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We were hoping to cut hay on Thursday but the forecast kept getting progressively worse. I have gone to grazing some of my hay land. I set up fairly large paddocks, hit them with the goats and horses and clip the rest. Hopefully this will set us up with a decent second cut although I expect it will include some trampled, clipped trash from this grazing session.

Carl, if you can’t bale what you have down as hay or mulch will you leave it? Do you plan to take a second cut? If so, any concerns about baling what you have on the ground now. I am curious to hear more about this approach.

George

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Great clip Jim. Thanks for posting. Seems like they were drawing out that log (250 feet or so?) without too much effort. The go-devil seems like a useful tool and is on my “to build” list. Nice looking team.

George

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Great video. Thanks for sharing that.

George

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Hi Jeroen:

Thanks for your concern about the safety of my horses. I like to strike a balance between safety and efficiency with a strong emphasis on safety. In the winter, I use this same system when I am logging with my horses. When I am felling trees, I back my logging arch or sled up to a tree and chain them to it. My horses have jumped a few times in the past, but there is no place to go. When they realize this and the stimulus that spooked them has past (i.e a falling tree), they continue to stand and relax. In this case, I think it is safer to chain them in this mannor compared with tying them with a halter a lead rope. Aside from being able to brake the lead rope and run away, they are more vulnerable to injury when tied at the head.

In the case of chaining the mower to the a 6×6 barn post buried 4′ in the ground, I agree that it would be safer to unhitch the horses and tie them individually in the barn. However, I do not think anything will brake if they were to spook. They are not going to brake the post, nor the 5/16″ logging chain, nor the steel axel of the mower. Worst case scenario in my mind would be that they would spook and be stopped. Unless something continued to scare them (I can’t think what), they would stop and settle.

All this said (or written), I would be interested to hear what others think about this situation as I am always open to changing/refining my work with horses.

George

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I still run the easy cut on a #9 with a 6′ bar. I also have a #9 with a 5′ bar (yours, in fact) set up with haybine guards and over-serrated knives. Having worked on and used a few different mowers, I believe they all have their quirks, strengths, and weaknesses independent of the cutting system. That said, I think the easy cut does a cleaner job with less draft. The haybine system, however, is more forgiving and clogs less. I feel you can ride out potential clogs and they will often clear themselves when the easy cut does not. I have a very odd-shaped hay fields. The haybine mower enables me to even out some of those curves b/c I am able to plow through some cut grass beyond the clear area left by the grass board. It also makes it easier to mow counter clock-wise when I cut the very edge of my fields with grass that has been stepped on by the horses.

All things considered (price included), I think the haybine guards and knives is a better system.

George

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We had 600 bales or so to bale yesterday and I blew apart the universal joint on my baler after one load. I tried to weld it, baled another 30 and it blew apart again. I called a neighbor to see if he could come bale for me (he was baling himself, of course). He made it to my place at around 7:30 pm. We got it all baled by 9:30, constantly loosening the bales. Even with the dew, I think it will be all right. It was raining this morning and pouring now, so I feel lucky and thankful he pulled through.

Carl, thanks for sharing the videos. I have my 11 year-old son driving as well. Your horses look great. I especially like your gelding and the way he carries himself. Ted, right?

Donn, nice pictures. The third one is deserving of a frame and a place on someone’s wall. BTW, any tips on ho I get Kristan to stack hay while I drive the horses?

Bill, try copying and pasting this into your browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib4zEuHD9hA

George

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Hey Donn:

I don’t know if you remember a couple of years back the trouble I had mowing my second cut. That spring we spred composted poultry manure – 2 tons/acre. We had a lot of wet weather preceding second cut and the grass was tall, rank, and heavy. My mower couldn’t handle it and we clogged every 10-15′. I still mow with the same mower with few modifications and haven’t had a problem since. From what you describe, it sounds like the same thing.

Good luck.

George

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Carl:

Nice pictures. You mowed Monday night correct? How many times did you ted and what did you ted with?

Jeroen:

If you look closely in the video, the mower is actually chained to the 6×6 barn post. The horses aren’t going anywhere:). I like this system b/c it saves a lot of time not having to unhitch/hitch the horses.

George

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We ended up mowing 3 acres on Monday and another 5 on Tuesday. We plan on bailing everything tomorrow before possible thunderstorms on Saturday. Here is some mowing footage:

Sean,

I think taking that spring growth off as hay is perfectly acceptable. We generally do not graze our hay land as we have plenty of pasture for our goats and horses. Although I have frost seeded clover in past years, I have lived with the copious amounts of orchard grass we have in our hayland. I am not a big fan of plowing and reseeding hay land. In new pastures I have been seeding perennial rye and alfalfa along with oats to serve as a nurse crop. I also have seeded a clover mix.

George

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We plan on mowing tomorrow and possibly on Wednesday as well if the weather holds through Saturday. It is still a little on the cool side starting in the low 70s and then a high of 75 on Friday. There is a big crop out there. Hope it dries.

George

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Hey Donn:

We raised 100% grass-fed lamb for several years when we started out milking goats and had up to 25 ewes at one point. We weren’t making hay at that time, but we gravitated toward the system you are talking about. We would take a crop of lambs through the winter to help us get through our spring flush of grass and butchered them when the grass-growth slowed in July. Those hoggets (1-2 year sheep) far surpassed any lamb we raised in terms of eating quality. By that second summer they had a nice frame to them and were able to add a lot of inter-muscular fat. Too bad your not closer. I would love to buy one from you for our freezer.

George

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“I really think it has less to do with the contact, or fit of the collar, and more to do with the collar pad.”

Carl:

Do you think this is the case with vinyl pads as well? After I wash those pads, they look and feel as good as new. They also hold very little moisture and dry quickly. I have used some deer hair and felt pads and they can get pretty worn and funky.

George

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Thanks for the feedback. Grey, he get’s wrinkled on both sides. Carl, same deal with me. I log all winter with no issues. However, this horse does get sore, even to the touch at times while we are haying.

I will try the 24″ collar again. Although, we have had wrinkling with that collar too and my concern that it is too narrow around the neck. Any tricks to widening a collar? How do you know if your horse takes a full sweeney?

Thanks.

George

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Sorry. It is public now.

Here it is again…..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPRjLWs4p1s

George

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I added some footage to this video showing the collar under a load. Jim, the horse with sore shoulders, is teamed up with our Paint/Percheron cross mare. This mare is one of our “second string” horses who helps out during haying or if one of our main horses is lame. She hasn’t been harnessed for 8 months and is currently being treated for Lyme’s Disease. They are pulling a light load of blocked wood, maybe 1/3 of a cord weighing around 1500 lbs.

Grey, I do have a trace bolt or shim and it is currently under the trace. Hope this helps. Here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPRjLWs4p1s

George

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