Times they are a changin’

[Pete Jesse]

The last draft horses that were on my farm was in the 60’s when my uncle owned the place. We purchased a team of haflingers four years ago and have been using them for as much as we can. There are not many draft horses in our area but there are some. Today as I was waiting to cross the road a truck and trailer went by and in the trailer were a team of belgiums in harness. This may not seem like much of an event but it means more people in our area are using these animals for more than pasture ornaments and backyard pleasure animals. It is a joy to see.
I truly believe that the times are a changin’ and people in our area are seeing the value of using draft animals.

[PeytonM]

My gramps had always used horses even when they got tractors they still had horses that they used. My dad never had horses here but I went and got a team of pure Belgians, I enjoy working with them very much. I’m looking forward to mowing hay with them this summer… I’ll more than likely end up raking with a tractor only cause I don’t own a fore cart yet. Its on the to do list to make.

[J-L]

Good for you guys. I guess you’d have to call me a mixed power guy. I have to cover over 300 acres of hay ground and quite a little if will be hauled from one end of the ranch to another (about 4 mile one way trip) so tractors are a necessity. I do use horses and mules whenever I can and find that they can accomplish a lot more than just having fun.
PeytonM, quick as you can, get your forecart. Raking hay with your team is a very viable use. I use both dump rakes and side delivery rakes and the horses and mules are ideal for that job. You will enjoy that almost as much as mowing (which is the best job in the hay field IMO).
Not many around here use draft horses for anything but feeding cattle, and those are getting fewer. When I put a team or two up by the highway cutting and raking hay there are a lot of comments on that. Surprisingly more and more people say they didn’t realize you could do that much work with animal power. Real eye opener for some folks. I hope it’ll inspire more people to drag them horses out of the pasture and put them to work during the haying season, but don’t know if it’ll bear any fruit.

[PeytonM]

Im waiting to find a axle on clist then ill build one, there any special brake set up that is preffered with them?

[LongViewFarm]

I can only hope they are changing. I, for one, am not satisfied with the current cultural values system. I’m glad to have made the friends I’ve made here and be able to through my weight (and that of a team) behind change. Every time I learn something new with the team of sustainable life style I am in awe. I wish now for a time machine, to see for real how it was done before. We’ve lost so much and are spending time and energy to relearn skills and knowledge.
I once took an 8th grade final exam from the late 1800s. I failed it miserably,and I’m a teacher! How can we merge sustainable change with consumerism, and teach wonder?
but I ramble… as I work for change.

[Bill Doyle]

I am like J-L in, I also am a mixed power guy. I haul all my manure with horses, We mow some hay (alfalfa) and rake a lot ! I agree. Get your forcart built! You will use it for lots of things. Mine is built out of an old narrowed JD model E manure spreader front axle. It has no brakes but doesn’t seem to bother me. I figure it’s good for the horses to learn to hold a load…???Attached is a picture of us raking in some pretty good hills. Good Luck!

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Bill

[dominiquer60]

The times have changed some for the worse and some for the better. If only we had the knowledge of draft animals and agriculture that they had and they had our laws that women and lesser classes of the time could vote and count as people. There is always a trade off to deal with, in this day in age I am thankful that we can swap our crazy ideas with each other using these handy electron devices. We may not have Grandpa’s farming knowledge, but we don’t have Grandmother oppression either.

“The happiest people don’t have everything, but make the best of everything!” Quote I saw on Facebook 🙂

[J-L]

Nice, Bill. Good looking little rake team for sure. I agree that the brakes aren’t necessary for what I use a forecart for. I’m not really sure what good they are period. I have brakes on a Pioneer cart, no brakes on the home made cart. To me the brake pedal is always in the way and snaring my lines or feed sacks, or ropes, etc.

[gwpoky]

As more people realize the benefits of draft power it will continue to grow out of pure economics if nothing else. Farms need to change as we return to a human scale farming practice that contains more diversity. People need to know that this isn’t your grandpas draft power either. With the advances in equipment ie. I&J, Pioneer, White Horse, ect. draft power becomes even more practical in our time.
We need to remember that technology can be a good thing in some cases but just because we think we can do something does not mean we should ie. GMO’s, Chemical pesticides, CAFO’s, the blatant waste of natural resources, ect. I am truly thankful for the DAP community for all the support and advice this and things like it will give us the resources necessary to build a brighter future. Happy spring to all.

[PeytonM]

BILL! I see you got some white rings on that team! I got some from my great uncle and I have no idea what the heck they are for! It looks as if you have the lines running through them. and you have a ring really high on the hames.

Well you have talked me in to it… My final project for school is now a forecart and not a logging arch…

Dumb question… how long will you use a team before giving them a break… I know each team will be different cause of endurance and stuff but lets say mowing or raking I wouldnt think would really be all that hard to do… nothing like plowing… half hour? Like I said just got this team and don’t want to push them too hard. I’m working on getting a stone boat made so they have something to pull and make them work a little bit cause I dont have anything heavy to pull

[near horse]

Peyton – if you have an RV repair shop near you (check the phone book) they often have 3000# axles from folks “bottoming out” the RV going over potholes, speed bumps etc. The guy near me just says “take ’em” – saves him hauling them for scrap. The axle tube might be bent but you’ll likely cut that part out to make your cart not as wide as an RV : ) Check it out and good luck. A forecart is a pretty good thing to have right off.

To work my horses some before the fields are dry enough, I used my forecart with 2 old 30 inch tractor tires dragging behind it (they have CaCl in them as well). Just go down the gravel road …..

[Marshall]

I used the read axle from a wagon running gear. It had cut off steel wheels with 20″ truck rims welded on.

[PeytonM]

Ok thanks for the tips

[Author]

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