Draft Horse Power and Regenerative Farming in Ohio
In 2020 we were 100% machine-powered. By 2025, we plan to be 99% horse-powered and only 1% machine-powered
In the pursuit of health, Never Tread decided to continue its venture into farming practices that restore the soil instead of deplete it. Draft horses were once used for nearly every aspect of farm and living. We aim to bring it back from obscurity by promoting our draft farming program.
This year, we began our venture by adopting a 12-year-old Red Belgian gelding. His name is Doc and he has an affinity for field work.
Now Doc isn’t what most people think of when they think of a draft horse’s behavior. He is an anxious horse who finds comfort in his harnessing and field work. Doc is at his best when he works and loves to keep other horses (and us) trained in the field.
We use Doc to train and break our foals to driving in harness and to field work. He stands firm beside them and doesn’t allow them to be fearful of new noises, sensations, and situations. The below slideshow is Doc training a neighbor’s draft cross horse (the black horse) to learn how to work in the field. After this horse became confident in standing in the furrows (the last row of plowing), Doc worked hard to keep his lines straight. After the owner was happy with his first training session, Doc trained the next draft cross horse. This horse was new to harnessing and pulling items behind him. But Doc did a great job and taught these two horses how to be brave and confident in these new situations. Although, he didn’t get the straight field lines perfected with them…at least not yet!
If you’d like to learn alongside of us regarding draft horses and using them on the farm, feel free to contact Alex at 740-739-2333 or email him at alex@thenevertreadfarmstead.com
Draft Horse Farming and Training Resources:
The New Horse-Powered Farm: Tools and Systems for the Small-Scale, Sustainable Market Grower