Ensuring the Future of Agriculture since 1977 What do you envision?

• Make sure you have proper infrastructure to support equines • Find the right fit of a breed for your needs • turn the “pet” into a productive resource 1. Husbandry skills – educate yourself about the animals before you leap into ownership! 2. Fencing – hotwire vs. mesh 3. Housing/shelter – dependent on location and breed 4. Pasture – animals need space to graze, exercise and socialize 5. Feed – depending on breed, may need to supplement with hay and grain 6. Transport – means to move animals should they need to leave the farm

Veterinarians – sooner or later you need one!

• Seek out local owners to find out who they use. Shop around to find the right fit.

• Average annual bill (shots and Coggins testing alone) ~$300-350/yr/animal

Farrier – no equine can make due completely without a good farrier!

• As with veterinarians, shop around for a good one

• Average annual bill $200 (barefoot) -$400 (shod) per year for basic care Why do you want to bring equines onto the farm? • Riding or for pleasure? • Work? • Breeding? • Lawn ornament?

Can you afford to have non-productive animals? Security Guard Land Maintenance Horse hair Hippotherapy & products therapeudic riding

Grass cutting Improving soil Dairy Products Draft power fertility Donkeys can make excellent livestock & poultry guardians Some are used around the world to manage land effectively through selective grazing A much more pleasant sight and sound than a lawnmower!

They aren’t just for big jobs!

Horse hair can be used in a wide variety of arts and crafts Dairies Gaining Popularity in Europe

Cleopatra famous for bathing in donkey milk Donkeys or Horses? Domesticated around 6000 years ago and descend from the African Wild Ass

Valued as pack & draft animals and for milk production • Life expectancy 30-52 years • tend to assess situation before spooking • Has long gestation of 12-14 months • Considered more intelligent than horses but can translate to stubbornness • Large ears & lack of undercoat makes them more vulnerable in cold wet conditions • Have smaller harder feet that need to be shod less frequently than horses • Most (not all) can thrive on marginal forage

American Mammoth Jackstock • Created by George Washington • Good riding and work animal • Creates excellent • Has dairy potential • Good guardian animal potential

Miniature Donkey • Common in the US but becoming rare in their native Mediterranean region • Excellent with children • Good for small jobs around the farm • Good guardian with smaller predators such as hawks but not with coyotes or dogs

Poitou • One of the rarest donkeys • Developed in France • Jacks sire finest draft mules in the world • Have a unique coat • Very calm disposition • Not as long-lived as other donkeys • Not a beginner’s donkey Domesticated around 5500+ years ago and thought to descend from the now extinct Tarpan

Valued for riding, draft, and milk production • Life expectancy 25+ years • tend to spook a easier than donkeys • Has a gestation of 11 months • Considered more easily trainable than donkeys • Are largely adaptable to any climate or habitat • Wide diversity of choice in breeds

Colonial Spanish Horses • Spanish origin going back 400 years • Wide range of strains throughout the US • Generally easy keepers • People oriented & often easily trained • Good for riding, driving, and light draft

Choctaw horses Colonial Spanish Horse Strains

Pryor Mountain, MT

Sulphur, UT Banker horses Cerbat, AZ Mt. Taylor Santa Cruz, CA & Bacca, NM Choctaw, OK Marsh Tacky, SC Wilbur-Cruce, AZ Pine Tacky, MS

Florida Cracker , FL Large Draft Breeds • The heavy machinery of the horse world • Populations dropping due to economy • Considered gentle giants • In the right situation, more efficient than tractor • Great for sustainable ag Belgian Draft Clydesdale Shire

Both genetically similar, Shire typically heavier with more

Suffolk favored for traditional farming, Percheron one of the most popular draft breeds in the world American Cream Draft • Only draft breed developed in America • Mid-sized draft breed • Has done well in competitive driving • Great for smaller farms needing draft power Light Draft and Harness Breeds • Not as massive as the heavy drafts • Can be more versatile in tight areas • Harness horses good for but not most farm implements

Hackney horse Canadian Friesian

Canadian an excellent “do-it-all” horse, while Friesians are selected more for pulling carriages Irish Draft Cleveland

Irish Draft is a good all-around breed, the is renown for making excellent crosses Pleasure and Sport horses • Can be versatile breeds • Not as large as light draft and horses • Not every breed is for the novice rider • In the right hands some can be outstanding athletes Akhal-Teke This ancient breed is among the finest equine athletes in the world and is not a beginner’s horse. Lipizzan Rocky Mountain

Lipizzan stallions world famous for athleticism and the Rocky Mountain for its gentle nature and smooth gait and Small horses • Smaller horses with big hearts • Many are long-lived breeds • Great choice for small acreage • Many are easy keepers with good dispositions Caspian

Considered one of the oldest breeds in the world, these gentle horses were thought extinct until rediscovered in the 1960’s in the mountains of Iran. Fell Dales British breeds from the opposite sides of the same mountain. Both used for draft in mining operations. Dartmoor Exmoor Both of these hardy breeds are used in conservation grazing programs to protect wildlife habitat Native to Sweden this breed dates back to use by the Goths (circa 1800 BCE) who used them for draft, driving, and transport.

Gotland Ask yourself hard questions before delving into equines:

• Why do I want them? • How will I use them? • Do I have the room and infrastructure for them? • Can I afford them? Thank you!