[DraftDriver]

Thank you for sharing your link…I got a chuckle and read some of the features on the site.

As for love of my neighbors…well right now I am having a hard time loving much about the human race as a whole…so went out and hugged my critters this morning! They make life a bit easier and nicer…

Cheers!

[DraftDriver]

LOL Plowboy…I have a great team of Percheron mares, but yes, they do have a sense of humor and some days all I can do is laugh…

[DraftDriver]

I just started with a team to drive and do light things around our farm and am trying to absorb everything that I can from my mentor as he is a been there done that sort of guy. My choice of draft are the Percheron, as I feel you can’t go wrong with them, my two will give me the moon if I asked, easy to work with, love to be in harness and the mistakes I have made, yes, they have been very forgiving.

Bachelor Farmer…I will debate you that Belgians and Percherons are the same, as I don’t think so. Belgians are more even keeled in manners and attitude, getting down to business and are honest. Not saying that Percheron’s aren’t but they are a bit more flashy and easy on the eyes if you will. I hope that makes sense.

[DraftDriver]

I use to rescue Northern Breeds. I had a female Siberian Husky, Cheyenne, of strong racing lines we brought back from Germany, she was trained to the hilt and a much loved pet. Unfortunately, some SOB in TX decided they wanted her and stole her out of our backyard…never found my girl and she was 7 and a half years old at the time…

Her side kick is my, soon to be 14 year old, Malamute/GSD Rocky. Deaf, going blind, my velcro dog, he has been the best companion I could ever want and he too was taken when the SOB’s took our Husky Cheyenne. Rocky showed up about 10 hrs later and has never been the same. Loyal to a fault, he went after our neighbor who threatened me one afternoon, protective, and has to be near me, if not he paces till I return. It’s going to be very hard when I have to make that decision to release him from this earth. He was one of my last rescues, abused, starved, and beaten, he bonded to me when I began to retrain and show him that not every human raised a hand to harm, but instead to heal.

My other last rescue, Dakota, is a now 11 year old red and white Siberian Husky female. She is the clown and whirling dervish of the family, loves nothing more than to lay on the bed at night when were all settling in to sleep, and has been a true joy to have. She too has had a hard life, beaten, half starved most of the time, shuffled from home to home, we were her 6th and last home. She is smart as a whip but with the typical Husky mentality.

Here are a few photo’s….

[DraftDriver]

If you use http://www.photobucket.com and go there to set up an account, they have different settings you can use when you download your photo’s so they are smaller and you can put them up at the correct height and width. If I can help you anyway else, let me know.

[DraftDriver]

Robernson…let me tell you a quick and cute story..sorta relevant to what your saying. When my husband was in the military, he was an officer in charge of a company at Ft. Hood, TX. I had to go to tea’s and meet and greets being his wife, I didn’t care to go as I, at that time, was giving riding lessons, riding horses people would spoil or needed retraining. At one tea, mind you, were all dressed in heels, skirts, blouses, and our hair done up and all of them officers wives of higher rank than mine, Mark was a CW3 at the time, when it came to me to explain what I did and where I worked, I explained I worked and trained horses. One woman turned, gave me the once over then asked “Aren’t horses dirty?” I smiled ever so politely and my response to her was “Not any dirtier than you are, ma’am.” Yes, Mark got told about his wife’s eloquent way with words, but he laughed when he went back to his office.

Just smile and let those who don’t understand the joy we get working with our draft horses shake their head or scratch it. I may not do the work that many on this list do in the field or out in the forest, but I find a simple pleasure knowing that those two mares that are at the end of those lines could very easily decide they don’t want to listen and off they go. But it is a mutual understanding and partnership I have with them, as do many others on this board.

I have to get up to meet you this spring. I think we would get along well!!

[DraftDriver]

hehehehe my loose change all goes for draft and light horse equipment or hay. But, if I am feeling especially sassy…a quick trip to starbuck’s for a “high octane” cup of something does the trick too!!

[DraftDriver]

Will be sure to put up a photo of them after I give them a once over…it sure has been fun learning about what they were used for! Thank you all again.

[DraftDriver]

We intend to only use ours if we do public events or a show class. If we do public events where the public is touching and sitting on the mares, then we have our show harness and our work harness set up on a saw horse so it can be seen and felt, as well as the differences in both. We do a lot of education with what we have so to know the history behind a piece of tack is important, least to me, as I want to be knowledgeable when I speak and not give false information.

What would you all suggest I clean them with? I have harness honey and I have minks oil, as these smell musty. We have and do use the harness honey on the leather work harness if it doesn’t need to be cleaned off due to sweat or dirt or other biological stuff. 🙂

[DraftDriver]

Wow…some really great answers to what hames covers were used for! Thank you to those who replied. When things calm down I will have to get some photo’s of these, they really are bigger than what I have seen and will look nice with some elbow grease and polish.

[DraftDriver]

Thank you Jason for your insight and words of wisdom. I am afraid we will end up having our friends do the cutting and some clearing with their tractor, as they did with their land that they cut the trails I mentioned into. I had hoped I could do it in a more natural way first. As for moving anything with my team, I am not qualified to drive them in that capacity and would not even try to do so unless someone who was knowledgeable was with me to work them.

And unfortunately Mitch, yes, I do know what your speaking about…

[DraftDriver]

Mitch…we thought of that as our neighbor across the road hates us for that very fact, we will not let him on our property, now will any adjoining neighbors onto their property but I can go on them with my horses. I have already had to deal with his attitude, first year we were here my draft mare Smoke was shot in the face and we dug a pellet out of her cheek.

But my problem is the vehicles on our road. It is, for the moment, a gravel road and people come speeding up it. I am thinking safety and if I make the entrances to this path only accessible on our land and our neighbors, it will help a great deal to cut down on who uses it and when. I suppose they could get to it but it would be a bit of a hassle on how far back it will be and I would know immediately if it was from the road or the easement.

Thank you for the advisement, some other people are building down the road about a mile or less and he said they have had big problems with hunters and 4 wheeled vehicles going where they want when they want. Guess the days of manners is long over. 🙁

[DraftDriver]

Thank you Joshua…I have a friend of mine coming over Christmas Day to have pie and coffee with us and can’t wait to show him. He is a great wealth of information and want his views on the ones I did get.

[DraftDriver]

Hey LF…its the “other” Cari…good to see you here, I am hoping to learn some things and ask a lot of questions, hopefully none too silly!!

[DraftDriver]

Merry Christmas to all of you on the board. May you have good times and cheer and may your beasts work well in the coming year.

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