Using Draft Horses with Threshing Bee

Anonymous-0 · Aug 29, 2008

Has any one recreated the early threshing sceenes using draft horses to pull wagons? How did the horses react to the noise of the tractor and thresher? Someday I would like to own a few Belgian draft horses and was wondering what are there temperments like? Sorry for all the questions but I would like to recreat the threshing sceen using horses and horses drawn equipment plus draft horses are interesting to me.

rustyfarmall · Aug 29, 2008

Attend just about ANY antique machinery/threshing show anywhere in the midwest and you will see draft horses in use.

cb in wisc · Aug 29, 2008

I have particapated in thresherees using draft horses to bring the shocks to the machine. I would highly recommend that the horses be "conditioned" to the machine slowly and from a distance before getting them next to the machine to unload. It's just not something that is seen or experienced by horses that much anymore. I would think your best bet is to uses horses that are well trained and experienced with all kinds of various farm machinery, especially horse drawn, manure spreaders, sickle mowers, etc. The horses that I have used were belgian and clydesdales.

Nancy Howell · Aug 29, 2008

It really depends on the horse and how they have been trained. Most horses are petrified by the crackly noise of a plastic grocery bag, yet they can be easily trained to accept it and just about any other noise.

By the way, before you decide on a draft breed, you might consider a little known American draft horse which has a beautiful cream-colored coat. See the website www.creamacres.com

Anonymous-0 · Aug 29, 2008

Most teams were used to the noise and comotion and caused no trouble at all. Once in a while one horse would shy away, but the other horse in the team wouldn't be afraid, so you just drove up to the machine with the shy horse away form the machine.

Fergienewbee · Aug 29, 2008

I love draft horses. My grandfather farmed with horses; he had Belgians and Percherons. Even before we get a huge cinnamon roll at the fair we have to go see the draft horses. If I decide to sell timber, I'll be looking for a logger that uses horses.

Larry in Michigan

John in MD · Aug 30, 2008

Go up into Lancaster County Pa. The plain folks ( Amish and Mennonites) don't seem to have problems.
If you're in the southern part of the state go to St. Marys County. Lots of people still work teams.

Bill(Wis) · Aug 30, 2008

All of the horses in our neighborhood were getting old by the time I came along. That was during WWII (The Big One). They seemed to pay absolutely no attention to all the racket made by threshers, clover hullers, stalk cutters or silo fillers. A young horse or a horse new to the situation would probably be a different story.

J.C.in AZ. · Aug 30, 2008

Every Harvest Season in Wayne and Holmes and others Counties in Ohio, Arcola area OF Illinois and just about any Community the Old Order Amish and Mennonite that still Farm, Threshing as done prior to WW2 and the Combine's arrival made threshing obsolete can still be observed. The old Order Amish and Mennonites still use Horse Power for Wagon work but Threshering Machines now will more than likely be Powered by a Tractor on Steel Wheels which is dedicated to that purpose only. However in some areas the use of a Steam Engine is still practiced.Dad was in a Threshing Ring up till 1948. The Thresher was a Case and it was powered by a big loud Case Tractor. I still remember the Eagles on the wide Fenders of the Tractor. I was born in 1937 and barely have a memory of a Team of Horses on the Farm. Seems like my memory says it was Winter and the Horses were always pulling a Manure Spreador.

Using Draft Horses with Threshing Bee

Anonymous-0

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rustyfarmall

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cb in wisc

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Nancy Howell

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Anonymous-0

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Fergienewbee

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John in MD

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Bill(Wis)

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J.C.in AZ.

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