Stupid Question

[nathanm]

I live on a farm with a fair but not ungodly amount of pasture land and i was kickin around the idea of seeing about buying a horse and using it to ride around and check fences and the herds and that sort of thing. Of course, 1)you have got to feed it and keep it healthy, like you have to fuel a ATV or pickup and 2)it doesn't have a bed to haul crap in, but at least it would be cheaper than wastin gas to ride the trails and that sort of thing. Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

[Bullbuyer]

Personally, I'd go tractor but if it's a choice between horse and ATV - I'd go ATV. Good resale value, no vet bills and you can leave it for weeks at a time with no feed / water.

 

[dun]

Depends on the terrain. As much as I dislike the fourlegged wastes of money, a good horse, operative word is good, or mule in really rough country is the way to go. If the country isn;t rough, a utility ATV would be my choice.

dun

 

[cfpinz]

A horse has a mind of its own and will only do what it wants to do. That 4 wheeler does what you tell it to and only what you tell it to, so if you get hurt on it it's nobody's fault but your own. Plus it only eats when you use it, doesn't crap all over the place, and you can haul t-posts and barbed wire, try throwing a spool of barbed wire on the back of your horse. In my opinion, a horse is nothing but an overgrown goat.

cfpinz

 

[Bullbuyer]

A horse has a mind of its own and will only do what it wants to do. That 4 wheeler does what you tell it to and only what you tell it to, so if you get hurt on it it's nobody's fault but your own. Plus it only eats when you use it, doesn't crap all over the place, and you can haul t-posts and barbed wire, try throwing a spool of barbed wire on the back of your horse. In my opinion, a horse is nothing but an overgrown goat.

cfpinz

Glad to see I'm not the only one thinking this way.
Do make sure you've got a helmet, even the most experienced riders roll one every now and then.

 

[Howdyjabo]

I use both-- both have disadvantages and advantages.

If I could only have one or the other-- Don't tell hubby I admitted this-
it would have to be hands down the four wheeler

 

[C HOLLAND]

The 4 wheeler comes in handy to haul feed, seed, fence post (nice with a small utility trailer) and the best reason of all has already beed voiced,,,,,"you can leave it alone for weeks without having to feed and water it.
And like bullbuyer said,,,get a helmet, because like he said and I did a few years back,,,you will wind up on the ground with it on top of you ( a 650 pound pile driver) them old bones sure do hurt too, especially when they are broke in several pieces.

BUT,,,I want a horse too,,,or a set of mules for hauling my wagon I made from a peanut wagon, and to pull some logs from a ravine.

 

[brownmule]

thanks Dunn for including the mule LOL
now days with all the work that needs done the only trailriding i get is around the fence line.the machine is less mantince unless it brakes down.. but there are times a good mule (or horse) ;-) is better.. my tractor dont care if i come over to see it or not..LOL but my mule.. is better than the walmart greeter. you do have to take care of them totaly but ..to me thats not work because i love them.. its like a 1200 lb prozac.. sorry for the mushie mule speach
Rose

 

[john250]

How much fence? Your description is a little fuzzy. If it's under a mile, you might just walk it. I walked a lot more than that before my legs got middle aged. A bucket of fence supplies weighs about as much as a golf bag. No greens fees.

 

[C HOLLAND]

How much fence? Your description is a little fuzzy. If it's under a mile, you might just walk it. I walked a lot more than that before my legs got middle aged. A bucket of fence supplies weighs about as much as a golf bag. No greens fees.

Good one John,,,,NO GREEN FEES just mushier divets. :lol:

 

[Alan]

My wife and I have 7 horses and 20+ cows on 70 acres, and I do check fences with them. I also have a Polaris 400.... I always use the atv, I just ride the horses for fun when nothing is pressing.... buy an ATV.

Alan

 

[MikeC]

A bucket of fence supplies weighs about as much as a golf bag. No greens fees

You must be a big, big boy. A roll of wire, a couple of posts, a postdriver, a hammer, fencing pliers, staples, clips, and a hole digger sure weighs more than my golf bag. :lol:

 

[john250]

A bucket of fence supplies weighs about as much as a golf bag. No greens fees

You must be a big, big boy. A roll of wire, a couple of posts, a postdriver, a hammer, fencing pliers, staples, clips, and a hole digger sure weighs more than my golf bag. :lol:

I wasn't buildingfence. I was replacing an occasional insulator or staple. I carried a hammer and 20 staples and some plastic insulators and some nails and a wire cutter and a tightener handle. (I know, you were grinning. I am too)

Got a Gator now, and I do carry all the things you mention plus a chain saw. I put 125 hr a yr on the thing.

 

[Beef11]

Am i the last of my kind?

It sounds like yall have rode some great horses.

 

[Gale Seddon]

thanks Dunn for including the mule LOL
now days with all the work that needs done the only trailriding i get is around the fence line.the machine is less mantince unless it brakes down.. but there are times a good mule (or horse) ;-) is better.. my tractor dont care if i come over to see it or not..LOL but my mule.. is better than the walmart greeter. you do have to take care of them totaly but ..to me thats not work because i love them.. its like a 1200 lb prozac.. sorry for the mushie mule speach
Rose

1200# prozac, love it, even better than a prozac salt lick. Rose, I think Dun was taking care to be extra polite, cause I have a feeling he'd put a mule on the grill if he could (at least a donkey maybe?) though I hope not really. Maybe using a real mule or donkey takes longer, but you're accomplishing two things at once, checking the fence and easing your soul. God bless you, Rose. Hope I get to meet you in person one day soon.

 

[warpaint]

JMO, but it's hard to beat a good horse for riding the fenceline.

Just something about saddling up before dawn, riding by yourself, with nothing but the trees and wind to clear your head.

That said, I do agree with others that you can't carry everything you need to fix the fence, but at least you know where the problems are.

 

[Bud In lower Ala]

I have a 29 y.o. Little Orange Kubota with 4 wheel drive. I made a little device to put on my three point hitch that I carry wire etc. and I go up the hills through the swamp and across the creek. Yeah I have to work on it a little now and then but when I do I get on the Board and someone tells me have to fix it.(usually Caustic) Haven't had to feed the little feller for over a week; I can also carry my 25 Gallon sprayer on the the little platform and get right up to the fence. Little Orange and I are both old but it beats a mule.
Bud in LA

 

[dun]

I think Dun was taking care to be extra polite, cause I have a feeling he'd put a mule on the grill if he could (at least a donkey maybe?) though I hope not really.

Better cooked in a whole in the gorund then on the grill.

dun

 

[nathanm]

GEEZ!!(gone a few hours and it turns into a 2 pager)

thanks everyone for input. but i think i ought to clarify. i only thought a horse might work b/c the 4 wheeler i've got now is not anything to write home about. if i'm not busy runnin to get fuel for, it the tires are flat. and the horse wouldn't be expected to haul stuff just check the fence, the herd, or somethin that didn't need anything but me. and the other thing is that when we had a steer decide he didn't like bein pinned in and ran off, the 4 wheeler only spooked him and he realized that he could nearly tip the son of a gun. but yeah, i know what you are all sayin about haulin stuff but i just was wonderin if an extra chore bet payin for fuel and keepin 'em calm. both got their advantages and disadvantages

 

[MillIronQH]

A horse has a mind of its own and will only do what it wants to do.

cfpinz

Do what??? If I had to guess I'd guess you've never set a good using horse. And a horse or a mule will never fall off in a gully because you weren't paying attention to where you were going. Besides that... ATVs are to derned noisey. I can see more game in an hour horseback then you'll see in a month off the back of a four wheeler.Z