Draught and transport systems use animals to provide mechanical force for the movement of goods, people, and materials across agricultural, industrial, and logistical environments. Animals are harnessed, yoked, or mounted to perform traction and load-bearing tasks, forming a distributed labour infrastructure that substitutes or supplements mechanised transport.

While systems vary by geography, terrain, and economic context, the underlying structure remains consistent: animals are selected for strength, endurance, and compliance, then conditioned and controlled to deliver sustained physical output. Work intensity, handling methods, and lifespan are managed in relation to productivity demands, with animals functioning as mobile sources of power within broader transport and production systems.

See it by species

This index includes species that are used for load-bearing, traction, or mounted transport within organised draught and mobility systems, regardless of scale or region.