[marktwain]

A horse and a cow can provide a family with necessary ingredients for a prosperous garden and the labor to make it easier.

The horse and cow have to get their food from somewhere. They need anywhere from an acre - extremely rich and productive pasturage - to hundreds of acres of desert to obtain enough food to survive and prosper.

[knarf]

Hmmmm ... missed that part .... still .... friend with acreage ?

[oldvirginian]

You had better have 2 acres of fertile grass for each horse or cow grazed. A weaned calf or foal will consume 1/3 of it’s weight in grass each day. Less than 2 acres and you will have to supplement their graze with hay or grain. An expensive proposition.