more toward using its body weight as ballast, rather than being able to use muscle. They have much smaller muscles for pushing their weight back down then they do for lifting it up.

Long legged horses were used on delivery wagons not because of flashy action, but so that the animals could still have “lift” over the load so that they could maintain efficient motion.

The natural motion of four-legged animals is up-out-down, and this is fundamental to employing them to perform work. (At least as far as I see it:))

Carl

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