With gas prices out of control all over the world, one German farm owner is saving money at the pump in a creative way.
Stephanie Kirchner is a stud farmer owner and horse trainer that recently traded in her SUV for some real horsepower because the price of gas has skyrocketed across the country after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Germany is oil-dependent on Russia but they have been trying to cut back on the amount of fuel they currently purchase from the country. While doing so, oil prices have all gone up.
“Since I also suspected hay harvesting and everything else will become much, much more expensive, we said, ‘we have to save a little money,'” Kirchner said.
The 33-year-old made the switch to traveling around 3.5 miles from her home in western Germany by horse-drawn carriage. Traveling that distance can range from taking 10 to 15 minutes to as much as an hour.
When doing the math, Kirchner calculates she saves around $264 per month if she can use her horses every day as her form of transportation. Obviously, this sometimes isn’t realistic for certain trips. “I can’t put a horse in a parking garage. I think a lot more horse riders would do it if opportunities were created for the horses,” she said.
Her carriage is drawn by two horses and has become popular with children in the area. Some others aren’t too thrilled about having to pass the crew on their daily commute. “Of course, humanity is hectic and then some people are annoyed if they can’t get past me fast enough,” Kircher says.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/oddities-dfd668013ccc91d44b3fc01f2ed98e41