Animal-powered mills

Animal-powered mills were most frequently used for either grinding grain or pumping water and were either used alone or in addition to a larger wind or water-powered mill.

Animals such as donkeys, oxen and, predominantly, horses have traditionally been used to power these types of mills and many developing countries still rely on animal-powered mills to this day.

A key benefit of an animal-powered mill is its flexibility in terms of where it can be located. As there is no need for a source of water or wind to power the mill, it can be located almost anywhere where space allows. The core of many animal-powered mills can be as little as 4-6 feet wide so space is only required for that plus the space for the animal to manoeuvre around the core of the mill.

This flexibility has proved a key reason for many to choose this option. Farmers particularly could traditionally build a horse-powered mill on their land to grind the cereal they grew rather than facing the cost of transporting their crops to a larger water or windmill.