 | Animal traction |
 |  | About this manual |
| | About the author |
| | Acknowledgments |
|  | 1. Introduction |
| | What is animal traction? |
| | History of animal traction |
| | Why use animal traction? |
| | Some considerations |
| | How can animal traction be used? |
| | Before beginning: what do you need to know? |
| | 2. Draft animal selection |
| | Popular draft animals |
| | Determining power requirements |
| | General rules concerning power requirements |
| | Method for determining size of the hitch |
| | Determining weights of animals |
| | Selection of individual draft animals |
| | Conformation |
| | Temperament |
| | 3. Animal husbandry |
| | Sheller |
| | Nutrition |
| | Grooming |
| | Minor medical problems and first aid |
| | 4. Training draft animals |
| | Before training begins |
| | General comments on training procedure |
| | Training cattle |
| | Program for training cattle |
| | Training horses, donkeys and mules |
| | Program for training horses, donkeys and mules |
| | 5. Yokes and harnesses |
| | Yokes and harnesses for cattle |
| | Yokes and harnesses for horses, donkeys and mules |
| | How to harness a horse, donkey or mule |
| | Steering systems |
| | Breeching harness |
| | 6. Hitches |
| | Safety rules |
| | Implement hitches |
| | Vehicle hitches |
| | 7. Field operations and implements |
| | 8. Economic and technical assistance |
| | Farm planning assistance |
| | Equipment options |
| | Credit for equipment |
| | Credit for animals |
| | Procedures and controls |
| | 9. Animal traction extension |
| | Extension education |
| | Appendix A: Animal power |
| | Appendix B: Animal nutrition |
| | Energy needs: bovine animals |
| | Energy needs: equine animals |
| | Nutrient needs of draft animals: protein, minerals, vitamins |
| | Feeds and feed composition |
| | Calculating a ration |
| | Recommended rations and feeding practices |
| | Appendix C: Disease recognition and control |
| | Parasites and parasitic disease |
| | Appendix D: Workshop and spare parts inventory |
| | Appendix E: Animal traction instruction forms |
| | Appendix F: Animal breeds used for power |
| | Bibliography |
| | Resources |
| | GIossary |
3. Animal husbandry
A draft animal's value is based on the special training and care that enables it to pull. The time, money, and effort that goes into raising and maintaining an animal makes it costly and hard to replace. At some seasons of the year, the loss or inefficient performance of a draft animal can result in production setbacks or crop failures that are very costly to the farmer.
In order to protect their investment, farmers must keep their animals strong, healthy, and eventempered through proper handling, a good feeding program, and prompt medical attention when necessary.
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