Two Questions -Southern Pines, NC
Two questions came up recently and I only had one answer.
Question One: How much can a horse pull?
Question Two: Bernie, do you want some free hay?
Hey Bill, can you pull this thing…?>
Of course the answer to Question Two was an unqualified “Yes”.
Then Mel told me I had to pick it up in Jack and Bill’s wagon.
Oh.
The hay was in a hay barn across town. All I had to do was go get it.
So it got me to thinking again about how much a horse, or a mule for that matter, could pull.
I did a bit of research and learned the Army (back in the days when it
relied on horses and mules instead of Hummers and MREs) said a draft horse could pull its own weight twenty miles per day on a smooth road.
Twenty miles! I was only looking at maybe eight miles. Max. And Jack and Bill weighed 2200 pounds combined, quite a bit more than the weight of my work wagon and the twenty bales I planned to haul.
Piece of cake. That answered Question Number One.
So I hooked Jack and Bill up to my wagon and drove them across town to pick up the load of hay. Two of Mel’s students rode with me to help out.
Waiting
Jack and Bill stood quietly while Erin and Kaily helped me load the hay. Then we drove home.
Student Drivers – Hobby Field, Southern Pines, NC
A short chat
Now for Question Number Three.
Will Jack and Bill be able to pull the wagon I’m building in Mel’s garage?
Bernie
RiverEarth.com
