Sheep Exerciser

Sheep Exerciser LIVESTOCK Miscellaneous 16-5-32 I built this sheep exerciser for my grandkids who show a lot of sheep at fairs and 4-H. They got the the idea when they saw one in another state. They told me what it looked like and what they wanted it to do. I used various pieces of steel and a conveyor belt off an old fertilizer loader. I built what looks like a loading chute but with three separate stalls so three sheep can be exercized at once. I geared a 1/2-hp. electric motor to run the belt - which runs under all three stalls - at a rate of 3 mph. Each stall has it's own gate and a platform to stand the sheep's front legs on. The back ones do the walking, which builds up the hind quarters. I welded it all together, and installed tie-downs so we can tie each sheep's head in place while he's exercising. The kids exercise their sheep for 15 min. or so twice a day. This machine compares to commercial models that sell for over $2,000. The biggest out-of-pocket expense was $50 for the conveyor belt. Most of the steel came from old gates. We painted the machine black and call it our "black sheep". The kids have used it all summer and have won big at all the fairs they've been to so far. (Robert N. Brewer, Box 112A, Rt. 2, Bethany, Ill. 61914 )

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