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06/09/08, 10:27 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: way back in the woods, up on a mountain, in wonderful WV
Posts: 655
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Draft animal forum?
How many people would be interested in a draft animal forum? I posted in admin. asking but only received one response (positive... thank you).
I did a quick search in equine and found a little bit of discussion but not much... didn't find anything on oxen in the cattle forum.
I'm not talking about driving little carts and such (though that could be part of it), but I'm more interested in plowing, haying, logging, etc. Any interest... if so how does one go about getting something like that started on HT?
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"We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid".
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06/09/08, 10:34 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 5,662
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I'm for it -- my 'draft animals' consist of a pair of goats that we use for packing, and plan to use for light work around the place, but if we ever had the room I'd love to have a team of oxen or draft ponies.
Kathleen
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06/10/08, 04:38 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: South Texas
Posts: 948
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Oh for sure. We have percherons that really do work, and they drive cute little carts too. I have posted a few times on the horse page and found there are others who have draft animals. I think more people would own and use draft animals if they just knew how. Maybe a forum would provide them with that information and inspiration to get started with drafts. I say let's try it.
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06/10/08, 07:11 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 434
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I would definitely be interested. I think with the way that diesel and gas prices are going up, it's going to become a more and more popular topic. I'm hoping when we get our place in the next 1-2 years I'll be able to get some draft horses, but I have no experience and it would be great to have a place to go to ask questions.
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06/10/08, 07:13 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Northern California
Posts: 6,352
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Could maybe be tied in with the Alt. Energy forum?  We don't have any yet, but for the next place, I've been toying with the idea of a couple draft goats or double-duty kids ponies... small place, small animals, y'know.
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06/10/08, 08:37 AM
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Time to get growing!
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Rural Illinois
Posts: 141
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Yes! I would love that. I'm interested in using cattle & goats as our heavy & light draft animals. I've been wondering about protecting cattle hooves for traveling over gravel. The safest & shortest route from our place to the nearest small town is 12.5 miles over gravel roads.
I have LOTS more questions and I would LOVE to have a draft animal forum!
Thank you for bringing up the idea!
JoyceB
(edited because I really do know how to spell  )
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06/10/08, 08:47 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: NW-IL Fiber Enabler
Posts: 10,215
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We have drafts here. Paul is the teamster but he doesn't like getting on the internet.
I'd probably lurk on the forum and keep Paul in tune with it
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06/10/08, 09:05 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Virginia
Posts: 2,512
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Piglady - I'm so jealous you have Percherons...my favorite horses along with Tennessee Walkers. Wish i could have some now.
I too would be interested in reading on it. Plan on having goats and would love to know ahead of time the best ways of using them for other than milk and meat and weed-eating.
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 Christy
Growing Human
http://growinghuman.blogspot.com
When wearing narrow lenses of hate and ignorance, is it any wonder one finds it difficult to see clearly? - Me
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06/10/08, 09:18 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Illinois
Posts: 745
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We would be thrilled. We have Belgians and just love talking to other "working horse" owners.
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06/10/08, 09:18 AM
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Too many fat quarters...
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SW Nebraska, NW Kansas
Posts: 8,537
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We have a half-draft cow horse that I keep thinking needs to round out his repertoire. A buggy, if nothing else, but I would love to be able to mow and rake hay with him! I've always wanted a team... 
DH spent some growing up years on ranches that used horses to chore (one in MT raised Clydes for Bud), but he doesn't know how to break a horse to drive without tying him to an experienced one. lol
Would there really be enough conversation though for a separate forum?
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06/10/08, 09:20 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Georgia
Posts: 644
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I don't have any of my own, but I'd be interested in looking in and reading..
Its something I've always been interested in them ...
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06/10/08, 09:28 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 660
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We don't have draft animals, but I am very interested in them and most definitely would read the forum.
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06/10/08, 10:46 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Abilene,Texas
Posts: 301
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Sounds good to me! I would love to learn more about "working" drafts.
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Stephanie
They say you are what you eat. Nuts must be more common in diets than we thought.
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06/10/08, 02:39 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 5,662
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joyceb
Yes! I would love that. I'm interested in using cattle & goats as our heavy & light draft animals. I've been wondering about protecting cattle hooves for traveling over gravel. The safest & shortest route from our place to the nearest small town is 12.5 miles over gravel roads.
I have LOTS more questions and I would LOVE to have a draft animal forum!
Thank you for bringing up the idea!
JoyceB
(edited because I really do know how to spell ) |
Joyce, your 12 1/2 mile trip, with cattle for power, would be a three-day trip (one to get there, one to do your business, and one to return). Did you realize that? This is why the villages and towns in the Northeast were often only three to five miles apart, because oxen were the main motive power other than shanks mare. (The same applies to goats, unfortunately.)
I'm glad to see that I'm not the only person planning to use goats as 'draft' animals!
Kathleen
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06/10/08, 02:53 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Southwest Missouri
Posts: 483
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Woo Hoo Im All 4 That
__________________
 Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't you are right.... Henry Ford
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06/10/08, 04:40 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Northern Michigan
Posts: 377
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I think that would be a great forum. I have a Belgian mare, but I just ride her around. The idea when I got her was to have her help me work my garden soil and pull firewood out of my woods for me but horse-drawn farming equipment is so hard to find around here.... I see some at auctions sometimes but the antique yard decorators bid the prices up as high as tractor implements. Life makes no sense sometimes..... Why do people pay so much money for an old horse-drawn plow to lay rusting in their front yard when I could do something useful with it???? Drives me crazy....
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06/10/08, 05:26 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Ohio
Posts: 123
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great idea i would be interested in reading. I plan to expand in the near future and this was on my list. I was thinking donkeys or ponies.
pEaCe
__________________
Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
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06/10/08, 06:53 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Indiana
Posts: 299
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It would be great to add such a forum, I would love to see one for exchange of information and ideas! We've had draft horses in the past, the most fun I ever had was putting up hay with ours, and later with the neighbors' team.
Now I've got to go out and break it to the goats that they are here for more than just milking and crazy antics.
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06/10/08, 07:36 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Central Oregon
Posts: 423
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Count me in, I definitely want to know more. I have a good sized Standardbred that is cart trained and have had some questions on building a stoneboat and finding a single horse plow (is it called a walking plow? See that is why I would need this forum) for him to start helping out around here. Also going to have him start to harrow his own poop in the pasture instead of using the ATV. He made the mess he can help clean it up!
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06/11/08, 08:32 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Posts: 5,492
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I'd be interested - I'd like to try my hand with oxen.
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Wags Ranch Nigerians
"The Constitution says to promote the general welfare, not to provide welfare!" ~ Lt. Col Allen West
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