Horsepower

By developing, testing, and manufacturing equipment for small-scale agriculture, the project aimed to support European horse entrepreneurs. With outreach activities as a source of inspiration, a great commitment to sustainable horse-powered use in smaller forestry and gardening was also created.

When a European network from Luxembourg contacted Hälde Hästkraft in Vittsjö and thereafter Leader Lag PH, the project idea began to grow and take shape. The horse entrepreneur industry is growing in Sweden and the interest in sustainable use is significant. Therefore, the project wanted to see how it can contribute to the industry and thereby also contribute to a reduced environmental impact.

Since access to good tools is relatively limited in the industry, the project aimed to contribute to tool development. Another important driving force was the opportunity to spread the Swedish thinking regarding Swedish animal welfare to the rest of Europe.

The purpose of this implementation project was also to develop a basis on what needs and development opportunities exist in the work with horses as draft animals. The result would then lead to a new, innovative tool that matches the existing needs.

As a transnational project, a visit to colleagues in Luxembourg was included. The pandemic made it necessary to rethink, and some activities became digital. Nevertheless, four field study days were possible to carry out: three took place in Vittsjö and one in the Luxembourg village of Tuntange.

Both national and international project meetings have taken place continuously. Interviews have also been conducted with project participants and about thirty horse entrepreneurs. In various ways, networking with and engaging horse entrepreneurs was explored to assess how the industry looks, what needs exist, and what potential there is.

The project also included developing, manufacturing, and testing a prototype for a self-loading wagon – something that creates opportunities to choose a more sustainable alternative than equipment that requires fossil fuels in the future.

The work to reach many through outreach activities truly exceeded expectations, especially regarding the international symposium that became a great success. With joint efforts, thirteen speakers from different parts of the world gathered and over 130 unique participants from Colombia, the USA, Canada, Germany, and Spain.

When everything does not work as it usually does and as we expect, there is also the possibility of new lessons. Jeanette Junge, project manager, highlights, for example, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Sweden's membership in NATO, which has shown that society is unprepared for certain events.

– Horse entrepreneurs can definitely be an important cog in civil preparedness, says Jeanette Junge. Horses require neither fuel nor electricity, she continues, and they can access everywhere. Therefore, they could also provide cultivated food in times when what we take for granted today does not work.