Marianne Martinez
The use of horses in tillage has gained popularity in recent years, with over 299 French winegrowers opting for this method. Horses are being used in place of tractors to preserve soil health and avoid plough pans. While mechanical tillage loosens the soil, making it easier to start crops, it can also create a hard pan or compaction in the deeper soil layer, killing soil fertility and soil life. This is not the case with horse-powered tilling, which can reverse any compaction caused by its passing.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Horse-powered tilling | Used by French winegrowers and farmers to preserve soil health |
| Horse traction allows for the preservation of older vines and the rehabilitation of abandoned plots | |
| Horse traction avoids plough pans and reverses compaction caused by its passing | |
| Horse-powered tilling vs tractor tilling | Horse traction exerts greater pressure per square centimetre than tractors, but has almost zero bearing surface |
| Tractors cause soil compaction, which blocks the action of invertebrates and mineral elements, leading to root asphyxiation | |
| Modern tractors have caused significant damage to ancient structures such as long barrows and burial mounds | |
| Horses are generally unsuitable for tilling, but breeds like Clydesdale are draft animals | |
| Horses used in tillage can remove pesticides and lower environmental impact by avoiding mechanical equipment powered by fossil fuels | |
| Tilling in general | Mechanical tillage loosens the soil, making it easier to start crops, but creates a hard pan/compaction in deeper layers |
| Tilling kills soil fertility over time and exposes weed seeds, leading to increased labour or use of poison | |
| Tilling accelerates soil loss by erosion and results in soil compaction | |
| Zone tillage is a form of modified deep tillage that helps reduce soil compaction and improve internal soil drainage | |
| No-till farming allows plants to need fewer pest management, disease management, or fertilizer amendments | |
| Tilling horse manure into the garden is a common practice, but it is important to let the manure age before use |
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What You'll Learn
Horse traction is better than tractors for soil health
Horse traction has been making a comeback in recent years, with hundreds of French winegrowers reporting that it is better for soil health than tractors. This shift from mechanical technology back to ecological technology has been deemed exciting, with positive social and environmental implications.
One of the main benefits of using horses for tillage is that it helps to preserve soil health. Horses have a lighter tread than tractors, which means they do not compact the soil as much. This reduced compaction allows the soil to retain more moisture and improves the soil structure, which in turn can lead to healthier vines and higher-quality grapes and wine. The use of horses also removes the need for pesticides and lowers the environmental impact due to the lack of mechanical equipment powered by fossil fuels.
Horse traction also allows for the preservation of older vines and the rehabilitation of abandoned plots once deemed too difficult to cultivate. In addition, the slower pace of operations when using horses can have a positive impact on the quality of work. Horses can also navigate narrow rows and hillsides with ease, allowing vineyard workers to tend to each vine with more precision and a more personalized approach to vineyard management.
While there are some downsides to using horses, such as the increased time and labour required, as well as the potential for soil erosion and vine damage, the benefits to soil health are significant. Horses are self-recruiting and produce their own manure, and their maintenance is supported by local renewable sources such as plants and water. In contrast, tractors are mechanical devices constructed outside the local ecosystem, requiring non-renewable energy sources.
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Horses can be used to till soil by trampling
Using horses for tillage has several benefits. Firstly, it helps preserve soil health and can even rehabilitate abandoned plots once deemed too difficult to cultivate. Secondly, it lowers the pace of operations, which has a positive impact on the quality of work. Thirdly, for organic farms, the use of horses in the tillage process is associated with the removal of pesticides and a lower environmental impact due to the lack of mechanical equipment powered by fossil fuels.
However, using horses for tillage can also have its challenges. One of the main challenges is that horses need to be trained and prepared for this type of work. This includes teaching them basic skills such as ground driving and exposing them to potentially scary objects like buckets and logs. Additionally, finding equipment for a single horse, especially one of a larger breed, can be difficult, and a team of horses may be easier to outfit.
Another consideration when using horses for tillage is the potential for soil compaction. While some sources suggest that horse traction can help reverse compaction caused by its passing, others argue that any form of tillage, including horse-drawn ploughing, can contribute to the creation of a tillage or plough pan, a layer of compacted soil that blocks the action of invertebrates and mineral elements crucial to the soil ecosystem. Therefore, it is important for farmers to carefully manage their soil and consider techniques like zone tillage, which can help reduce soil compaction problems and improve internal soil drainage.
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Tilling can damage ancient structures
While tilling is a widely used agricultural technique, it can have detrimental effects on ancient structures. In the UK, for instance, half of the long barrows in Gloucestershire and almost all the burial mounds in Essex have been damaged by tilling.
The introduction of the farm tractor in the early 20th century revolutionized agriculture, but it also contributed to the destruction of the prairie grasses and fertile topsoil in the American Midwest, leading to the Dust Bowl. Similarly, in the UK, modern powerful tractors have caused significant harm to ancient sites, with English Heritage noting in 2003 that ploughing with tractors had inflicted as much damage in the last six decades as traditional farming had in the previous six centuries.
Tillage practices can lead to the compaction of soil, forming a dense layer known as a "plough pan" or "hard pan." This compaction effect can have a detrimental impact on the soil ecosystem, hindering the movement of invertebrates and the penetration of mineral elements, ultimately leading to the asphyxiation of the root system. Additionally, the loose earth on top of the plough pan is vulnerable to erosion, further exacerbating the damage.
The use of horses for tillage, as seen in France, offers an alternative that helps preserve soil health and avoid the compaction issue. Horses, with their lower bearing surface compared to tractors, can reverse any compaction caused by their passing. This method is also associated with lower environmental impacts due to the absence of mechanical equipment powered by fossil fuels.
While tilling can have its benefits, it is essential to be mindful of its potential to damage ancient structures and the negative consequences it can have on soil health, including compaction, erosion, and the disruption of natural layering and soil organisms. Sustainable practices and alternative methods, such as the use of horses, can help mitigate these issues and preserve ancient sites for future generations.
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Zone tillage helps reduce soil compaction
While tilling can help loosen the soil, making it easier to start crops, it can also create a hard pan or compaction in the deeper soil layer. This is known as a "tillage pan". The use of heavy machinery, such as tractors, can contribute to this problem. As a result, there has been a revival of using animals, such as horses, for tillage, which is believed to cause less soil compaction.
Zone tillage is a form of modified deep tillage that helps to reduce soil compaction problems. In zone tillage, only narrow strips of soil are tilled, leaving the soil in between the rows untilled. This technique agitates the soil just enough to help break up plow pans, improve internal soil drainage, and prepare a seedbed.
To implement zone tillage effectively, it is important to identify the depth and firmness of the plow pan. The zone builder on the deep zone till equipment is then set two inches below the compacted layer to help break it up. In the second season, planting rows are prepared midway between the previous year's rows to continue breaking up the plow pan. Eventually, the compacted layer is destroyed, and the zone builder is raised to approximately five inches deep.
Zone tillage offers several benefits. It reduces the drag, horsepower, and fuel required to prepare the ground for planting. It also helps replace lost organic matter, slows the deterioration of the soil, improves soil drainage, increases the soil's water and nutrient-holding capacity, and allows necessary soil organisms to survive.
In addition to zone tillage, there are other practices that can help minimize and reduce soil compaction. For example, varying the tillage depth can help minimize the development of a "tillage pan". Tillage depth should be deeper in dry years when soil fracturing is greatest, and shallower in wet years to avoid the formation of a deep tillage pan. Additionally, certain crop rotations, such as including alfalfa, clover, or grass, can help reduce soil compaction.
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Horse manure can be tilled into gardens
Horse manure is a fantastic natural fertiliser for gardens. It is often regarded as more nutritious than garden compost, though this depends on the type of waste material and composting method used. Horse manure is high in organic matter, which acts like a sponge in the soil, holding onto nutrients and water for plants to use, and improving the structure of all types of soil.
Horse manure is the waste (excrement) that comes from horses and is often mixed with stable bedding. It is important to ensure that the manure is well-rotted or composted, and at least six months old. If the horse bedding is wood-based, the manure should be at least a year old to ensure the wood has broken down completely. Fresh manure can remove nutrients from the soil and scorch plants. It can, however, be added to compost heaps. Manure direct from stables may contain weed seeds and the roots of perennial weeds, which can cause problems in your garden. It may also be contaminated with weedkillers, so it is important to know where your horse manure has come from and how it has been stored.
Horse manure can be dug into the soil or spread as mulch. It can be bulky and heavy, especially when wet, so it may need to be delivered. If you have any left over, it can be left in a corner to continue rotting until you are ready to use it.
Horse manure is not the only type of manure that can be used to improve soil fertility. In ancient times, soil was tilled by humans or animals such as mules, oxen, elephants, and water buffalo. In more recent times, horses have been used to till soil in vineyards and by winegrowers, as this helps to preserve soil health and avoid compaction. However, horses are generally unsuitable for tilling as they were not bred as draft animals.
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Frequently asked questions
Horse-powered tilling does not create a hard pan. In fact, it helps to preserve soil health and can reverse any compaction caused by its passing.
A hard pan, or tillage pan, is a layer of compacted soil that blocks the action of invertebrates, which are crucial players in the soil ecosystem.
To till with horses, you will need a work harness with a collar and hames. You should work your horse every day for at least 30 days, building up their confidence and stamina.
