A horse will travel 400 yards in 4-1/2 minutes at a walk, 400 yards
in 2 minutes at a trot, and 400 yards in minute at a gallop. The usual
work of a horse is taken at 22,500 lbs. raised 1 foot per minute, for
8 hours per day. A horse will carry 250 lbs. 25 miles per day of 8
hours. An average draught-horse will draw 1600 lbs. 23 miles per day
on a level road, weight of wagon included. The average weight of a
horse is 1000 lbs.; his strength is equal to that of 5 men. In a horse
mill moving at 3 feet per second, track 25 feet diameter, he exerts
with the machine the power of 4-1/2 horses. The greatest amount a
horse can pull in a horizontal line is 900 lbs.; but he can only do
this momentarily, in continued exertion, probably half of this is
the limit. He attains his growth in 5 years, will live 25, average 16
years. A horse will live 25 days on water, without solid food, 17 days
without eating or drinking, but only 5 days on solid food, without
drinking.
A cart drawn by horses over an ordinary road will travel 1.1 miles
per hour of trip. A 4-horse team will haul from 25 to 30 cubic feet
of lime stone at each load. The time expended in loading, unloading,
etc., including delavs, averages 35 minutes per trip. The cost of
loading and unloading a cart, using a horse cram at the quarry, and
unloading by hand, when labor is $1.25 per day, and a horse 75 cents,
is 25 cents per perch--24.75 cubic feet. The work done by an animal is
greatest when the velocity with which he moves is 1/8 of the greatest
with which he can move when not impeded, and the force then exerted
.45 of the utmost force the animal can exert at a dead pull.