Plowing with Horses

[specterman2000]

What a beautiful team Belgians! I would love to own them!

[2003fordmustang281]

Boy the men were tough back then now i know why my grandfathers were so tough wow thats amazing i have never seen horses pull a plow ive heard lots of stories from my grandfathers they had the best horses in the country i was told

[zh11147]

finally, someone on youtube knows wat theyre doing when plowing with horses, so many people on youtubethink they know wat theyre doing, but really, are ignorant to anything that theyre doing. this video, however is different, the man knows wat he is doing

[springcreekfarmer]

@zh11147 Cecil is one of the most respected teamsters in our area. This team of belgians are what they call "dead broke". He could leave them there and go for lunch unattended and they wouldn't move until he came back and told them to.

[MrShannon888]

Well, the man probably didn't want to go any faster..

[Hetman1974]

Is this machine made in China and does anybody know how to uses horses to pull a machine.We are running out of oil soon and we'll need to go back to the old ways and actually work for our food instead of relying on Government Handouts and McDonalds.

[exroofer]

I can't remember the fellow's name but I'm positive this is the same guy that plowed in Caistor plowing match and North Niagara plowing match. I was in tractor 3 furrow class and I would make sure to go watch this gentleman plow. Absolutely amazing horse control. Every old timer there agreed this gentleman was one of the best they had ever seen.

[SnowKitingVegan]

Hi Mike. I just recently learned about Aquaponics, it's cool technology apparently. Take a look (/watch?v=CU9x_W9X-tM) if you have a greenhouse.

[TBigLug]

If you saw small horses plowing fast they were doing it wrong. Especially on a walking plow the team should move at a slow walk.

Nice horses and nice job plowing. I've got an old Oliver walking plow I love using.

[jlasud]

That must some hard soil..i don't know much about plowing but i've seen smaller horses plowing easier and faster..maybe the soil is really dry

[springcreekfarmer]

The soil was very hard there that day in August. The soil was mostly clay so that would make it difficult even if it held a little more moisture.

[hamrite]

@jlasud correct, hard dry soil uses twice the energy. Better to wait for a better day...its also a very primitive plow. Your back in th 18th century.

[racedinghy]

thank you for the posting

[davetileguy]

he needs a deadman switch if those horses were to spook for some reason he would be toast!! otherwise awsome vid I think there are a lot of us out there who pine for a simpler time

[springcreekfarmer]

Not that team. They are the best trained team around and not the kind of horses that would "spook". I suppose if a plane crashed next to them....maybe....but those horses have seen it all. Thanks for the comment.

[SteamboatJimmy]

you cant say that about any horse, tht they wont spook i ride me friends 19 year old highland and he is as sound as anything but there are still things he will spook at, if only very rarley. Its always better to be safe then sorry !

[heavychevy1414]

nice horses

[ALoneIdealist]

thx

[springcreekfarmer]

That team of Belgians were about 10 years old when I shot that video back in 2006. The old guy was in his mid 70s. If you are near Waverly Iowa, they have a sale there spring and fall that would have all you need and more.

[ljwinchester]

How old is the team? I am a young guy that is just getting into the Draft seen. My 3 year old Percheron are just getting the ge & ha, I hope one day they will be as well trained as the on in the vidio. I am having some problem finding the field equipment to figure out. I have a wagon and a cutter. any one have someting that is usable would be great. This vidio was a great lesson Thanks

[togreektown]

great video and the horses sure know there stuff and the gentleman working with them has great control. Horses are pretty smart and after awhile they pretty well know what to do with out the farmer saying anything. My Grandfather used to tell me about his horses and how smart they were. thanks for posting the way things were of yester years.

[hardrockcoco]

You didn't see many fat people back in those times, or fat amish people. They work their arse off.

[yelloworangered]

How does the plowman turn around? Does one lift the blade?

[iwanderabout]

He lifts it out of the farrow and the leans it on it side, holding only one handle as the other nearly touch the ground and the horse pull as normal...

[yelloworangered]

Thank you! I would never have come up with the right answer. Which do you think is worse -- working with horses and a hand plow or trying to keep a tractor running? I often wonder if messing with mechanical equipment isn't more aggravating in the long run. It seems it is always breaking down in the middle of the field.

[iwanderabout]

well in the long run I would say draft animals are better. If you just wanted to plow a field in few days then a tractor would be more efficient, but it also compacts the soil which lowers it fertility by digging alot deeper during plowing which disrupts the organic layers of the soil.

[iwanderabout]

75 years ago when tractors weren't standard things on the farm the farmer could probably grow a better corp then today but they couldn't grow it at such a vast scale as the farms of the western US today. sustainable, and provides and example of what might need to happen for the human spices to continue to live on this planet.

"A sustainable future builds on wisdom from our past"

[yelloworangered]

I agree. I am hoping that agribusiness is about to decline with fuel prices and all, and I try to buy locally as much as I can.

[KARStarla]

Great video, thanks, they are some beautiful horses, I guess he sees no gas related food prices huh? lol

[ScoutCrafter]

They don't make guys like that any more... Great video! Thanks for posting!

[joejedlicka]

How deep can you set a one row plow with an average draft horse?

[seancarm]

you lift on the handles to go deeper and push down on the handles to shallower.

[joejedlicka]

I didn't know that, but that makes sense. I was just wondering how deep one horse could pull it, you usually see a team pulling, so I wondered if you could go too deep for the horse.

[seancarm]

number of horses is more a function of the width of cut rather than depth. Most guys plow about 6" deep. One horse can pull a

8-10"(width of cut) walking plow, two on 12" sulky, 14" 3 horses on sulky. 5 horses on a 2 bottom gang and 8 on a 3 bottom gang.

[joejedlicka]

Thanks for the info!

[golfphobe]

Just out of curiosity, how do you control the depth of the plow?

[springcreekfarmer]

There is a multi hole clevis that adjusts the draft ( pull ) angle. Then it is a matter of how you guide the plow with the handles. I've never actually tried it but I've joined this draft horse association in my area and will soon have my own team to try out.

[moecat1000]

@golfphobe if u lift the handels it digs in.push down on the handels plow come up

[mason104]

Cool video.

[mandinka1234]

Amazing how well the horses work with the plowman. If I tried that they would drag me around till dark!

[ashleybones]

Man and beasts in perfect harmony and even enough time for a pee! Makes me feel calm just to watch it.