Special Event - Working Draught Horse Activities

Draught Horses coming 15th & 16th October, 2011

Here is a rundown on what we will be doing...

We will set up an obstacle course with witches hats etc and will put long rein horses through the course. This practice helps to train both driver and horse to commands and use of reins.

We will work up a patch of ground, ie start with single plough with one horse and driver or double plough with 3 horses - this will turn soil over. We then go over the ground with cultivators or a disc harrow to break up the soil, then we harrow – which is a single horse in a forecart pulling a set of harrows or a single horse pulling harrows with driver walking, or maybe sitting on harrows with 2 or more horses. This breaks the clods down even more. When the soil is fine enough to plant seed using a horse drawn seeder, we then go over the ground with harrows to cover the seed.

All the equipment we use has been restored by our members which enables us to demonstrate how things were done in by-gone years.