I had a lot of pleasure to interview Olivier Pichaud, who talks about equine ethology and his job as an animal traction provider with a lot of humility.
If you want to know the benefits of plowing with a horse, I invite you to watch this video.
Olivier Pichaud, more than 20 years of experience in animal traction.
The advantages of the horse are strongly evident in plots that are difficult to work with a tractor because they are planted very close together, or because of their topography if they are on hillsides, or even in unstaked plots.
The first added value of the horse in plowing is its very high precision of the work done.
Soil compaction is also much less important with a horse than with a tractor, not so much because of the weight under the pressure of the wheels but more because of the vibratory effect of the machine which creates a “compression bulb” having a strong impact on the life of the soils and subsoils.
Is animal traction a tangible lever for an agroecological transition?
The answer is yes… if it is done in good understanding with the work of the farmer who amends his soil to bring life, promote life in his soil.
Does Aramis, his horse, enjoy working the soil by pulling the plow?
The answer is yes… if it is done in good understanding with the work of the farmer who amends his soil to bring life, promote life in his soil.
How many years does it take for a horse to assimilate the work required of him and to have the strength and control necessary to pull a plow while listening to his master’s orders? Well, here again Olivier reveals the stages of learning in this video.
Winegrowers wishing to call upon Olivier Pichaud’s services can contact him at 06 33 56 93 50 or via his facebook account: www.facebook.com/olivier.pichaud
He works mainly in the Châteauneuf du Pape and Gigondas appellations, whose terroirs he appreciates. He is also a qualified trainer in animal traction and teaches this profession to other enthusiasts like him. If you are interested in this discipline or if you want to know more, do not hesitate to contact him.
And if you like this article, please share it on social networks.