Horses are wonderful friends who can play sports, take part in competitions, but just as history and modernity show, horses can help with the housework that is particularly useful on a farm can be a horse in the harness that pulls large enough loads. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of horses in agriculture.
This field of activity of people appeared in antiquity. And now, over a thousand years, horses have been working for the benefit of agriculture. In order to maximize the use of horsepower, breeders especially improved or derived new ones. According to the country’s climate, various breeds were bred.
How much weight can a horse pull on wheels? To determine the weight of the horse, use the following guidelines. On a well-paved highway, most horses can carry loads that are three times their own horse weight. On a more or less solid dirt road, you can load the carriage on about two horse masses.
That is, if your horse weighs 400 kg, then your cart can weigh up to 800 kg (of course, along with the weight of the carriage itself). On loose or mountain non-horizontal roads one should not overload the cart with a mass more than the horse itself weighs.
Horse’s Ability To Pull Weights
Regardless of the weight of your wagon load, bear in mind that it is very important to move smoothly on the road of a harnessed horse, without jerks, that is, to keep a constant pace. However, when moving, it is not forbidden to move from step to trot and back. This means that after a 15-minute run trotting a harnessed horse, it is important to step aside for about the same amount of time before returning to the race. This trick will help you travel longer distances in less time.
The 900-pound horse easily pulls one and a half, or even two tons. In terms of mass and strength, horses are usually divided into three categories: A lightweight horse is best for carrying a rider. The mass of such a horse is 400-450 kilograms. The middleweight horse is needed for heavy cavalry. It weighs 600-700 kilograms. Heavy weigh horse – harness horse. To use it under the saddle is just silly: it does not give any meaningful “sprint”, it does not willingly go to a gallop.
Who are the heavy horses?
Heavy trucks – breeds of large and strong horses, whose purpose – the transportation of heavy loads. A heavy horse is a stocky, large animal with a thick neck. And though they are not so graceful as sports racers, there is much more benefit from them in the household. This heavy truck is ready to assist the farmer in the transportation of goods, arable work, hunting trips and not only. Diligent breeders from around the world for many years brought the perfect assistant for a farmer. This led to the fact that of the 250 types of horses, 40 are considered traction.
What is the traction force?
The thrust force is the total activity of the animal’s muscles that a horse uses when moving agricultural implements or carts, overcoming their resistance to movement. A normal or optimal force of a horse is the force with which the horse displays normal working capacity without overwork for a long time. The magnitude of the traction force in horses is different:
a) for small, with a live weight of up to 400 kg – 15%;
b) for medium ones, with f. 400-500 kg – 14%;
c) at large, with f. more than 600 kg – 13% in relation to the total body mass.
Large horses, as a rule, differ in a greater force of thrust than smaller ones, but in relation to body weight, in large horses, it is less in percentage terms.
Summary
Heavy or heavy-stressed breeds are bred to perform a variety of agricultural work since the Middle Ages. Heavyweights – large, calm, strong horses. Of course, now their use as a force has decreased markedly, but the horses are still used in farming, in many aspects of village life. The ability to pull depends on the horse’s body and age. It’s important to give to the animal enough rest and nutrition.
