Time to Reconsider the Horse?

[LaneLester]

I was reading Gary North's column at LewRockwell.com, and he concluded with this:

You should look at your employment possibilities, your retirement portfolio, and the solvency of your employer. How well would your company do in an economy in which gasoline is at least $10 a gallon? What about $20? How would you do personally under these circumstances?

I suggest that you sit down with a pencil and a piece of paper and write down the changes in your life that would be imposed by gasoline at $10 a gallon.

I live in rural Georgia, and as neat as the fossil-fuel-free solutions on here are, I'm wondering if a horse-drawn buggy might not be an economical solution, either now or in the near future.

Lane

[ebacherville]

there slow... but usable.. I know a guy who cant drive due to a medical problem, so he has a horse and chariot style buggy that has room for him and passengers.. he goes all over in this arrangement.. even in the winter he uses it he uses a propane heater inside and encloses it in plexiglas. pretty cool actually... probably good miles per pound of feed for the horse too..

top speed is about 20mph but usually now more than a slow trot is all he goes.. say 10 mph. works well for him.

[azraelswrd]

But what about the maintenance costs and needs for a horse? I won't pretend I know anything about one but my grandpa raised pigs/hogs and well.... they were quite the headache in both upkeep and routine.

*pig-powered transport? ...NAH!*

I think I saw someone on the news last week using a cow-drawn wagon to cross the country or to reach the capitol (WDC). I don't think it was fuel related but more of the "we can do it" sort of thing.

But if you've already got the means for animal support, I don't see why not unless there is some silly law that says you can't (wouldn't surprise me if there was one somewhere in the codes).

[MetroMPG]

I remember seeing an old advertisement for one of those "newfangled automobiles". The ad compared the cost of fuel against the cost of keeping a horse, and figured the car was cheaper.

I wonder at what point it flips back...

[jamesqf]

On the plus side, the horse's "exhaust" is good organic fertilizer for your garden.

PS: Quite by coincidence, I was driving back from the Bay Area yesterday (via Calif 88), and passing through Lockeford (IIRC) what should I see by the roadside but a sign "Horses and Yoke for Sale". (For those who don't know the area, it's farming country with lots of orchards & vineyards.)

[99metro]

My wife has a 6 mile commute and is considering taking her horse to work. Luckily, the place she works also has horses. At 8 mph (trot speed) it would take her 45-50 minutes to get to work.

[Figjam74]

How do the horses fare in -40?

[skyl4rk]

The Amish are doing fine with horse drawn buggies around here and have been for hundreds of years.

[atomicradish]

Originally Posted by skyl4rk

The Amish are doing fine with horse drawn buggies around here and have been for hundreds of years.

Do the Amish commute?

[justpassntime]

Originally Posted by atomicradish

Do the Amish commute?

No, most of them work from home via high technologies. Surfing the internet to find ways to streamline their horse and buggy to increase fuel efficiency.

You see you have to feed the horse whether you are using him or not. Huge waste of time and money. Also a huge problem with methane gases and the greenhouse effect. This is why you don't see the Amish commuting long distances.

My grandfather once told me "if it weren't for the automobile we would be up to our ears in horse $h!t".

Internal combustion engines are much cleaner. You don't have to worry so much about stepping into the exhuast.

[Arminius]

I was going to say, "But you can't eat your car when it's too old to use." but I stopped myself.

[Arminius]

Originally Posted by Arminius

I was going to say, "But you can't eat your car when it's too old to use." but I stopped myself.

DoH!

[justpassntime]

The Amish also tried downsizing to mules but were offended by passing drivers yelling "get your a$$ of the road!".

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by justpassntime

Internal combustion engines are much cleaner. You don't have to worry so much about stepping into the exhuast.

On the other hand, horse exhaust tends to stay where it is put, and makes good organic fertilizer. IC engine exhaust goes into the air, and you get to breathe it whether you want to or not.

[skyl4rk]

snort

[RiseAbove]

How do you get the grille block on the horse, though???

[Arminius]

Originally Posted by RiseAbove

How do you get the grille block on the horse, though???

Horse Canvas Feed Bag/Morral | NRS - National Roper Supply - Western Wear, tack, team ropes, horse tack, team roping ropes, bits...

Strap it on!

[bennelson]

I wouldn't be surprised to see a huge return to human-powered vehicles.

Really, what is a bicycle, but a horse which you don't have to feed or stable?

[MetroMPG]

Ben: that's already happening. I've read a couple of stories recently about bike shops swamped with business. New sales, plus people bringing in their 30 year old beaters for tune-ups.

[justpassntime]

Originally Posted by bennelson

I wouldn't be surprised to see a huge return to human-powered vehicles.

Really, what is a bicycle, but a horse which you don't have to feed or stable?

I found a rickshaw for my wife to pull me around in, but she decided we would just stay home more. Not a bad idea I guess.

The other day, after we had been working in the yard all day, my wife wanted to go somewhere expensive. So we got all cleaned and dressed up and went to the gas station. The service sucked, the food wasn't that great but it sure was expensive!