S T E W A R T F O T H E R I N G H A M
N I C O L E B U R K H A R D
Getting Started with Horse Farming
About Us
• Our team: Stormy and Deedee • 2 years of vegetable CSA and market garden •1st season on our own farm in Annapolis Valley
Tractors vs. Horses
Needs repairs/mechanical skills
Turn the key and go
Bucket loader!
Fossil fuel
Depreciates in value (net cost to the farm)
Wheels cause soil compaction
Self-repairing/healing
Have good and bad days
Farm grown fuel
Appreciate in value
Self-replicating (if mares are used)
No soil compaction from digging hoof
Tractors aren’t this entertaining!
So how much can it cost? Item $ Item $
Team $1,200 - $5,000 Horse hoe (hiller) $150
Fencing (6 acres) $700 - $1,000 Springtooth walking cultivator
$100
Hitch gear $1,000-$2,100 Potato plow $200
(harness , collars, doubletree, etc)
Wagon & rack (used)
$400
Plow $50-$1,500 Broadcast seeder $70
Used disc $50-$100 Cultipacker (used) $200
Used springtooth $25-50
Used manure spreader
$50-$1,000 ($300)
Total $5,945-$13,670
Rebuilt hay mower (used)
$1,500 Hay (500 bales @ 2.50)
$1,250
Used rake $100-$300 Oats $200-$400
Used hay loader $150 Vet costs $500
Intensive (Coleman) Extensive (Nordell)
Labour (hand work) Higher-value crops Succession planting Easy to irrigate
Horse-work
Integrates cover crops
Great for root crops, grain, brassicas, animal feed
Our System
Disc Hiller
Horse Hills
Implements
Spring Tooth Harrow Disc Harrow
Sourcing Horse Gear
-Ask everyone!
-Look for:
-Rock walls
-Hedgerows
-Old Barns
-Auctions/Estate sales
-Kijiji
-Classifieds ads (AVR, Rural Delivery)
Kick Tedder
Pioneer Homesteader (2012)
New equipment
Breeds
-Consider your needs.
-Draft horses can pull 10% of their body weight:
-- 1000 lb horse can pull 100 lbs all day. A 2000 lb horse can pull twice that
-Heavy Drafts:
-Suffolk Punch, Percheron, Belgian, Clydesdale
-Light drafts:
-- Haflinger
-Draft ponies: (ideal for homesteading or small csa/market garden)
-- Norwegian Fjord
Grazing/Pasture Management
Making Loose Hay - Mowing
Compost Natural hot bed for seedlings
Benefits to the farm
Horse Care
- Ferrier, shoeing
- Salt and mineral supplement (selenium)
- Vet costs (budget for $500/bill
Mentorship
Seek out older farmers who have horse farming knowledge – some are more willing to share than others
Critical time to learn from experienced teamsters – lots of knowledge out there
Resources
Apprenticeships, workshops, connections, information: Our website: www.whippletreefarm.ca
Facebook page: Whippletree Farm
Orchard Hill Farm (Ontario) – workshops: www.orchardhillfarm.ca
Small Farmer’s Journal Website: http://smallfarmersjournal.com/
Facebook: Small Farmers’ Journal
Rural Heritage: http://www.ruralheritage.com/
Draft Animal Power Network: http://www.draftanimalpower.com/
Doc Hammil horse training videos: http://dochammill.com/
Thank you!
