Alexandru Bratfalean

“I don’t consider myself a true farmer – not yet, anyway. I am 39 years old, I’ve been working the land for the last ten years, and this is not much. I have 52 cows, about 100 sheep, only one mare and a stallion, he is not really mine just in my custody.

“We don’t get much help from authorities, just a 3 - 5 per cent subsidy. The fuel is getting more and more expensive. We gave up tractors and we are back at working with horses now. Carrying stuff from one place to another, small jobs around the farm: it’s cheaper to do them using horses. I think it is a matter of honour for a farmer to take care of his horses, whether they are working horses or not. I feed them properly, so they can do their work.

“About seventy per cent of the people here are poor. The condition of their horses is also difficult, they feed them with what they can – and that is hay most of the time. They can’t get better nutrition for their horses. “My biggest concern is earning enough to be able to look after my live stock.

“I would like to have a good saddler in the village, but it is difficult to find one. The saddler I’m working with is near Reghin, quite a distance from here – but I have to go to him because I need good quality harnesses.

“My neighbours were surprised to see the harnesses I was using. They insist they couldn’t buy such an expensive gear, but I try explaining that, in the end, they spend more money, changing harnesses every couple of years. Sometimes they try to fix themselves the broken harness – you wouldn’t want to see how: using chain, pieces of wire.

There used to be a good farrier, but not anymore. It would be very good to have a professional farrier again. I am working now with a young man from our village, and sometimes I tell him what to do with the horseshoe, because he’s not very experienced. But I am not trained as a farrier – as the old farrier was, he learnt his craft at a special training in Târgu Mure. You could really rely on a pair of horseshoes made by him. But he is too old now.

“There are a few youngsters in the village that could take his place, but who’s going to train them? They also need dedication for this job; they must care for the horse. It’s not only about the money.

“There are plenty of horses around here, and most of the villagers will not have money to invest in tractors. Still, no one seems to be interested. Maybe, with someone providing good quality training, a young lad could be interested in running a farriery business.

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