Using a horse to Harrow the arena?

C

Cob Life

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 December 2019
Messages
855
Visit site
Does anyone use a horse drawn Harrow for the arena?

We don't have anything to pull a Harrow, so at the moment I use a rake and it takes me forever! It was only talking to my friend who does ploughing with their shires that it made me wonder if I could get the cob to help me, changes up his work a bit as well.

He long reins nicely and I've helped with getting my friends young shire from long reining to pulling a carriage, plough and working in a team so am confident with what to do.
 
Do you have a full collar that fits and a swingle tree? Mines an established driving pony and I would use her for things like that, but I'm not prepared to shell out for a couple of full collars for her in order to do it. They don't come cheap and you need at least two to account for changes in fitness and weight. Most reasonably priced harness is breastcollars and not suitable for pulling harrows or similar.
 
Leo Walker said:
Do you have a full collar that fits and a swingle tree? Mines an established driving pony and I would use her for things like that, but I'm not prepared to shell out for a couple of full collars for her in order to do it. They don't come cheap and you need at least two to account for changes in fitness and weight. Most reasonably priced harness is breastcollars and not suitable for pulling harrows or similar.
Click to expand...
That’s what I was told by a driving friend, too. I had a horse that would have been perfect for the job, but the outlay on the correct equipment would have been rather large. Friend said that a breast collar would not be suitable.
 
Last edited:
I levelled, not harrowed (which is deeper into the surface), my arena with a cob in a cheap driving breastplate that I bought from Ebay. If you currently do it with a rake, you should be fine with a leveller.

.
 
I never used a swingle tree and my cob ate the job for breakfast in a breastplate thingy.

Leveller was like a slightly heavy gate, no tines. I led him and he towed it, attached to the breastplate with rope and huge carabiners.

He seemed to enjoy doing something different :)

Harrowing, to me, means digging down into the surface. Levelling, though, is a simple job.

.
 
My harrows were 6’ chain harrows, like these. They are a fair heft to drag over the ground when the prongs are pointed down, I could just about pull them forward a few feet manually if I needed to move them. My experienced driving friend was adamant that I’d need a proper full collar for the horse to pull those. A lightweight metal gate, like some folk use to level an arena, would be much lighter and easier to pull, though.

5C1206FE-1921-4F57-8519-419F46263B31.jpeg
 
The harrows are light enough for me to easily move on my own but I'll get my friend to help sort out what I need (he thinks he may have stuff that fits him as well) and get us going.
 
Tiddlypom said:
My harrows were 6’ chain harrows, like these. They are a fair heft to drag over the ground when the prongs are pointed down, I could just about pull them forward a few feet manually if I needed to move them. My experienced driving friend was adamant that I’d need a proper full collar for the horse to pull those. A lightweight metal gate, like some folk use to level an arena, would be much lighter and easier to pull, though.

View attachment 41002
Click to expand...


Exactly my point, levelling isn't harrowing. Even my mini could pull a commercial gate-type leveller. My cob barely noticed it.

.
 
Leo Walker said:
Do you have a full collar that fits and a swingle tree? Mines an established driving pony and I would use her for things like that, but I'm not prepared to shell out for a couple of full collars for her in order to do it. They don't come cheap and you need at least two to account for changes in fitness and weight. Most reasonably priced harness is breastcollars and not suitable for pulling harrows or similar.
Click to expand...
My stallion used to harrow the school in a breast collar, but I have 3ft sections, so just used one. Much better to use a horse if its wet.
 
What I used was a metal gate-type construction, with a set of tines at the rear. I could drag it fairly easily myself so I didn't worry about the hulking great pony doing it. Mind you, actually "harrowing" that arena with a proper deep, long tined harrow would've mullered the surface.
 
JFTDWS said:
What I used was a metal gate-type construction, with a set of tines at the rear. I could drag it fairly easily myself so I didn't worry about the hulking great pony doing it. Mind you, actually "harrowing" that arena with a proper deep, long tined harrow would've mullered the surface.
Click to expand...

I'm assuming it's a Harrow, it's like a chain Harrow but without the the prongs.
 
JFTDWS said:
What I used was a metal gate-type construction, with a set of tines at the rear. I could drag it fairly easily myself so I didn't worry about the hulking great pony doing it. Mind you, actually "harrowing" that arena with a proper deep, long tined harrow would've mullered the surface.
Click to expand...

Its not about how big or small the pony is. Its about the pressure it puts on the shoulders. A light one on a decent surface probably wont be an issue. Proper harrows on a deeper surface will.
 
Leo Walker said:
Its not about how big or small the pony is. Its about the pressure it puts on the shoulders. A light one on a decent surface probably wont be an issue. Proper harrows on a deeper surface will.
Click to expand...

No, but if a normal human can pull it easily enough, I'm really not worried about the pony, which is, in context, what I said there.
 
(not my friend)
This is the kind of harness my friend uses and the harrow (it is indeed a harrow) she uses was customised by her husband. He shortened it (length like the one in the video) and width like the one behind the tractor. I am pretty sure hers is with straight, slightly angled spikes. I would need to ask her to make sure if anyone is interested.

Just like what the guy remarks in the comment section below his video : it is a lot of draft for one horse!
 
JFTDWS said:
No, but if a normal human can pull it easily enough, I'm really not worried about the pony, which is, in context, what I said there.
Click to expand...

Its different pulling something by hand and taking the weight across the shoulders though, esp with something thats got some resistance on it and wont travel smoothly. Thats why a light one on a decent surface would probably be fine, but if you have a deeper surface or something with prongs dropping into the surface it wont be. The smoother consistent pull of the light harrow and decent surface will be different to something thats inconsistent and pulling lumps of heavier surface up. The video turieta posted shows how they almost bounce about as they pull bits up.

I'm sure people do do it and get away with it with no issues at all, but the advice I've always been given is dont do it without a full collar, or possible a brollar.
 
Leo Walker said:
Its different pulling something by hand and taking the weight across the shoulders though, esp with something thats got some resistance on it and wont travel smoothly.
Well yea, pulling a chain in one hand is a lot harder than spreading that pressure across the shoulders, actually.

I've already said it was a probably a leveller and my horse did it easily. I'm not sure what value you think there is in telling me that I must be wrong about that
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
I'm hoping to do the same thing with my pony. However, having read the comments I'm not sure I'm any the wiser! Do I need a collar and a swingle tree???
 
Chianti said:
I'm hoping to do the same thing with my pony. However, having read the comments I'm not sure I'm any the wiser! Do I need a collar and a swingle tree???
Click to expand...

I think you'll need a collar of some kind, either a breast collar or a collar harness. The swingletree seems to be more necessary if you use a breast collar.

If I was to try doing something like this for the first time, as an inexperienced driver with an untrained animal, I think I'd go with a breast collar and just have it pulling a light lump of wood around, build up the weight bit by bit, before going for a leveller or harrow...
 
We used to pony harrow the awkward parts of our fields with a section of chain harrow, pulled by one of our driving shetlands in a breast collar.
Worth looking in farm sales for a chain harrow that you can cut up :)

Keith, pulling a tyre is usually the 1st thing we trained them to pull, as you can go bigger when necessary.
 
Keith_Beef said:
I think you'll need a collar of some kind, either a breast collar or a collar harness. The swingletree seems to be more necessary if you use a breast collar.

If I was to try doing something like this for the first time, as an inexperienced driver with an untrained animal, I think I'd go with a breast collar and just have it pulling a light lump of wood around, build up the weight bit by bit, before going for a leveller or harrow...
Click to expand...

Thanks- he has been driven in the past and I long rein him so I'm hoping he'd pick it up quickly.
 
We used a breast collar and a plastic jump filler on its side for years. Jump filler levelled the sand but wasn’t that heavy. Pony had no issues doing it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top