Draft horses in action

Horse-drawn farming demonstrations during the Homesteader Day Harvest Festival at the Beaver Creek Nature Area in South Dakota. Picure from http://www.motherearthnews.com — Horse-drawn farming demonstrations during the Homesteader Day Harvest Festival at the Beaver Creek Nature Area in South Dakota.
Picure from http://www.motherearthnews.com

Hello again! My last post was about draft horses. So, today I want to post here some videos that demonstrate the power of these animals and what they can do for farmers and the environment.

It seems that, farming with draft horses is a key to sustainability (in its environmental context), a hot issue when it comes to food production. With so many thousands horses that are led to slaughterhouses at an early age instead of being used for other human activities except for racing, horse power in general could be part of the solution for food security.

Coming from an agricultural background, I can say that, first of all, equine manure is the best fertilizer that you can use. It’s the cleanest and least toxic. So, if you own a barn, it is very profitable to sell it for an affordable price. It is attractive for the farmer thanks to its efficiency and low price and profitable for the barn owner, who will see mucking in a different way. I might even consider to collect more information and write a post specifically about it.

So, on two of the following videos you will see a farmer using horse and mule power to run his business. He uses different horses for different jobs and tools. You will also see how some of these tools work. The farmer also explains how horse and mule farming can be cheaper than conventional farming. He also provides advice about how to start your own horse-powered farming business.

On the last video you will see another farm, whose owner explains how the business works and what kind of food he produces thanks to the power of his draft horses.

So, to the question whether there is an alternative, cheap way to produce a lot of food with animal power, those people would respond yes, provided they have the appropriate tools, that are cheaper than conventional tractors!