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Heavy Horses
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vickersdc



Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 247
Location: Surrey / Hampshire Border.
PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 09 1:08 pm    Post subject: Heavy Horses Reply with quote
    

I would love to be in a position to utilise heavy horses, indeed, at a felling site that I'm hoping to use early next year, it looks like I might have to use horses to extract the timber.

Some of you may know that I work for a college, and we also have an equine section, so I was thinking of putting together a business case for getting a heavy horse that could be used by staff / students on courses (and maybe around the 360 acres that forms the college grounds?!).

But to make it a viable proposition to take to management, it has to be economically worthwhile (as opposed to just being a decent thing to do).

So, out of interest, how many of you would attend courses that related to heavy horses? Things like...

- horse logging in small woodlands.
- using a heavy horse in the fields.
- heavy horse ownership

These could be day courses, or ones spread out over a period of time.

Now, I won't keep any of you to it, but I'm looking to find out how much interest there might be out there.

Cheers,
David.

BahamaMama



Joined: 21 Sep 2006
Posts: 2315
Location: Away with the fairies
PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 09 1:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I would.... I would like to brush their hair and put ribbons in

Blue Peter



Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 2400
Location: Milton Keynes
PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 09 1:28 pm    Post subject: Re: Heavy Horses Reply with quote
    

vickersdc wrote:

But to make it a viable proposition to take to management, it has to be economically worthwhile (as opposed to just being a decent thing to do).

So, out of interest, how many of you would attend courses that related to heavy horses?


So, does that mean that it's not economically viable to run a heavy horse for those tasks, but you can make it so if you can diversify into additional income streams (or whatever trhe management-speak might be)? If that were the case, would it rather limit the number of people who might want to come on the courses?


Peter.

vickersdc



Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 247
Location: Surrey / Hampshire Border.
PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 09 1:36 pm    Post subject: Re: Heavy Horses Reply with quote
    

Blue Peter wrote:
So, does that mean that it's not economically viable to run a heavy horse for those tasks, but you can make it so if you can diversify into additional income streams (or whatever trhe management-speak might be)? If that were the case, would it rather limit the number of people who might want to come on the courses?
Peter.


Like any other business, the college has to fund it's activities one way or another. For my part, I look after a series of full-cost forestry and arboricultural short courses - that means that I have to essentially pay my own way within the college (not quite true, but close enough).

So, to be able to sell the idea of heavy horses to management it must be viable - economically and practically. The practical side is less of an issue at the moment as far as I can see, but the financial side is important.

It's easy to get all misty-eyed about heavy horses (and I include myself here), but they would have to earn their keep, or at least a reasonable chunk of it!

And as for BahamaMama
BahamaMama wrote:
I would like to brush their hair and put ribbons in
- my hair is long now, so you can put ribbons in my hair instead.

Blue Peter



Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 2400
Location: Milton Keynes
PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 09 1:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I suppose what I'd like to know is if:

you added up all the costs of whatever you currently do;

and, you added up all the costs of doing the same tasks using a heavy horse, which would be greater,


Peter.

BahamaMama



Joined: 21 Sep 2006
Posts: 2315
Location: Away with the fairies
PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 09 1:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I think what David is trying to establish is what sort of interest would there be if the college was able to offer these type of courses. As Downsizer has lots of members who are interested in land-based activities either for a living, hobby or interest, it is a useful place to conduct market-research.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 09 1:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

When I've seen the heavy horses working at wood fairs it certainly something I find appealing, but when I think how practical the work involved in looking after them would be it would be too much for us.

I have wondered if you could use donkeys on a smaller scale, carting small logs and coppice products around, but that's going off topic a bit.

vickersdc



Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 247
Location: Surrey / Hampshire Border.
PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 09 2:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Treacodactyl wrote:
I have wondered if you could use donkeys on a smaller scale, carting small logs and coppice products around, but that's going off topic a bit.


I'm sure you could use donkeys, but they may be a bit stubborn..? I have heard of people using Shetlands to pull small carts around for exactly that purpose (shifting small logs, etc.).

It's not really going off-topic either - one of the areas to potentially offer courses to, would be the small [wood]land owner, where a heavy horse could just cost too much, but something smaller would be beneficial to move lesser loads about.

Bodger



Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 09 6:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I once went on a three day Shire Horse Management Course at the now defunct Shire Horse centre in Yealmpton. It was an unforgetable experience.

Last edited by Bodger on Tue Sep 08, 09 10:05 pm; edited 1 time in total

LynneA



Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Posts: 4893
Location: London N21
PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 09 8:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Capel Manor College in North London has Clydesdales that the students work with (Equine, Animal Care and I think Cordwainery courses), plus giving carriage rides at college shows.

If your college has a decent size area of woodland, maybe a couple of horses could be used in conjunction with the work of Aboriculture students, one trick my old college wasn't able to use.

Have you looked into the Working Horse Trustfor more ideas?

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8579
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 09 8:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Cordwainers make boots....(for horses?!)

(Great grandad was a cordwainer)

sean
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon
PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 09 8:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Aren't they just leatherworkers in general? So they could make suitcases or whatever.

vickersdc



Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 247
Location: Surrey / Hampshire Border.
PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 09 8:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Thanks LynneA,

We've got a very successful equine section here, and that's why I'm reasonably certain that the care of the heavy horse would not provide insurmountable problems.

I'm going to need to show how having the horses will benefit the college - obviously as a land-based college I'm looking to see how we could use the horses for equine, agriculture, horticulture and forestry students.

I've got ideas galore and I really want to be in a position where we could use these gentle giants, not least because a college is the one place where young adults can see these beautiful creatures at work and realise the benefits of using them.

For all that, if I can't prove that there is interest in such an idea from the 'fee-paying public' then it's going to fail at the first hurdle - that's why I posted on here - to try and gauge how much interest there was in running courses based on the heavy horse.

Jo S



Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 5174
Location: Somerset
PostPosted: Wed Sep 09, 09 5:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

If we are ever in a position to buy our own farm, the OH and I will be having an almighty battle over quad bikes vs horse power.

For my part, I'd be extremely interested in such a course

Cathryn



Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion
PostPosted: Wed Sep 09, 09 8:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I had a conversation with someone around here who uses horses in the forestry and had been employed by the forestry commission or possibly Dwr Cymru. He said it was the only way to get some trees out on some of the steeper slopes. He would be slightly biased though but if that is the case then it could possibly be sold as slightly more financially viable in some areas? (Trees on steep slopes though, I wonder.)

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