The l listory nth-\rgyle Shore

John Donald Niacl’hail cutting grain with a binder.

Working wit/J Horses

In years past, draft (work) horses were the most useful animals on the farm. These big, strong, muscular horses like the Belgians, Clydesdales, and Percherons supplied much of the power needed for jobs that are done now by tractors and heavy trucks. The horses worked along with the farmers in their fields and wood lots. During cropping, they were used to till the land in the spring and plow it in the fall. They hauled binders for cutting grain, hay mowers for cutting hay, and diggers for harvesting the potatoes. They were also used on treadmills to run the thresher in order to separate the grain from the sheaves. These horses ran the saw gear to cut firewood and lumber and also provided the power to haul it out of the woods.

At one time, horses were the main mode of transportation. In spring, summer and fall they hauled a wagon and in winter they were hooked up to a sleigh. Many families went to church on Sunday or to visit relatives and neighbors by horse and wagon or horse and sleigh. In winter, many people traveled by horse on ice covered rivers as the roads would often be blocked with snow. lWarked trails over the ice became the winter highways. The trails were “bushed’”, marked by

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