One-horse farming
Conall‘s winter job this year is cutting firewood on Canada’s east coast (Nova Scotia), in partnership with his trusty workhorse, Dixie. It sounds pretty intense. He started tiny farming from scratch two seasons ago, our first full-season full-timer, way back in ’07. Last year, he was out in NS, on a tiny, one-horse farm, learning to plow and cultivate veggies, and bring in the hay, with Dixie. This winter’s job involves heading into the woods with Dixie, where he fells small trees with a chainsaw, guides Dixie to drag the logs, at times through waist-deep snow, to a clearing, cuts down the logs to firewood, loads it onto the sled, and hauls it out for delivery. Conall’s plan for this summer: a Dixie-powered market garden… What I wonder is, the Kubota compact tractor vs Dixie?
They both have their good sides – it’s much more easy to cuddle Dixie, but the tractor won’t get scared by irrational stuff (like plastic bags). I guess I would start with a compact tractor and add a Dixie when I felt ready.
Kubota can do a lot of things just now– if I had one, I’d use it gleefully — have got tractor skills but no horse skills – and it doesn’t have to be fed and curried daily but its need for fossil fuels will put it, and its like, more and more at odds with Dixie and with all of us sooner or later, methinketh.
risa b
Trust me Dixie as a mind of her own……
Having worked on farms run with horses, I’d guess a Dixie (or two) would take that one. Having parents who run their tiny farm with a trusted old Ford tractor, I have to admit that tractors sure are convenient!
what a great photo. i want a wagon for our horse.
Horse questions: What breed is Dixie? She looks strong and healthy.
Where do you learn to plow with a horse or even buy a horse drawn plow?
Thank You
Dennis
Connal!
Dixie!
What are you guys doing on the internet?
I googled “horse farming” and this came up!