Working in the field and woodland

In short

• Fitness takes 4–6 weeks to build: from 1 hour of light work up to 4–6 hours, always with breaks every 30–60 minutes.
• A horse with a light plough turns over roughly 1,000–2,000 m² (a quarter to half an acre) a day, a pair roughly 3,000–4,000 m² (about an acre).
• In the woods, never stand below the load or between the horse and the log. Logs are extracted downhill or on the flat, over short distances.
• Heat is a working horse's worst enemy: work early in the morning and in the evening, water every 1–2 hours.
• Learn from people who do it: heavy horse societies and horse loggers run courses and working days.
• A horse makes sense when it works regularly. A horse that works 10 days a year is an expensive engine.

What's inside

Chapters

1. What horses and donkeys can do
2. Fitness and the working day
3. Ploughing
4. Harrowing, hoeing and earthing up
5. Hay and carting
6. Extracting timber from woodland
7. Pack work
8. Orchard, vineyard and garden
9. Safety in the field and woodland
10. Horse or machine: the sums
11. Common mistakes
12. Printable checklist

Worksheets

• Season work plan
• Hours and oats calculator
• Work log
• Sketch of field and woodland
• Work calendar