Working horses not only outperform tractors on tricky terrain but provide a natural way to improve health of soil and crops
[ID: a photo of a vineyard with short grapevines along various mesh-like fences. Two workhorses are moving in opposite directions laterally in the field, with plows behind them each operated by a worker. A beige plaster building with a brown roof alongside tall deciduous trees are visible in the background. The sky is full of white clouds. /end ID]
During last year’s harvest, Pangault hired Urbanie [the horse] to pull a container ahead of grape-pickers. Although not a cheap option, she chose it to spare the grape-pickers being exposed to the fumes and noise of a tractor.
Her decision paid off in ways she had not anticipated. “I cried when I saw it. The atmosphere was completely different when the horse was there: people were laughing, they were working at the same rhythm as one another. Horses really have this magical power,” she says.
Pangault is in the process of converting her estate to organic and is also contemplating biodynamic certification. Her profile corresponds to the Equivigne findings. Of the estates using horses that responded to its survey, 68% were certified organic and 22% had the Demeter biodynamic certification, figures much higher than the national average. Working with horses ties in with an environmental mindset.
Article by Ginger Clark for The Guardian
