Cultivating With Horses...

...is NOT as easy as Karl makes it look! We were able to find and purchase a used set of harnesses last Monday and have spent a few evenings this week learning how to put them on and how to make the horses go. I did okay with ground driving the horses around the yard (just driving while walking behind them) so when Karl offered me a chance to cultivate I didn't hesitate to try. The spring tooth harrows are the only implement we're fully set up to use at the moment and I had been watching Karl use it with seeming ease. I neglected to factor in that his walking speed is roughly equivalent to a charging elephant - which is to say, it's not exactly a relaxed saunter. I got behind those horses, asked them to go, and off we went! Now, freshly cultivated land is a bit rough, and soft, and with me tripping over the dirt and going as fast as I can just trying to stay upright and keep up with those horses, it was a full half a field length before I remembered I was in control and was supposed to be steering the beasts! After making a round, I gladly handed the reins off to Karl and declared it it be men's work after all. I'll be driving the wagon from now on, thank you very much!