To use or Not to use, that is the question

[malern28us]

Should I post my address to make it easier for them to find me? Lets be honest here. If my stepdaughter or wife is starving, even though I love my dog, he would be a meal. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. If someone thinks that it is unreasonable to eat your dog, tell me why. Please make it a private message as I dont want to thread jack. Also explain to me how you are gonna explain to your God how you let a child die of starvation to keep your dog.

 

[Vic_Mackey]

I have run that scenario before in my head, and it almost brings me to tears, but I know I would do it, and I know my dog would let me do it, and that's what is so sad about even thinkin it is that she loves me so much she would take a bullet or let me eat her. Either that or she would eat me in my sleep because she's hungry and I took too long thinking about it....

Of course option 2 is that there are dogs, cats, birds, rats, squirrels, all kinds of animals running around that aren't part of your family that you wouldn't have to come to that point unless you were completely closed off, stuck in a cave etc.. then it would be up to whether my wife had ticked me off that day as to what or who I'm eating for dinner

 

[Steve]

With the right dog, it could be used to scare up game to feed your child on an ongoing basis.

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

With the right dog, it could be used to scare up game to feed your child on an ongoing basis.

Until about 6 weeks later when there is no more game to scare up.

 

[nova512]

eat cats their usless

 

[Bunnykid68]

BBQ'd and shredded on a kaiser roll with some sweet baby ray's and a fresh ear of corn.

My thoughts exactly, a potential food source. Would hate to eat my dogs, but better then eating your kids.

 

[DarkLight]

That's what I figured.

I would like to hear from someone what it takes to maintain work horses, where to get equipment to use them like they were used 100 years ago, what it takes to maintain and repair that equipment, and anything else that goes along with the subject.

It just seems like some people have the vision of buying a horse expecting it to be a godsend but have no knowledge of what it actually takes to use one for work, let alone own one

basically if they aren't already a big part of your life, you should probably forget about it.

I've lived with and raised horses since I was born and your absolutely right; if you don't already work with horses pre-SHTF, then you had best find someone to help you out with equine knowledge if you want to use a horse during/after the SHTF.

As far as equipment for pulling, farming, riding, etc. Amish auctions right now are your best source for good quality equipment. Maintenance of said equipment can be contained to a few basic tools, wood, leather, and a resourceful mind.

As far as horse maintenance goes...:

Food (oats and hay) - amounts vary by breed/size and how much/hard you work the animal, but assume it's a LOT and you have to store and grow/acquire it.

Hoof Maintenance - Farriers and their expertise are limited in number and still mostly an apprentice trade. The average horse owner can do a lot of the preventative stuff but few have the full knowledge/skills/tools to do the more advanced maintenance that needs to be done 2-4 times a year and that is assuming you don't have problems.

Shots - vaccinations and de-worming is very important unless you want a sick/dead 1,000 lbs+ animal. Also note that a lot of these require refrigeration and have a shelf life.

Space - I think the official number is something like 4 acres of grazing field per horse. Of course this number can be reduced but then the food you carry on hand to feed it will have to increase.

Cleaning - If you want to use it you are going to have to clean it. Brush before you attach harness and saddles to it to prevent soars. Clean its hooves before doing anything to prevent lameness. Constantly remove manure to prevent sickness and remove insects and disease.

And all that is just the basics and for when you DON'T have problems or health issues.

 

[Cain71]

one other thing to remember on horses is that the ones you see standing around are ususally bred for things other than survival purposes. they are show animals that have quirks,wether it is small feet that can cause lameness when worked to hard or dispositions made for ring work. horses today are not like they were 100 years ago when the were range animals use to survival on next to nothing. in SHTF scenario,they will be food before you get the benefit of using them for work.

 

[caneman]

I live in an Amish area so my move would be to try to purchase one of their harness trained animals. Of course I'd need a buggy to go with it and a quick trade would be in order. Protecting ownership of the animal would be a big problem for anyone who has a trained beast of burden.

The locals tell me the pony sized horses are generally easier and cheaper to care for than a larger horse. They often have a 13 1/2 to 14 1/2 hand pony size and they are often used by their wives and kids in lieu of larger stock. I'm sure it would be easier for this 71 year old novice to learn to manage.

 

[NordicHeathenVinlander]

In my knowledge there are veriaties of horses, that like dogs have specific purposes, traits etc.

 

[Woodsman]

one other thing to remember on horses is that the ones you see standing around are ususally bred for things other than survival purposes. they are show animals that have quirks,wether it is small feet that can cause lameness when worked to hard or dispositions made for ring work. horses today are not like they were 100 years ago when the were range animals use to survival on next to nothing. in SHTF scenario,they will be food before you get the benefit of using them for work.

Sound like an almost perfect description of a Mustang.