The power of horses.......
......has been put to use in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, transport and food processing for many centuries.
People in Ireland relied on equine horse power until the late 1900s, when it was rapidly and almost entirely replaced by fossil fuelled engine power.
But in the light of rising fuel prices and increasing awareness of the negative impact of heavy machinery on the natural landscape, draft horses in Ireland should not be dismissed as part of a long-gone backward way of life.
In many other parts of the world, the use of animal power is still a day-to-day reality and necessity. Currently, there are 500 million working animals used by humans worldwide - that is one work animal for every 13 people!
Due to changing views on how food could or should be produced and how land could be farmed more sustainably, the work horse is making a slow come-back in many parts of the Western world already.
This could not be a better time to re-evaluate the use of horsepower in Ireland!
Horses’ potential role in farming, forestry and transport in Ireland is a complex issue which deserves in-depth discussion and research.
I hope this site will help to encourage and inspire a much-needed debate on the use of alternative energy sources such as horsepower on a bigger scale.
Meanwhile, there is no doubt that horses already represent a practical, renewable, low-impact alternative energy source in small-scale farming and speciality operations.
Earthing up potatoes with one horse - a very time-efficient and low-impact solution in small scale farming.
|
This site is for anyone interested in finding out more about working with horses in farming, forestry and transport. Whether you are just curious, whether you would like to learn some practical skills around working with horses, whether you have worked with horses long ago when you were young and want an up-date on work horses nowadays, whether you have just bought your work horse and are looking for some support in how to get started…. On this site, I am trying to illustrate that it is entirely possible to work with horses on a small holding in a way that makes sense, that is efficient and fun as well! I hope you will find this site helpful, and it would be great to hear from you if you have a comment, suggestion or question. You can find out about our Working Horse Training on our Courses page. If you go to Other services you will learn about anything else we offer! |
 Preparing the seed bed with the spring tooth harrow.  Spreading calcified seaweed with a small fertiliser spreader originally designed for quads - also possible with one horse power only! |
Harvesting potatoes.
Why horse power?
I stumbled across this quote recently, which pretty much sums up some of the most important points there are to make about using real life horse power. I could not have said it half as well as Charlie Pinney, one of the best known British work horse farmers and promoter of work horses in modern farming, forestry and transport:
"Living horse power is cheap and readily available. We can breed horses, without limit, without endangering the planet. We know a lot about them and how to use them. They can pull things for us, carry us, help support our society, feed it and enable it to function. They can do so far better than they did in the past, if we take advantage of some of the technical advances made in agriculture and machinery design. They can be fed from our fields. They don´t destroy the environment but enhance it. They create employment, not replace it. They are a source of companionship in the workplace, a source of pride and pleasure when seen to be working of perfection in harmony with man and his surrounding. Why on earth don´t we use them?"
Charlie Pinney, 2003.
Some of us have never stopped using horses as a power source or are indeed in the process of returning to real life horse-power.
Often this movement is met with bewilderment by conventional farmers and food producers. The assumption that people who work with horses do so as a mere luxury or out of pure nostalgia, that they are romantic unrealistic dreamers is more widely spread than one would think. I know, I've heard it all.
Many of us working with horses are motivated by the fact that horses as social creatures not so dissimilar to us who offer companionship and team spirit, they offer their power willingly and generously, and just as us humans, they feel pride and achievment when a job is finished.
But this, although often an important motivating factor, usually is not the only reason why people turn to working with horses. There are many advantages in working with horses rather than using fuel power.
But of course, there are numerous disadvantages as well.
Here is a collection of some of the main reasons against and for working with horses.
Some of the disadvantages are:
Some of the advantages are:
(source: Starke Pferde Nr.56 page 34-36, Vivian Glover/Peter Herold/Bernhard Hoerning)
"Living horse power is cheap and readily available. We can breed horses, without limit, without endangering the planet. We know a lot about them and how to use them. They can pull things for us, carry us, help support our society, feed it and enable it to function. They can do so far better than they did in the past, if we take advantage of some of the technical advances made in agriculture and machinery design. They can be fed from our fields. They don´t destroy the environment but enhance it. They create employment, not replace it. They are a source of companionship in the workplace, a source of pride and pleasure when seen to be working of perfection in harmony with man and his surrounding. Why on earth don´t we use them?"
Charlie Pinney, 2003.
Some of us have never stopped using horses as a power source or are indeed in the process of returning to real life horse-power.
Often this movement is met with bewilderment by conventional farmers and food producers. The assumption that people who work with horses do so as a mere luxury or out of pure nostalgia, that they are romantic unrealistic dreamers is more widely spread than one would think. I know, I've heard it all.
Many of us working with horses are motivated by the fact that horses as social creatures not so dissimilar to us who offer companionship and team spirit, they offer their power willingly and generously, and just as us humans, they feel pride and achievment when a job is finished.
But this, although often an important motivating factor, usually is not the only reason why people turn to working with horses. There are many advantages in working with horses rather than using fuel power.
But of course, there are numerous disadvantages as well.
Here is a collection of some of the main reasons against and for working with horses.
Some of the disadvantages are:
- Horses are living creatures, they can get sick or die unexpectatly. This can complicate things hugely on a farm relying on well-trained fit horses, as often it can be very hard to find a replacement quickly.
- Efficiency: There is definitely more time invovled when working with horse. Preparations (horse care, harnessing and hitching, travel time to the field etc.) and the time necessary to complete a job can take up to 20% longer than work carried out with conventional tractor power.
- Set-up cost: As there is not a high demand for horse-drawn equipment, machinery can be cost-intensive and hard to get.
- Availability of well-trained horses can be a problem.
Some of the advantages are:
- Versatility: Horses are adaptable and versatile. They can work in difficult terrain such as steep hills and mountains, in soft and wet ground, in small spaces such as vineyards, orchards and polytunnels. They are ideal for working in row crop cultivation, in dense forests and in small fields with limited access.
- Additional sources of income: Apart from field work, horses can work in tourism (carriage driving, pony trecking etc.) and sports (riding school etc.).
- Preserving soil integrity and biodiversity and reducing pollution: Horses cause far less soil compaction than any fuel-driven machinery. The number of horses working at any given time can be adjusted to the horse power needed for the task on hand, to minimise the impact on the soil. Work speed is much slower, reducing negative impacts on the environmnet (for example when cutting grass, small animals in the meadow still have time to escape.) The pollution factor is far lower than in tractor-powered work, as there are no diesel fumes or oil spills. Noise pollution is minmal. Areas worked with horses are usually smaller which encourages bio-diversity.
- Area needed to maintain the power source: The area of land needed to feed horses is smaller compared to the area needed to grow bio fuel for the same amount of power made available.
- Manure: Horses produce manure which can be composted and returned onto the fields as fertiliser.
- Advertising: For farmers with market stalls or farm shops, horses offer a great opportunity to advertise the farm products.
- Reproduction: Horses reproduce, their foals can be sold and create additional income or replace older animals.
- Sustainability: Farmers can grow the food horses need, horses turn this food into power plus manure in an energy efficient way.
- Technical aspects: Most horse-drawn tools are relatively uncomplicated and can be repaired on the farm. Due to the lower work speed, tools last longer.
- Quality of life: Horses are living creatures, working with them encourages good communication and social interaction. Achieving tasks whilst working with them as a team is very rewarding and leads to increased contentment and satisfaction.
(source: Starke Pferde Nr.56 page 34-36, Vivian Glover/Peter Herold/Bernhard Hoerning)
The list could go on - but the point is made I should think. In certain circumstances, it can make perfect sense to rely on real horse power and leave the tractor for the bigger boys. Of course, for some of us, this remains a dream, as economic factors play too big a role. It is not cheap to keep horses. But this is where community could come in. Years ago, it was common that people shared or rented out their real horse power (just like the contractors now rent out their machines and labour when it is silage making time). Why should this not be possible again?
This certainly is a debate which could - and should - go on. What do you think? What are your ideas around the arguements for and against real horse power? We'd be interested to hear from you!
Please note: Horsepower in Ireland ownes the copyright to all images, photos and texts on all pages of this website, unless otherwise stated.
This certainly is a debate which could - and should - go on. What do you think? What are your ideas around the arguements for and against real horse power? We'd be interested to hear from you!
Please note: Horsepower in Ireland ownes the copyright to all images, photos and texts on all pages of this website, unless otherwise stated.
