[Carl Russell]

They were about three years old I think. They were in a 9″ bow yoke, and their horns were well developed. These steers were pretty well handled from the beginning so they were relatively easy to introduce to new things. I went to Nova Scotia, met a yoke maker, gave him the measurements, watched how to carve the horn pockets, came home, fit the yoke to them, and started working with them.

They were a bit uncomfortable with the new sensation of not being able to move their heads independently, but they took to moving weight very quickly…. a matter of hours. I found that they “related” to moving weight with their foreheads very easily. It seemed to be instinctual.

Once they grew out of it… the distance across the back of the poll, between the base of their horns gets bigger as they grow, and that it the determining factor in sizing the yoke to the animals…. I went back to using bow yokes. They are faster to put on, and easier to make… for me… and for the work I did with those steers I never felt that I needed the head yoke. I still have a blank that I never fit to them, and I am thinking that I will probably use it for the current team.

I think the main difference between them is cultural, although my Holsteins had typical long slender necks, which seemed to work against them moving heavy loads with the head yoke. I NS the cattle are all low to the ground and heavy beef crosses with thick shoulders and necks.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

jac;15939 wrote:

could something not be formed using the old harrow cart idea ?? light frame with tool bar in front of you and a simple lifting system..

This is exactly what they are contemplating right now. A light frame with clearance and a tool bar for interchangeable implements. They are becoming more aware of the needs of people with smaller projects and less draft power.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

We use rotational grazing methods, turning them into paddocks every day or so. This is not only good for limiting their intake, but also great for the land. I will leave them on the paddock a bit longer than I would for cows in milk.

I don’t really care if they want their rumen full, they usually do just fine with me limiting their intake. Also, I have found that the only way to really keep them trim is to work them…. which you probably already know that.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Great story Berta. Glad to have you here. Welcome, Carl

[Carl Russell]

For years I have kept my fabrication needs to a minimum, hiring my friends and neighbors. But over the last year I have acquired a buzz box, chop saw, and oxi/acet set. In combination with grinder and sawzall, I am looking forward to developing some earth-shattering animal-powered innovative equipment…… :eek::rolleyes::D

Actually I am enrolling in an adult education welding class at a nearby HS, and hope to be able to at least repair some of the steel work on my standard pieces of equipment.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

After 24 hours of reflection, I want to clarify my earlier comments.

Last year we raised pigs in partnership with out neighbor, Jen’s sister. She actually paid directly for her piglets when we picked them up, by writing a check to the breeder. She then throughout the season, dropped off bags of feed, and restaurant kitchen waste, so there was no exchange of cash. In this manner she was raising her pigs on my land, so in a basic sense it was entirely legal. The problems arise when the animals are split, making it difficult to show that they are actually owned in partnership.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Jen, it is hard to believe but even though Kristen owned those pigs and she fed them and helped kill them, the fact that they were raised on my land made them my pigs and it was illegal to sell them to her that way.

Rest assured that you will not be alone. There are thousand of families that get their meat all over New England through these “illegal” means.

Even if you somehow could show that these people were part owners of the farm, there is some doubt that the statutes can be read to accept multiple owners of the same animal, as they are not “family or non-paying guests”.

In Vermont we have been working on getting statutes on the books that will allow for multiple owners having their animals slaughtered outdoors then taken to a custom facility. I don’t really know what NH is like, but all state meat inspection systems have to be equal to the Federal standards, and we have recently gotten some indication that it is only the current interpretation that is restrictive, and that in fact this age-old method of feeding communities is actually legal.

I have for years just leveled with my customers. I have people who want to buy my pork precisely because of how I raise and slaughter them. Unfortunately it is not they who is breaking the law, but me, but they are supportive of me, and understand how they are participating.

In 2010 we intend to sell pigs by the half and whole, with a deposit at the beginning of the season, representing partial ownership and payment for feed and care. We will slaughter on farm. We can sell them live for others to load and take away if they want, but this has never happened in twenty-five years. People who buy our pork WANT it killed by me where it lived.

For years I have flown under the radar, but this year we are considering organizing a mass civil disobedience, actually advertising as many illegal meat transactions as possible in an effort to force the interpretation change. This is in our capacity as board members for Rural Vermont.

And just to clarify, this whole statement was a bluff, full of fiction…. like I would really do this…. just an attempt to get peoples hackles up…. I would love to be brave enough to do it like this, but being so close to the issue as a board member for a farm advocacy group, I would never set such a bad example of purposefully breaking rules…….

Carl

[Carl Russell]

After I posted this thread I was contacted by the author of the book that this story and photos came from. Her name is Pam Kaster.

Molly the Pony, A True Story is a children’s picture book. The book won the 2008 ASPCA Henry Bergh’s Children’s Nonfiction Humane Heroes Award and is available for purchase at Amazon.

Below is an image of the book cover.

[ATTACH]985.jpg” />

“Every child, everyone affected by Hurricane Katrina, and every animal lover will adore this sentimental yet informative book about the true story of Molly the Pony.”—ForeWord Magazine
Molly the pony waits. She waits in her stall. She waits during the storm. She waits for her owner to return.
So begins the true story of a patient pony who is rescued from a south Louisiana barn after Hurricane Katrina and finds a new life on a farm with new animal friends. But Molly’s tale of courage does not end here.
When a dog on the farm attacks Molly, her front leg is badly injured. For a pony, a damaged leg is life threatening. To the amazement of veterinarians, though, Molly rises to her new challenge. She undergoes a rare surgery for horses: amputation of her front leg. Now fitted with a prosthetic limb, Molly relearns how to walk and embarks again on a new mission in life: making new people friends.
This plucky pony’s story of survival and friendship will win the hearts of readers young and old. All who have had to start over after displacement, abandonment, injury, or amputation will find a friend in Molly as they follow her story of bringing a smile to everyone she meets.
Pam Kaster is the author of Zydeco Goes to Horse Camp, an editor of the Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association newsletter, and a member of Equine Photographers Network. She managed an equestrian riding program for disabled riders for three years and continues to study natural horsemanship techniques. She has been a Red Cross disaster-preparedness volunteer for twenty years and managed a Red Cross shelter during Hurricane Katrina. She lives in Zachary, Louisiana, with her husband, three horses, three dogs, and a cat. Her website is http://www.bayouponytales.com.

This is an interesting story, not just the book, but the story about this contact. I received the original e-mail with no attention to the fact that this was the intellectual property of ms. Kaster. She was alerted to the posting here through google-alert that her copyrighted material was being used without her permission. When she contacted me I assured her that this site was in no way trying to take advantage of her work, and I offered to post more info to her advantage.

Please take note of this, because it affects all of us who take our work seriously, and put information and ideas onto the internet.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

After I posted this thread I was contacted by the author of the book that this story and photos came from. Her name is Pam Kaster.

Molly the Pony, A True Story is a children’s picture book. The book won the 2008 ASPCA Henry Bergh’s Children’s Nonfiction Humane Heroes Award and is available for purchase at Amazon.

Below is an image of the book cover.

[ATTACH]985.jpg” />

Quote:

“Every child, everyone affected by Hurricane Katrina, and every animal lover will adore this sentimental yet informative book about the true story of Molly the Pony.”—ForeWord Magazine
Molly the pony waits. She waits in her stall. She waits during the storm. She waits for her owner to return.
So begins the true story of a patient pony who is rescued from a south Louisiana barn after Hurricane Katrina and finds a new life on a farm with new animal friends. But Molly’s tale of courage does not end here.
When a dog on the farm attacks Molly, her front leg is badly injured. For a pony, a damaged leg is life threatening. To the amazement of veterinarians, though, Molly rises to her new challenge. She undergoes a rare surgery for horses: amputation of her front leg. Now fitted with a prosthetic limb, Molly relearns how to walk and embarks again on a new mission in life: making new people friends.
This plucky pony’s story of survival and friendship will win the hearts of readers young and old. All who have had to start over after displacement, abandonment, injury, or amputation will find a friend in Molly as they follow her story of bringing a smile to everyone she meets.
Pam Kaster is the author of Zydeco Goes to Horse Camp, an editor of the Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association newsletter, and a member of Equine Photographers Network. She managed an equestrian riding program for disabled riders for three years and continues to study natural horsemanship techniques. She has been a Red Cross disaster-preparedness volunteer for twenty years and managed a Red Cross shelter during Hurricane Katrina. She lives in Zachary, Louisiana, with her husband, three horses, three dogs, and a cat. Her website is http://www.bayouponytales.com.

This is an interesting story, not just the book, but the story about this contact. I received the original e-mail with no attention to the fact that this was the intellectual property of ms. Kaster. She was alerted to the posting here through google-alert that her copyrighted material was being used without her permission. When she contacted me I assured her that this site was in no way trying to take advantage of her work, and I offered to post more info to her advantage.

Please take note of this, because it affects all of us who take our work seriously, and put information and ideas onto the internet.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Looks great. Nice to know more about you, Carl

[Carl Russell]

Sorry, web designer and I are really busy updating our field days site….so haven’t made much headway on this…it’s still on the radar though. Bare with me, Carl

[Carl Russell]

Hey man, no resting on the job!!!:D

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Ed, It is hard to tell from the pics about your heel chains as they are absent. Do you mean that if there was more distance between yoke and evener then you could make it tighter? Drill another hole and move your evener back, or drill a hole and put a bolt through the pole at the yoke.

I would lengthen your market straps too, they seem to short… the ones that the hang down from the hames.

It shouldn’t matter how close the yoke comes to the front of the horses, they won’t run into them, shorten the front side straps. I hitch mine so tight that I usually have to grunt, swear, and push on the evener with my thigh to get the last link on my heel chains.

Again hard to tell, but you might measure your front traces. They may be a bit long, placing the D-ring too low.

Lot’s of things look good. Keep up the good work, Carl

[Carl Russell]

That seems fine to me. I understand what you mean as an exercise. That is definitely different than letting them trot because they are full of it.

Mine usually get a pretty good cardio workout when they are headed out of the woods loaded.

I prefer a brisk and even walk, or even a casual walk back to the woods. Just my speed.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

Yes I cut the log off above the fence, otherwise it would have been a twelve.

Carl

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