Went to one of our local fair's today. I confess to being a "Draft Horse" groupie. If I were younger and had a pocket full of $$$$$$$$ a couple of these would suffice as my "wood skidder"........ Took a couple hundred pictures, but here are a few highlights.
Draft horses are pretty amazing. You'd have to be cutting some very big trees to even need 2 of them tugging logs. One could pull a couple cords in one twitch.
We have a local lad in this area who hires out. He's booked up for two years. Bush lot owners love em' cause they leave the bush intact, not knocking everything down like the mechanical skidders.
My niece is a lawyer, single, living in Connecticut. She has a farm with one horse, a few chickens and several cat. She has mentioned the cost of that horse (her best friend). I can't even imagine what a team of draft horses would cost or time it would take to properly care for them.
Between all the show harness, wagons, 2 tractor trailer to move it all and the six horses, not to mention a crew of about 15 people to make it happen, these lads have upwards of a half a million in each hitch. They do it strictly for the love of it as the money is a pittance. Most of these owners are large farmers or own construction and trucking companies.
Thanks for the pictures rotti. A neighbor sold off some timber a year ago. The skidders just happened to have 4 legs. A motor on the mill but skidding was all done with horses.
Yes, Rotti thanks for the pics. I enjoy the draft/working breeds when I go to the fair too. Especially the horse pulls, the belgians are impressive!
