# Horse-Power?: driving, plowing, tilling, etc.



## Viola (Aug 30, 2010)

Hello! I'm new on this forum so please forgive me if this quetsion has already been answered, but I scanned all of the equine posts and did not see it. 

I'm interested in using my paint/quarter horse for farm-related work: tilling, hay making, plowing, pulling a cart, possibly logging, etc. 

I was wondering if anyone uses horses to work on their farm. Do you log? till? plow? make hay? etc. Do you have any advice to offer?

As far as my own experience, I'm not new to driving, I teach 'Driver's Ed' at a kids camp, I teach kids how to tack up a pony and how to drive in a little 2 wheeled cart. I have owned my horse for about a year, worked with horses for 2 years. 

As far as my horse: she's a 12 year old, 15.2, 1000 lb mare. Willing attitude and I find that she is easy to train. I have taught her a fair amount under saddle and as much as I can to prep her for driving.

She ground drives (with lines through the stirrups  ) drags various scary things like buckets, small logs, etc. , and has been sacked out quite a bit. I can tie plastic bags around her back feet and walk her around with no issues. 

I do not have a harness yet, debating on whether to get breast-collar type: which is cheaper and easier to fit, or a collar and hames: harder to fit and much more expensive, but much better for hard work. 
Could I get by with a breast collar type or is the collar and hames necessary?

So, can I use my horse for farm work? what type of harness should I get? And any other advice will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Her Name is Daisy Mae


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

If you want to drag anything on the ground, you must outfit your horse with a properly-fitted neck collar with farm hames. Breastcollar harness is for light rolling loads only. Sounds like your mare is an excellent candidate for draft work.


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## Bret4207 (May 31, 2008)

http://www.ruralheritage.com/messageboard/frontporch/index.htm

Check that link. That's where the draft users hang out, among others. Yes, if you intend to do any serious work you'll need a hames type harness. A breast collar type is for very light work at best. 

A single 1K lbs horse can do a limited amount of draft work- skidding logs, cultivating, dragging stuff, wagon work, pulling a small harrow or a very small plow. She might pull a small dump rake, a very small mower designed for one horse (if you could find one), a roller, a small drill. A team of that size could do much more, a 3 up a lot more. Larger horses of the draft type can do more, their muscling and temperaments tend to be geared towards that type of work.

Be aware some horses are just not temperamentally geared towards draft work. My first "draft horse" was a 14 hand Arab. Great little riding horse, very kind and patient. Put a set of blinders on him and a collar and he turned into a raging lunatic. An open bridle was no better. It was simply having that "thing" chasing him. Never could get him past it. Maybe another person could have done better but after having him take off on me and roll a hitch of logs over me I got a single 14 yoa Percheron chuck and he taught me how to move wood, and what a draft horse r3eally was. Just keep it in mind. Some people aren't cut out for working at heights, others are claustrophobic, others can't work around water. It's just the way things are.


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## Lane Linnenkohl (Dec 20, 2007)

I've been training and farming with horses for the past 5 years.

you definitely want a work harness with collar and hames.

Put your mare in harness and work her every day for at least 30 days, 45 would be better. Make her tired, but not too tired, every day. Build her up. You will see her gaining confidence and yourself gaining confidence. Don't do anything exciting for at least the first 30 days. Just drag dead weight. This is partly for you too. Then slowly add new things.

Rural Heritage is fine. but for working draft animals, I prefer this forum. http://www.draftanimalpower.com/

Oh, and nicely built mare you have.


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## Viola (Aug 30, 2010)

Wow! Thank you guys so much for all the advice! I will definitely be saving up for a collar and hames. I'll head over to those sites and ask some more questions about where to find a good harness and how to correctly fit the collar. We will be adding another horse after we move up to Montana, we don't want to move 2 horses along with our other animals, so we'll have to wait. I definitely understand that draft horses are obviously the best choice for draft work, but I want my horses to be as multi-purpose as possible. I'll use her to work and sort cattle, check fences, and draft work. She won't be an expert at any of them, but capable enough at most. Thanks again for your help!


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## Bret4207 (May 31, 2008)

You can try draftanimalpower, but don't say anything that doesn't meet with the status quo or you'll get the boot. God help you if you express a contrary opinion. Buncha tree hugging liberals.


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

Don`t let anybody kid ya, some little horses can do alot of work, and your horse sounds like a good one, and she looks great. I have had belgians for near thirty years, but I have never been color blind to a good horse. To bad your not closer, I have a harness that may fit your horse. And yes you need a collar harness, but I have seen breast collar harness in use also. I knew an ole timer that came from Germany that brought a breast collar work harness here with him, it was padded much more. The biggest problem you will have is finding equipment for a single horse your horses size, a team will be easier. Get some books, because you can never learn enough.>Thanks Marc


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