Roxbury Farm

[Anonymous]

We are trying to integrate horse power into our CSA farm operation. We are quite mechanized but feel there are places we can use horses instead of a tractor. Just over a year ago we attended a workshop given by Donn Hewes at Northland Sheep Dairy where we picked up the lines for the first time. After a short stint with a Haflinger we now have a team of Belgians. We spent this summer getting them back to health (they were rescued from from an auction). For the 2013 season Jelmar Alabada (who may have heard speak at the Horse Progress Days this summer) is going to join us. We are excited to see what happens this summer. Below is photo of Peter and Mary and their brand new barn. We put the walls up on Friday.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Jody, Your horses look great. I have been planning to use pete and mary as mule names in the future! talk to you soon, Donn

[menageriehill]

what are you using for pete and mary to stand on in the barn and barn area there?

[Anonymous]

Crushed limestone. We thought it would pack down to a solid surface. I drove over it with a tractor and skid loader to pack it down but as soon as the horses were on it, the surface was loose. We are going to rent a roller soon and wet it down as we repack it. Hopefully this will pack it down to a smoother surface. We have stall mats inside the barn. Crushed limestone was recommended for the surface in cow barn we are building because it is permeable to urine and water and a softer surface than concrete for the animals to stand on. Now if I can only get the horses to go in the barn, they are afraid of the stall mats.

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