[dominiquer60]

DAPNet hires a person to do the web work, so even if the software is free we still have the expenses of services. Even though directors and committee members are all volunteers the web and administrative services that we rely on are hired out.

[dominiquer60]

Word on the DAPNet street is that we have a great new Web Committee with some energetic new members. They are getting a budget together and getting their ducks in a row, this includes taking note of our difficulties here on the forum. Our patience is required while they work together and with our webmaster to get some bugs worked out. But in the mean time it is good for us to make notes here when we notice new problems.

[dominiquer60]

My bookmark still works, but my signature disappeared and I see a new black tool bar up top.

Also it seems that PeytonM is having problems posting “ln the thread “Need Outside Advice” , two posts by PeytonM didn’t make it to the public thread, but they are shown in part on his profile page.”

I messaged Gabe today, hopefully he sees all this when the work week starts.

[dominiquer60]

I have some information now that the holidays are over and Kress has decided to have a man on the ground in the States to help folks like us.

Welcome Michael Smith to the KULT/Kress company. Michael can be reached at michael.smith@kult-kress-us.de.

I will attempt to post a couple of price lists for finger weeders, sweeps, knives and the comb/row harrow. It appears that some changes have been made to the site and a few unintentional errors to the forum have been made. Nope I still can’t post attachments, I will try again once things are straightened out.

[dominiquer60]

We use a 14″ 2 way plow with 2 horses for competition or small areas. 3 horses is preferred with this plow, but in rough ground or hot weather Sam will use 4-up on this plow. We also have a 2 gang trailer plow with 14″ bottoms that we use, we always use all 6 tons of horse on that plow. There is another 2 bottom plow here that was made for horses, it belongs to someone else and I suspect that it has 10″-12″ bottoms, because it has been used with 4 horses in the past.

I would look for a good single bottom or 2 way plow, it will be much easier on your horses especially if you have a lot to plow.

[dominiquer60]

The first thing that you should do is to take soil tests of each field that you want to improve. A soil test is only as good as the samples that you take. Try to borrow a soil probe from someone or see if extension can help you, they may even come out to show you proper technique. If not here is a simple explanation, http://pss.uvm.edu/ag_testing/How_to_Take_a_Soil_Sample.pdf.

There are many different soil labs that you can use, an independent lab that many folks use is A&L. You will have to pay to have the tests done, but better to know what your soil needs than to spend money on the wrong amendments.

A soil test will only give you a snapshot of what is happening in your soil, but it is better than going at it blind. You will want to get someone to help you read your soil test, an extension agent or fertilizer salesman may be the easiest help to find. If your soil needs a lot of something, don’t be afraid to only apply half of the amount in the spring and more in the summer. Some fertilizer can run off and leach out before the plants can utilize the nutrients, so you may get more for your money by splitting it up.

Give that a try and see what your needs are before you spend any money on fertilizer.

Best of luck,

[dominiquer60]

Agreed Carl (NY) See sawing is a common term for a runaway problem. I was having trouble illustrating my technique with out it. Maybe if we sleep on it we can think of a good term, it is really just a slightly specialized give and take of the tension.

Great day to be in the woods, off to harness up 🙂

[dominiquer60]

Ed,

Here is a PDF from a riding horse catalog, but some good info on figuring out the right size of bit that you need. http://www.doversaddlery.com/images/art/Equine%20Library%2030%20Measure%20Bits.pdf.

I noticed a while back that some of our horses were not thrilled about the bits we were using. Even with light or no contact at rest they were not content with the standard liverpool that we had on the bridles.

I will try to post here, but if not catch me on facebook and I can show you a picture or two that shows there discontent. Thankfully they have been perfectly willing to work in the liverpools, but now with better fitting bits they seem much more comfortable, fuss less and keep focus on us better. Why were they fussing? My assumption is that even with a reward of released pressure from the lines, the bits that we were using were still putting pressure where they they shouldn’t on the bars of their mouth or on the tongue.

We borrowed a bucket of bits from some friends and ended up getting a pair of these http://www.shipshewanaharness.com/ecommerce/EM32HP-Myler-Mullen-Barrel-.cfm?item_id=1098&parent=506&navPanel=8. The curves in the mouth piece may seem anything but mild, but after much research and experimenting on their own horses, the Myler Brothers have developed an extensive line of bits that make a big difference to some horses. These bits do a better job of conforming to the horses mouth and at the very least reduces the pressure on the bars and with the slight port of the 32HP mouthpiece there is more room for the tongue to move for better ease of swallowing and breathing.

Yes they are pricy, but they are built very well (stainless shanks with sweet iron and copper mouth to promote salivation and therefore lubrication) and will last the rest of your life as a teamster with proper care. When we thought about the amount of money that we spend annually on good comfortable work boots that only last a year for us, these seemed like a good buy in terms of animal comfort and durability.

We still have one horse that is similar to Ozzie in the sense that he is very forward and doesn’t seem to want to conform to the pace that we set. While he is not dangerous, he is hard on himself trying to pull the whole load and gets behind the bit, cutting his wind off some. He seems a little better with our new myler bits, but not as much of an improvement as the others. We are going to try him next in a rubber straight bar to see if he like that any better.

Anyway think about what kind of mouthpiece may be best for him. I agree with Jeroen, this could be a habit that is not fixable so use your best judgement to figure out what is comfortable for him.

Erika

[dominiquer60]

It was suggested to us by some hitch folks to do this and it seems to work for us when we use it. When they are going really uneven try to get them in step with your hands. I will reference a “Centered Riding” illustration, picture the lines in your hands as two baby birds or other vulnerable little animals, you want to hold onto them without crushing them, and without letting them go. Now picture a see saw action with your hands, but very slight and gentle with your hands, this action should be at a pace that you want them at. After a bit of all of you getting used to this, you will hopefully see them come into cadence together. It won’t work 100% of the time, but the more you get used to it, the easier it gets. You may need to talk Ozzie down and encourage the Canadian to step up a bit to make it work.

I find it most useful here when one horse is a little hyper and the other not. I can just quietly direct them to a pace that I want them to travel at. It comes in handy around tight turns too. Just remember it is very subtle, not like using a wire saw and even softer than milking a cow, it is done right when no one can see you doing it.

[dominiquer60]

If you get goats while they are young and haven’t learned to be a problem yet they can easily be trained to the electric net fencing. Just feed grain in a trough that you can run the fence thru, one or two feedings in this through will convince them that the fence is no fun. The electric net can be easily to move but harder to manage because you need to keep the strip mowed where the fence it to go. Once they learn to get out they become a problem so don’t give a goat the opportunity to be a problem.

If the in-laws ever get rid of their herd I would probably keep a family cow because it makes sense for us.

[dominiquer60]

Here is the photo in question, I honestly have no idea what the make or size of this cart is. All I know is that the year was 2008.

Attachments:

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[dominiquer60]

Editing posts is important, so much so that even facebook has recently made it an option, it was previously unavailable. I really like to go back and edit as I write, but often I still make mistakes that I don’t realize until I read it the next day. Hopefully the website committee is working on getting some of the finer features back on the forum.

[dominiquer60]

Nice spread, it will be nice to have neighbors to connect with. It is great to hear such news.

[dominiquer60]

I am not convinced that there is a best breed or type. There are good qualities to instill in a garden team. Following the teamsters directions are important, but I also like a little autopilot, in other words on loose contact following the rows without wandering and stepping on crops. Maintaining a consistent speed when working is good to practice, as is stopping and standing patiently while a teamster works on equipment. I like a handy team that will take a step in any direction when asked and doesn’t hesitate to walk ahead when asked. I would like to someday train a team to relive themselves on the headlands, if grooms can train racehorses to pee for drug tests on command, it may be possible for a market team.

Just my late night thoughts,

Erika

[dominiquer60]

Carl I see the early grazing as a fine example of energy conservation and a good way to conserve feed quality, especially in your area.

My professor was not advocating mow it and leave it like you would for the silo on a hot July day. He simply warned not to work it more than necessary. If what you do is necessary for the quality that you desire, than that is what works for you. I have seen a couple places were someone just rides a tedder or rake all day because they thought that they needed to constantly be moving it to cure it. They were so into the process that they were not aware that the desired product was a few laps behind them.

The poison is in the dose, enough to dry it, not so much that you have lost all of your leaf. I can believe that balancing point is different every time and every place that hay is cut.

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