Does the Horse push or pull the plow?

As you and others have noted, the horse pushes on the harness, which is force transferred forward through the chest. However the harness pulls the plough, as you stated. So you are both right in some vague way, and that helps the argument to go on for ever. Life is too short to waste on this. The picture in the link clearly shows the harness and how the horse "pushes" on it, and so pulls the plough.

Someone needs to make concessions here. "The horse pushes on the harness which is part of the process of pulling a plough".

Think of pusher and puller propellers (propellor in front of or behind the engine). In either case the actual propeller action is the same, if you imagine the engine inside the hub yet somehow attached to the airplane. The thrust from the propeller is pushing the engine attachment but pulling the airplane, or pushing or pulling the engine which pulls the airplane. "Who cares", they all screamed.

Just how you would push or pull a cart or trolley yourself? Or a locomotive push (from behind) or pull (from the front) a train? Or a car engine turns the wheels to move the vehicle forward or backwards. All these show the main process is the movement, and how it happens is part of that process.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Farmer_plowing_i...

Hi Tom No, a large man can not pull a plow, much less push a plow the size that horses or mules pull. Yes, it is true that people push little plows through the garden, usually with a wheel mounted in front of it and with a very small plow attached. A horse or mule can carry around 250 - 350 pounds (depending on his size) all day. How long can you walk with a 350 pound man on your back? You may be strong but you wouldn't even budge a plow the size a horse pulls. Hope this helps Johnny

Horse Plow Harness

It is pushed. The harness goes around the front of the horse and it is the chest / kneck part of the horse that transfers the power from the horse to the plough. Since this is in front of the horse - even though the rest of the plough is behind it, the horse pushes the harness.

If you look at pictures of horses and ploughs, you will see all the harness, but the parts over the back of the horse and down the side are only there to keep the harness in line and stop the control lines getting tangled.

However in common English use, the plough is pulled by the horse

Pulled. Many things that are pulled effectively involve a "push" on some handle, harness, or other appliance. The "pulling" just reflects the fact that the part of the plough resisting the motion is behind the pulling agent (the horse).

The harness is not a part of the plow but is connected to the plow; therefore the horse is pushing the harness but it is pulling the plow.

The plough is attached to the collar and is pulled by it, and the horse pushes against the collar, so the horse is pushing but it is not pushing the plough.

It's more accurate to say the horse is pulling the plough. It is certainly not pushing it.

Generally ploughing is done with a mule...if he wants to.

It's pulled.