[Donn Hewes]

Hi There, What you have is a very common problem. You are a relatively green teamster and the horse is a little rusty.
There are a few suggestions I would make, but mostly it patience and persistence. A method that many of us use when hookig to a log is this; drive your horse nose first right to the spot where you want to put the chain and stop. slow enough so she stays put, pick up your chain and hang up the lines as you go to her head. Now your are in a position to encourage the horse to do the right thing (stay put) while also pretend to ignore her. Work on getting the chain on the log and laid out were you can reach it (go slow – do not rush). When you are ready return to her rear while keeping her still. When you are there with short lines in one hand and single tree in the other, turn the horse around and back if necessary. (again work slowly). When the horse is standing, bend at the waist and hold the lines in your lap, with two hands free you can hook the chain. Now put your self in a safe place before you ask her to go.

Now the question is how do you make her stay still in all those transitions while you are moving, hooking, etc? Practice, work slowly and quietly, be persistent. Pay attention to the horse while you are working. I start all my horses (and new horses I bring home, and new teamsters) loose. ie. free in a small area or pen. Standing while I work around them, cleaning, hoof care, and harnessing. They have a halter and a lead rope loose over their neck in case they need a correction. When I take the beginning horse (or teamster) to the woods I just remind them that they know how to stand while I work around them. I ask the them (horse or teamster) what is different now from when we were in the pen. Usually it is the fact the the logging is also new to the teamster or horse. The teamster isn’t as in tune with the animals comfort or making them relaxed as they try to figure out what it will take to get the chain on the log or hooked.

Just my two cents, good luck. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

I am going to travel to Virginia that day. Biological Woodsmans Week, I know I don’t deserve that much fun. I hope to borrow a phone and call in depending on where I end up at that hour. Talk to you all soon, Donn

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Dennis, I don’t think that mare will throw a color I don’t want for the next ten years! I do have two good looking Percherons that I think will foal early next year. I plan to sell those mules at weaning. Your mules look big and friendly. Enjoy the process of making them what you want them to be.

[Donn Hewes]

Just curious what made you decide to shoe the horse? It seems clear to me that a commercial logger can move more wood with a well shod an caulked horse, especially in the winter. But there is a cost. IE. it is somewhat expensive to maintain (every six to eight weeks). Horses with good feet work work well and pull lots of fire wood and big logs bare foot. They work in most any condition all though you do need to be careful about a sheet of ice on the drive way. This will sometimes stop me from plowing snow, but it doesn’t usually keep them out of the woods.

Ask your farrier and I am sure they can “make” some for you.

[Donn Hewes]

Those are great looking mules and they are off to a good start. A butt rope is not a bad idea, and it might help. I tend to focus on how the animals are responding to the work. The white mule needs to relax; easier said than done I know. I would work a little slower. In other words a little pause between each phase. Make them stand well before you go. it will also make it safer for you. When I start animals backing, I make them stop every five or ten feet. That does three things. Helps them remember how to stop while backing; helps the teamster check where there are going; and helps keep the team together and relaxed. Make safety your top goal, relaxed animals your second, and the number and size of logs your third. My two cents.

[Donn Hewes]

I think Carl and Mitch are right about keeping your foot on the lifter and “bouncing” it as you see problems develop. Of course this works well .. until it doesn’t. You might be surprised at how well you can do with out a grass board when the grass is short (say less than a foot tall). You will still have a little path to follow from the outer shoe, and your stub guards can easily go through the mowed grass. The first time I ever saw stub guards the Amish in Indiana were mowing second cutting alfalfa and none of them were using grass boards because of the unequal drying it caused. I have done a fare bit of clipping with out the grass board and it is like a fun challenge. Unfortunately it is a dead issue with a beginning teamster, they “suffer” with out the grassboard!

[Donn Hewes]

One of the things that happens with the shorter greener grass of second cutting is grass caught between the outer shoe and the grass board. Watch the grass load up and dump off the grass board of Jays mower in the video from last weekend. These clumps are annoying even when you don’t plug as they need to be spread out (tedder), they can also lead to plugging. Perhaps you should try taking the grassboard off sometime when you are having these problems on the outer shoe. Also grabbing stuff low in the grass may also be helped by tipping the bar up. Hate to do that when you are already cutting short grass though. Just ideas.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi George, I saw a funny thing last night. I was looking at some Fiords for a friend and I noticed a stub guard on the outer end of a mower! On closer inspection the mower was also missing the outer shoe ledger all together! No stub guards at the inner end, go figure. Truthfully, I didn’t really question him about it. He seemed to think the set up was good. Nice horses and a good looking stud if anyone around NY needs one for their Fiords. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

Hi John, I would agree that most of the weight is taken care of in the set up. I hate to admit it, But I would put the dolly wheels on my mowers just for the ease of hooking up. Because of clipping I hook up to a mower many more times than I would for just hay making.

A stub guard is a guard for the inner end of the bar. Folks usually use one, two or three personal preference. Three is the easiest to put on with haybine guards (needs an odd number), two seems perfect, and one is not enough; in my opinion. There are different types but the common one is made from a pea guard with an upturned knife section riveted to it. You get these from Amish dealers. The stub guard you buy at the local tractor store is made for a haybine; has no upturned knife, and won’t cut anything. The idea is there is no point or top to the guard for downed hay or trash to hang on and there for the don’t plug as easily. For most folks once they have used a mower with stub guards, they won’t want to mow with out them. I will try to take a picture one of these days. Your Amish friend may refer to them as turtle guards. Glad to hear the double pointed knife section is working well for you. I am sure they do as I have seen them on a lot of mowers. I just see the ones that aren’t working!

[Donn Hewes]

Hi George and Mitch, I do clip pastures more than once, but seldom more than twice. I feel I get diminishing returns when the plants stop rushing to go to seed. Also all the previously clipped grass makes it harder and harder to mow. In a drought year like this I usually make less hay, and use those hay fields for pasture in the fall. I also can buy a few bales if I need them.

I have seen those two pointed knife sections on the end of many mowers. I have never seen one that fit right. I think on the haybine there is a larger covered area on the end; that way the knife going past the end doesn’t try to draw grass in from the outside of the shoe (no cutter there). I personally don’t like the idea of the double cuttter and don’t see a benefit to them for our mowers. I have seen poorly adjusted, loose, and over reaching double cutters (my new name for them) that definitely made a mower plug on the end. Just my two cents.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi George, Stub guards don’t plug as easily. but they also don’t mow quite as well. I wouldn’t solve for mowing in the conditions of all the previous layed down clippings. Anything you do to improve that will weaken the performance under more normal conditions. The outer shoe is a common area of poor performance. Sometimes the outer shoe ledger is not sharp, or the hold down is loose. But those old clippings will never be easy to mow. I almost never clip a field more than twice in one year, and I never try to take hay off a field that was previously clipped, because I don’t want to rake all that up and put it in the hay.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Karl and JL, The only real Suffolk breeder I know seems to have forgiven me! My mules could be good advertising for the breed. If I work the animals I will have done all one person can really do for the future of draft power. The little nipper had its halter on today!

Karl, I think Poly is pregnant! I never had her vet checked this year because I never saw her come into heat or being breed, but now it appears to me any way that he breed her late last year. I guess another month or two will tell. I just sold Guy the other day. He came along way with me, but we weren’t going much further. I wanted room for all the foals and a neighbor wanted to hook him with another Percheron gelding in need of a partner. Talk to you soon, Donn

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Erika, I know I shouldn’t say it, but I am hoping for more than two red mules! I plan to sell all the other mules that are born and keep only these. In a few years I should have a real span of red mules.

[Donn Hewes]

In the places I am hoping to go I think it will be much easier to put in a temporary fence for cattle than for goats.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Jared, We had an intern a few years ago that worked with rabbits here for about a year. Julie Engel is still developing her rabbits ideas today I believe in Wisconsin. She is developed a lot of great details for the rabbits on pasture.

Julie Engel
58890A Nolden Dr.
Praire du Sac, Wi 53578

You can try this address or google her. Good Luck.

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