Would not they be the best transportation ever? No need for gas or costly parts, they can breed to give more transportation (or food if needed).
Anybody thinking of horses for transportation?
Would not they be the best transportation ever? No need for gas or costly parts, they can breed to give more transportation (or food if needed).
Anybody thinking of horses for transportation?
We have two, a quarter and a hunter/jumper. The jumper is a little gun skittish right now but the qtr is a 15 year retired Mounted Patrol horse from our department. IMO...I was actually thinking maybe mules or donkies. I still am not sure due to the fact they could spook and run off or you get used to having to much gear and they get popped. They might work better once you get settled in somewhere if things did go wrong.
Be ready now, you won't have that chance later.
I agree as a BOL transportation, not a going to a BOL. I am hoping one day to leave at my BOL, if/when I can acquire one.
If you wish to consider horses as an alternate form of transportation, you better already have them. Horses are a time and monetary investment that has a steep learning curve. I have a 20 y.o. Arabian gelding and a 10 y.o. Paint Mare. I don't ride as much as I used to, but I've had these guys so long we know each other well. Realistically, if this is a line of thought you are willing to pursue, find a stable and take riding lessons. This will shorten the learning curve. It will also tell you if this is something you want to pursue. You can often lease a horse from a boarder at the stable so that you can learn the ground tasks (grooming, tack maintenance, worming, etc.) as well. And finally, horses are partners in the truest sense of the word. You'll need to find one that you can bond with if you're going to rely on them for survival.
+1 G. O. M.
You gotta know your horse, mule, whatever before you need it. There are many skills needed.
I have been thinking along these lines, although from a slightly different standpoint. My main plans are for a bug in, instead of bugging out. I do a lot of gardening/hobby farming and I'm trying to get sefl suffeicent from that standpoint. If fuel should become unavailable or unaffordable, once I run out of my storage I will have to revert to "farming" from the 1800's more or less. I thiunk a team of mules or horses would be invaluable in that situation.
I have purchased a few horse drawn peice's of equipment and am constantly on the lookout for other select peices. I have never worked animals so I know there is a huge learning curve to it, but I've found a couple places that have a "Farm Day" type event where they work plowing, mowing, etc. They will let folks get in and work to try to teach newcomers. I think that's the route I'm gonna try first. I have looked at several breeds and the Suffolk draft horses seem to fit the bill for what I'm lookin for. Either that or a good team of mules.
Lookin back 40 years, my uncle always raised horses and mules and always worked his tobacco and garden patch with them. He never let a tractor in either spot, said they compacted the ground too much. I sure wish I had spent more time with him and learned from him. Unfortunatly he passed back in the late 80's.
bacpacker, given your AO you ought to be able to find a mule pull somewhere close. The are like tractor pulls but done the old way with draft mules and horses. The folks that compete could help you out as well. The winners are usually folks that work their animals on a daily basis. There are also a lot of folks there with stock for sale, though it may not be advertised. Also, any Amish locally? They have stock and tack and equipment. They aren't particularly fond of us "English", but they do like our money.
I'm sure there are mule pulls around. The "farm days" I mentioned are similar in nature, folks who actually work their stuff. They do have sales at some of them. The big thing to me is being able to work with someone and learn from them what to do and not to do.
There are some amish a ways off. I've been fairly successful at using craiglist and just driving around and looking for stuff sitting around.
I still have a ways to go before I get horses anyway. Fences to be built, barn to be built, and access to more land for hay, cause I know horses and mules love to eat.
The Amish may be a little stand offish, but if you respect them and their ways, they are more then willing to help and teach. It just takes some time and effort to cultivate some trust and understanding.
Not all Amish are as willing to allow outsiders around their animals in all areas these days. Many have become verys suspicious due to the numbers of then who have been nailed to the wall on animal abuse in recent years, while others treat their horses better thna their families We have a Percheron that was literally rescued from an Amish farm that took forever to get settled down, the second she heard a loud vice she would spook, afraid that she would be whipped, we couldnt even call her out of the paddok without her starling and running. Now she is constantly being yeled at for her antics, like trying to suck on someones head or lick their neck, she has learnd it isnt volume but tone of voice finally and has turned into the biggest lover I have ever seen, constantly demanding full blown around the neck hugs. We have 14 horses on the ranch, and she is the biggest,and the gentlest of them all.
As for a means of transportation, think buckboard not horseback. Horses need a lot more food and water than the layman realizes, and you will need to tailor your routes to this need (something the tv westerns never showed). When you add weight to their backs their needs for energy and water increase. A lighter wagon puts the weight on the ground and allows inerta to carry much of the effort once they are moving. it also increases their ability to do more work... So you can see livestock based transportation is not as simple as it seems.
Im all for horses as a BOV, I can ride, but other than that, not alot of experience with them. But I can see the positive side to having transportation that can also be a food source as well!
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