The gasoline-free days of Vermont agriculture, when horsepower was really horse power, will live again in the fields of historic Shelburne Farms as draft horse teams and their drivers gather for the annual Green Mountain Draft Horse Field Day on Saturday, July 31.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be demonstrations of traditional farming methods and a chance to admire the draft horses, the Percherons, Clydesdales, Shires, Belgians, and other breeds that some Vermont farmers are using to do work - from logging and sugaring to plowing, planting, harvesting, and spreading manure.

There will also be horse-drawn hayrides and demonstrations using draft horses to pull logs and move huge round bales. An antique threshing machine powered by a tractor will separate the grain from the straw of oats that have been cut and dried in anticipation of the Field Day program.

Food will be for sale at the site of the Field Day demonstrations from the Shelburne Farms Farm Cart featuring locally raised vegetables and creative paninis.

Admission to the Green Mountain Draft Horse Field Day is free with admission to the Shelburne Farms property: $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for children 3 to 17, free for members of Shelburne Farms and children under 3. For information call 985-8686.