From Our Video Clip Library
This June 2009 video clip shows "Blackie," a stern and well-trained Black Flanders gelding, working with Joe C. Gallegos and some friends and students. They are cultivating part of the home kitchen garden at the Corpus A. Gallegos ranches (established 1851). The persistence of the use of draft horses on some of the acequia farms of the Rio Culebra is explained by Joe Gallegos: "While this is good soil and we are not prone to soil compaction, the use of horse-drawn cultivators is better for the crops and land. The soil remains healthier. It is more enjoyable to work together, animal and person, as one unit. Tractors are noisy and they pollute the air and ground. A good draft horse is worth the extra effort. It brings out skill and passion in the farmer."
