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Xrati said:
I always knew that there was something about watching those horse drawn Amish carts that made me wonder if they had a better idea of what life should be! 
Now that prices are going down again, it only took a 5% reduction in usage to get them sliding. Just think of what would happen if everyone just stopped for a week or two and didn't fill up. I wonder how far the price would slide?
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Yeah, they have the right idea. Horse are not only 'organicly' fueled and so easy to maintain, they make their own replacements!
And they have more uses than just transportation:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...e/farm_scene_1
Horse-and-Plow Farming Making a Comeback
Ron VanGrunsven farms about 50 acres with horses near Council, Idaho, and has used horses for years there and in Oregon's Willamette Valley.
"They're more economical," he said. "They raise their own replacements, you can train them yourself and raise their feed."
A mare can produce a foal every year or so, and Miller says that, if properly trained, one can bring about $2,000 after two years.
A plow horse usually lasts 16 or 18 years, Miller said. He said he looks after his stable of nine carefully and veterinarian bills rarely total $200 a year.
VanGrunsven said a two-horse team and a farmer can plow about an acre and a half a day if the ground is right and that an acre usually produces more than enough hay to feed a horse for a year.