FAQs

Why use Horses in the woods?

• They cause no pollution
• the damage to the forest floor is minimal and in some cases BENEFICIAL!
• Horses can work in areas not accessible by tractors
• Because horses can work within the matrix the number of access racks is reduced resulting in less chance of windblow and the number of final crop trees removed can be as little as zero

I've never felled for a horse before, is it difficult ?

Felling for a horse is no harder than felling for a skidder, if the cutter does a good job for skidder extraction then a horse can do the extraction as well. the main difference being with a skidder you can get away with being a bit lazy which you can't do when working for a horse. It is all down to TEAMWORK!

Your horse is a bit small I thought you would use big Shire horses ?

Big Shire horses are fine in flat lowland areas but on the steep banks I have to work in Wales you need a smaller more agile horse.

How much will he pull ?

How long is a bit of string? It depends on a lot of factors, gradient, soil type, wet or dry etc. But skidding pole length on a steep down hill slope a ton at a time is possible. On flat ground this will drop to half a ton and pulling uphill the load gets lighter very quickly as the gradient gets steeper. I try to avoid any uphill work.

How many hours do you work?

In the winter the horse is pulling for about 6 hours and in the summer about 7-7½ hours but this also depends on how steep the ground is.

It looks like a real nice romantic job, could anybody do it?

As with all forestry work it is very hard. If you are very fit, get on with horses and don't mind spending all winter sloshing around in the rain and mud then you can do the job. Also it is a big help to have a knowledge of forestry work

How many horses do you need ?

If you have alot of work a team of horses is best, you can work them as a team if the timber is big or you can work them in shifts to lessen their work load. You can work with just one horse though.
I use the Norwegian Fjordhorse for working steep banks and tight areas and have just started working "Kokey", a five year old Ardennes, on the flatter ground.

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