Horse-drawn cutting unit

Mowing with the horse-drawn cutterbar and working horses

The use of working horses has a long tradition in agriculture. The first patented bar mowing system (1834) was designed for the horse-drawn mower and enabled a considerable increase in area output per hour. Before the development of motorised mowers, horse-drawn mowing was the most widespread mowing technique.

Progress in the development of motorised mowers and the profit-oriented focus of modern agricultural businesses have led to a change in the situation. Today, the horse-drawn cutting unit has largely been replaced by motorised mowers in commercial agriculture. This development has led to massive increases in yields and is also fundamentally welcome in terms of animal welfare. At the same time, however, more and more ecologically orientated farms are returning to (animal-friendly) mowing with working horses.

New areas of application for working horses in organic farming

Cutterbars with horse-drawn traction, such as those manufactured by ESM, are being used more and more frequently in agricultural applications. A new awareness of ecological aspects of mowing and an improved understanding of animal protection and welfare have contributed to this. Harnessing workhorses for mowing is now done under different aspects than in earlier times. Whereas in the 19th century the horse-drawn cutterbar was the most effective mowing technique available, today ecological issues are at the centre of mowing with working horses. Modern horse-drawn cutterbars, equipped with a Bidux® double-blade system from ESM, are therefore used in particular on organic farms. The aim here is to combine effective mowing, for example for forage production, with a natural, animal-friendly and gentle working method. In this respect, the possibility of completely dispensing with the use of fossil fuels by using working horses has a positive effect.

Similarly, farms with an interest in protecting and promoting rare breeds of working animals have increasingly been using horse-drawn cutterbars with ESM mowing technology in recent years. This step towards near-natural mowing has been made possible and facilitated by the development of cutterbars with the appropriate properties for such special applications. A new awareness of the animal-friendly use of horses in agriculture has also emerged here. The horses used can also benefit from the use of horses, as they experience species-appropriate utilisation.