[Donn Hewes]

Hi Kenneth, Have you ever done any logging with anyone else or seen anyone do it with horses? There are some basic tricks and skills that making it safer and easier. Perhaps you have seen some of the good videos that are on this sight. Check out Earthwise farm and Forrest if you haven’t.

[Donn Hewes]

I am not sure what you mean by measuring him for a singletree. Any single tree will work to skid logs. If you are making one make it 28″ or 30″ perhaps. A hook with a ring or handle is very helpful. As for how much should you expect him to to pull, that is a very open ended question. How big are the trees? Are they for fire wood or milling, or selling? Where, how steep, up hill or down hill, and how long of a skid? How much time do you have? There are a lot of variables in logging, that is what makes it so fun, and good for horses. If this is new for you and the horse I suggest starting with something you know is too easy, then gradually work up to the harder ones. Throw in an easier one ever few trips, so they don’t start thinking it will always get harder. You will have to use your own judgement as to when the horse is pulling hard or breathing hard. Let that judgement grow over time, don’t be in a rush to find out “how much” he can pull. Good luck.

[Donn Hewes]

We seldom compare tractors to horses, or at least I don’t. I all ways tell people that think my farm would be more efficient with out the horses, ” I hope so, because it will need to run with out me. I am going where I can work horses”. I think most tractors will mow hay slightly faster (no rest stops – under the shade at the edge of the field).
The big difference will be in the barn, cleaning, feeding, harnessing, and caring for horses. This will add a couple hours a day no matter how big a field you mow.

[Donn Hewes]

Here is my two cents. ( I know you only asked for one!) One horse mowing should work OK depending on what, where, and how much you want to mow. So I would recomend those questions along with your others. I have worked a few one horse mowers and found them vastly inferior to the standard number seven or number nine. I would much prefer to put shafts on one of these. There are a couple easy ways to put shafts on these mowers. My favorite is from the one horse mower. Two pieces of angle iron about twelve or sixteen inches apart (36 or 40″?). They are perpendicular to the tongue, one at the end where it is cut and the other behind. Both are bolted on with two bolts; 3/8?. weld a piece of angle across the ends that is drilled to bolt on the wood shafts (paired down hard wood 2 x 4’s) Gotta run. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

Don’t get me wrong, with out seeing the horses I think you are doing fine. I just wanted to introduce some things to think about going forward. Essentially, the buckets and tire are being used to “desensitize” the horses. Some here would argue instead of desensitizing the horses you want to build up there trust in you with each new situation. I personally do a little desensitizing, depending on the horse (sacking out, rope work, bag on a stick). But I don’t spend too much time at it for exactly the reason listed above. I do it enough to make sure I have some idea what I might be dealing with. I realize you are waiting on some harness, that is fine, but I would use this to plan their next task. Wheels are fine and some folks will hook to them the first time. My preference is to drive each animal single and on the ground (logs?!, logs are just the best first work for a horse, actually all the hooking, unhooking, and back and forth, is what makes it so good.) Then I prefer to drive them together, again on the ground pulling something (bigger logs). Then you can more easily hook them to a fore cart or something. Certainly a solid vehicle would be my choice.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Juliana, I would like to suggest that you evaluate the things you hook to in a different order. There are some basic things that are true of any horse and anything you hook to. I am talking specifically about the anxiety we can expect from the horse that has not pull this before. My basic rule of thumb is this; Light and noisy are the hardest, heavier and quieter are easier. That is why a small to med sized log (depending on the horse) is usually the first thing to hook to. You have been successful with the motor cycle tire so far, in a round pen I think; but I wouldn’t push my luck to far with that. A run away with a motorcycle tire would not be a good experience for the horse. In a round pen it is not hard to drive horse at a trot. Your circle is smaller, there for you don’t need to run as fast or as far. While trotting, make sure they are excepting your leadership, this should result in a light bit. As has been said before, I wouldn’t get hung up in the round pen. Get them out doing something useful. If you don’t have anything useful for them right now, make something up.

[Donn Hewes]

Fjords and Haflinger’s pull mowers just fine. Perhaps, not the seven foot bar, or not for as many hours. In a western style harness you will want your breast strap short to keep your pole up as high as you can. I think the tongues, neck yokes, and eveners, work just fine with out modification. I prefer to be able to hitch with any horse so I would use standard draft lengths and sizes.

These smaller drafts (fjords and haflingers) do a ton of work, no doubt about it. If you want to get down to the nitty gritty of will it be enough; you need more specifics. How many acres? how many days? how many people? How many bales? Then you can start to determine what exact draft power you need.

[Donn Hewes]

It is a small local affair, but if the weather is decent it is fun. I told a friend I wanted go and use one of their horses, just surprise me as to which horse.

[Donn Hewes]

Here a few more things to consider. Much like the rest, I use a tractor to clean out the sheep barn pack in spring and turn those piles to improve the composting. I then use the tractor to fill spreaders that are pulled by horses. Like hay making, I believe this system is open for improvement. Over the years, I will continue to think about and try new things, both to improve the nutrients conserved and to use less fossil fuels.

Here are some examples. Unlike my sheep barn, the horse barn is cleaned every few days summer and winter. I don’t feel nutrients are all that well preserved in the winter and spring rains if kept outside in compost piles that are not heating and leaching. Last year I built a spreader shed next to my horse barn and began spreading horse manure from the barn every few days. This has cut tractor use and leans I can spread almost two loads a week, all loaded by hand. an improvement on this system might be covered storage for winter produced compost piles. Given the open winter we have had this year it has worked well to spread every few days. I have also built a typical pile on the few days when ice, snow or rain, prevented me from spreading.

Another option to reduce tractor use is pigs turning piles in covered pens. These pens could be be emptied to spreaders by hand, provided there was a good ratio of workers to animals. If the sheep pack was on a concrete slab, pigs could be used to turn this as well, but the proper scale would be critical. Practice and experience would be important before ramping up to full production.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi all, I work two horses and one mule with out blinders now, I am currently working two horses in blinders. I definitely prefer working the animals without, but I also find some animals either can’t or clearly work better with blinders. My horses with out blinders have run Balers, haybines, and even a combine. They are very comfortable with what is behind them. I think changing a horse can be simple or it can be tricky and possibly dangerous. One needs start with very simple and safe things behind the animal to see how they respond.

As far as bits go, I have never had the same curiosity about going with out bits. I would find a bit that the animal is comfortable with.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Jared, here is how I look at it. First, I don’t have a round pen. I would take one if some one was giving them away, but I have never felt I needed one bad enough to build one. I will tell you what I think they “do” and tell you how I go about working with out one. Almost all our training of a horse depends on their ability to “pay attention” and our ability to ” keep their attention”. With a horse that has never been trained at all, or perhaps a horse that has had some bad training, a round pen serves as an object you can push against, (read push horse away from you), until it learns that it wants to pay attention to you. This step is critical and should not be skipped. In some well handled horses it is no big deal, it all depends on their nature and temperament. In some horses, even very good horses with little or no previous handling, it can take skill, timing, and something solid to push against (like a round pen) to convince a horse that you are a leader to be trusted and followed. Don’t forget patience.

I start a horse that isn’t paying attention to me with a rope halter. As the horse doesn’t have quite the freedom of a round pen, I try to work slowly and concentrate on getting and keeping their attention. There are a wide array of skills that folks use with a rope halter to teach a ton of stuff. I keep it very limited (to my skills and interests). In most cases I can then turn this horse loose in a small paddock with normal fencing. for further training. This is important, I know I can’t push a horse against that fence. If I can make the animal move around me, with an eye on me, then the round pen has become unnecessary. I will continue to train the loose unrestrained horse. Pick up all it’s feet, trimming the feet, grooming. harnessing, Bridles, etc. I just keep adding pieces as I gauge the animals acceptance and preparation for each next step.

I haven’t mentioned standing, but in all this work, teaching an animal to stand is central. It is something that we are working toward in a round pen. With a rope halter I will throw the rope over the back (so I can reach it) as I work around the animal. Obviously with the loose, unrestrained horse it is all about teaching them to stand as I work around them. All of this is done by getting and holding their attention.

Finally, when really desperate I have used some nasty cow pens as round pens. Don’t worry about the corners, you can put enough pressure on a horse so he is not thinking about the corner. You want him to end up standing in the middle (with you free to move around him). Then get out of there!

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Juliana, Here are some suggestions. First I think there are some important reasons to split these horses up. Horses need to be able to pay attention to us, the human leader, and they will struggle to learn that while they are together. I personally would see each of them driving and pulling logs, or just a log repeated, before I ever start working them together.

Assuming you want to make them work single here is what you need to do. Tye one in the barn, in a safe secure place. Rope not too high so he won’t break his neck if he hits the floor, not too low so he won’t step all over it. Strong enough so he won’t break it or the halter. Hopefully this is a place he has been tied up before and he is familiar with the concept. Then take the other horse out, go where you will and do what you intended to. If you need to move further away to get out of ear shot, do that. Pay no attention to the horse in the barn. When you come back, leave him tied while you finish untacking or whatever for the horse you were working. When that horse is loose, let the one that was tied go.

As far as spooking, it sounds to me like you have been handling it well. One thing I would try, not always easy, is anticipate these spooks. The only way to do this is to heighten your awareness of his behavior (reading his head) as you move through out the day. Early recognition will allow for a wider array of choices in how you contribute to his ability to deal with these things. No freaking out. A slow steady investigation, get through, and about your business, more investigation at another time. All calm and relaxed, building his trust that you know how to deal with these things.

That is a lot of one person’s opinions, I hope it might help.

[Donn Hewes]

I have always done much like Jay describes. But it is easy to push one forward a little and then the next, and soon you have pushed the whole knife forward which is unnecessary. Perhaps a rubber band on the last knife section will keep the last wear plate back. Then you can move the rest forward a tiny bit if needed. Remember, just because a knife appears straight doesn’t mean that is the path it will follow when mowing. It will be pushed back to those wear plates. That is why we try to make a straight line of them. I would also push hold downs forward as the back edge of the knife can also gain support from touching the hold down. In general, I prefer to keep them all on the bar as much as possible. Contradictory, I know. When you have these two mowers running I hope to come up and drive one some day, I think it will be an interesting experiment. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

Hi George, One more thing. In regard to your last question, yes that is how they go together. Try and keep your wear plates back against the bar. The adjusting bolt will sit better on the wear plate and not be tempted to slip off the back edge as your tighten it. In final alignment of all the wear plates, hold last wear plate and knife back against the bar and see if the remainder are relatively straight. You might slide one or two forward a tiny bit to make a straighter line. I prefer them all against the bar if possible

[Donn Hewes]

Hi George, Basically you want one hold down per foot. More will just add unwanted drag. From the first picture you can start four holes to the left. The second hold down will be right between the two holes in the bar (for the bar holder to go through when up). Space out three remaining hold downs with two bolts between. Use your cone nuts upside down when there is no hold down. Those nuts will settle into the bar. On your very first hold down Cut the left side off so it won’t hit any part of the knife head. Remember that they may not appear to hit, but then the grass pushes all parts to the back. Grind until nothing can touch.

Another thing about those hold downs. When I bolt the whole thing together those little wings come down tight on the back edge of the knife and hold my knife. I have been grinding the underside of both the little ears (left and right of each hold down) to make sure they don’t lock up my knife. I have asked a few Amish shops about this and none have ever noticed a problem. I think they just send them out and expect the horses to wear them loose. I have seen them wreck new knifes or other parts instead. I have also been experimenting with cutting those tabs right off. There are other hold downs that don’t have any thing on the back edge of the knife.

Good luck with that set up. Let me know if I can be of further help. Donn

[Author]

Posts