For one enterprising German horse breeder and trainer, the high cost of fuel has necessitated using her horses for transport. Stephanie Kirchner, 33, of Schupbach, Germany, has gone viral with images of her driving a pair of horses hitched to a wagon through the winding country roads in and around her village.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine caused an insane increase in gasoline prices at the pumps, Kirchner, who offers trail and carriage rides out of her farm. decided to save money by hitching up a team. She now travels six kilometers from her home to work at a local stud farm, making the trip that was a 10–15-minute car ride in her Toyota into an hour’s commute each way. But she told the Associated Press that she saves about 250 euros ($340 CDN) each month by using her horses instead. “It is associated with the stone age, but it is actually the most ecological and beautiful means of transportation we have,” she told AP.
Stephanie Kirchner chillin’ at home.