Timber extraction by horse ---- Film and promotional work -- Horse logging courses Practical courses, five days long, conducted on a one to one basis on a working site


Our fully insured and experienced crew ensures quality work combining a traditional skill with modern sustainable forestry management- the natural way to work woodland

The advantages of using a professional horse logger to extract timber are;

- Selective thinning is economical as no extra trees are cut down than needed

-The low impact of horses leaves the forest floor in good condition

- No need for line thinning reduces risk of windblown trees

- Ensures your remaining standing trees are undamaged

- Ideal for wet, steep, rough and small plantations

- Leaves no timber behind on the forest floor

- Minimal disturbance to wildlife

- No pollution of waterways

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For the past twenty eight years I have worked and trained heavy draught horses in all road, field and forest operations across Ireland - a trade I learned in the traditional manner where it was passed down through my family from father to son. This heavy horse heritage and the range of work we do with various breeds of these magnificent horses can be viewed in the archive below. References are available on request.
Feel free to contact me if you require any further information.

Tom Nixon, Athenry, County Galway, Ireland
mobile; 086 038 4857
email; tomnixonheavyhorses@hotmail.com

Member of
Forest Training & Education Ireland Ltd.
British Horse Loggers

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Heavy horses

Photo; Esther Corcoran

'Heavy horses' is the general term used to describe working horses built big enough to pull loads behind them.
Those in my company 'Trojan Heavy Horses' come in all shapes and sizes.
The latest in our stable is this Mountain Ardennes mare from Belguim - seen here at Teagasc's Farmfest 2008 - who is a mere 15 hands high compared to taller breeds we use like English Shires and Scottish Clydesdales. There are two Ardennes breeds with the Lowland Ardennes being bigger that the Mountain Ardennes, which is more compact and suited to hill work.
No less strong, her small stature means she has a smaller angle of draught than taller breeds, so needs less effort to shift the same load as the bigger heavy horse breeds such as the Shires below.


Undertaking a job for the Irish National Forestry Foundation in 2007 on Manch Estate in Dunmanway in West Cork, the ground was so steep it was necessary to hitch two Shires together to shift full length poles of Douglas Fir.
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