[near horse]

Hi Tim,

Have you just had him walk or have you tried to getting him to move out – maybe even have someone else do it while you observe from the side. IMO sometimes the lameness is more pronounced with an extended gait and might help pinpoint the region.

What happens when you try and flex his knee joint for him – manually? Does he seem to have pain? Does the joint bend as easily as the opposite side? Any chance you’re seeing the result of built up scar tissue around the injured area interfering with flexing of the joint?

Just some quick thoughts that you and your vet have likely explored but thought I’d ask.

[near horse]

The suddenness of this behavior makes me think that there might be a larger issue here (teeth for example).

Jenny, bitting was never a serious problem just had the potential to be one. Ranger (the horse) would take the bit but would throw his head a couple of times before letting me do it. So I just slowed the whole process down, put my thumb in gently on the bar of one side of his mouth and then slide in the bit. Now, he recognizes that my thumb on his bar means here comes da bit.

Right now we’re trying to reestablish our “relationship” (that sounds weird) but he seems fine in most other behaviors – let’s me halter him, drops his head, can even put the bridle on and buckle throat latch. It’s just when the bit part happens that he’s bad.

See what tomorrow brings.

[near horse]

Thanks for the replys. I too thought about the teeth issue as well as an overall sore mouth. The sore mouth isn’t likely as he’ll let me fiddle with his lips and put my fingers in on the bars of his mouth unless he thinks it’s preparing for the bit to be inserted. Then he gets owly. I tried to palpate his jaw from the outside and didn’t get any response but that probably doesn’t mean much. Probably need to have the teeth checked.

Jenny, I don’t usually let someone else harness or bridle my horses but I wrongly assumed my team was calm enough to handle it. Too bad you couldn’t make it to Wilson Creek as I’m pretty sure that was the last one they’re going to have there.

[near horse]

While it’s just one disc, those rolling coulters on the Pioneer plows slice into the soil pretty nicely – they’re larger diameter than most coulters and fluted along the edge. Maybe they wouldn’t be of any real value on a fabbed no-till drill but thought I’d mention it.

[near horse]

Hey all,

I’m looking for some support/help/advice about how to approach an issue that has “developed” with one of my 8yr old geldings and I don’t want to become a nasty habit.

Here’s the situation/story – over the weekend I plowed with my team at a gathering of teamsters and my horses worked nicely all weekend. We had a breakage on the evener right before lunch so we unhitched and tied the horses up and took off the bridles so they could have a snack while we quickly ate. The event was over after the lunch so I needed to go fix the evener (no biggie) and bring my plow out of the field. There was an experienced young gal who had been assisting me hitching/unhitching eye and even drove my team for a bit so I asked her to put the bridles on and bring the team down while I fixed the evener way down the hill. When I finished working on the plow, no team yet so I headed back up and found that one of my horses was refusing to take the bit (straight bar) – he used to be a little concerned about it a few years ago but we seemed to have remedied that – just slow and easy and he was fine. Anyway, now he was throwing his head, pulling back and fighting me as well – and I’m thinking “what the heck!” – did the gal do something that freaked him? She is pretty gentle, at least as much as me. I was starting to get hmmm – not happy so I asked another teamster friend for help/advice – he got hold of my gelding’s tongue, pulled it to the side and got the bit in – still a battle for him too. So, while the shorter objective was achieved, I don’t want to fight like that AND the horse is still unwilling to cooperate.

So, what course of action would you all suggest? I went out today, tied him up w/ his partner nearby and went about bridling him – I should also say that my bits unsnap from one side so you can put the bridle on and then put the bit in their mouths. Everything was fine until I tried to bit him and he was having none of it. I don’t want to make things worse by fighting him so I came here for guidance.

As I’m typing, I thought about him pulling back (he never ever did this before) and remembered he has a different halter on whose noseband hangs down further on his nose – but I’m probably grasping at straws now ……

[near horse]

Dusty?!!!! You’re kidding right? I just came back from the plowing at one of the drier regions out here (like less than 8″ precip per year) and even there we couldn’t raise dust.

[near horse]

Hi John,

How big of a drill are you looking for? Any other wants on it – specific type of openers, grass seed box or fertilizer box too? I seem to see a lot of 10ft drills available but I think those are a bit large for just a team to handle. The 6,7 or 8 footers aren’t as easy to find, in my experience.

[near horse]

Hi Sean,

Welcome, or maybe I should say “welcome back to draft animal power”. Be sure to take full advantage of all the experience gathered here on DAP as well as those teamsters who are in your area of NY. There are plenty of helpful folks from DAP in NY. Where are you in upstate NY?

Geoff

[near horse]

Hey George,

I think Donn Hewes mounted a 24HP (+/-) Honda engine on a forecart and ran a haybine and a baler with that. Might see what he felt about performance – I think it worked pretty well.

[near horse]

Hi John,

My sincerest apology for any discomfort I may have caused. It was certainly not my intention to down play the risk and tragedy that many, including your son, may be experiencing. It is more out of frustration at being able to do nothing but watch that I hoped a little tongue in cheek humor would reduce the stress – but I was wrong. I’m sorry.

I hope your son can stay safely out of the “hot zone” – I know the US navy moved off from the close proximity they were in originally and even relocated to west of Japan to stay upwind of the radioactivity.
Here in the PNW there’s been a “run” on potassium iodide tablets out of fear that the radioactivity will drift this way – theoretically to protect from potential thyroid cancer risk.

I’ve heard that the amount released currently from these reactors peaked at 400 milliseiverts(?) (so far) whereas the exposures in Chernobyl were in the millions of milliseiverts – not that 400 isn’t an issue but not near a million.

May your son be stay safe.

Geoff

[near horse]

Amen, Erika. Nuclear fission – could we make boiling water any more difficult?

[near horse]

Thanks George. I’ve used similar reprimands – except my word is “quit!”. More recently, I’ve also let them stand if they’re resting but when the grousing around starts, it’s time to start working again. They’re starting to get the idea.

I agree that the anchor concept is not very good but I was trying to think of how one could safely tie a team in a situation like Erik’s (I’m making some assumptions) in which you’re team needs to stand quietly in a place where there are no hitching rails, trees etc while one conducts business (selling bread etc). I’m sure this was something delivery teamsters back in the day had to contend with – just trying to figure out what their methods may have been.

[near horse]

Hey Andy –

No I don’t sell there, yet but I do know your grandparents’ product(s) – although I don’t know them personally.

Moscow Farmer’s Market has been raising the prices to sell over the last few years, although I haven’t heard what the newest rates are. It’s getting to be where more of the slots are being filled by non-food enterprises – churches, other NGO’s etc. They might get a reduced rate even. That’s probably why the market is looking for a new organizer/manager.

If you don’t mind, what are your grandparents first names so I can say hi next time I’m at the market (in season of course).

[near horse]

Okay – Now I’m feeling like there’s some sort of plaid movement a foot here. Over the last few days we’ve been overrun by Scots here on the board, (okay 2), then Erika starts referencing Braveheart in another thread today. And John, hmmmm, he may have been the first one to “infiltrate” DAP, a sort of mole clearing the way.

So, what will happen next? Please no haggis!:eek:

Seriously – welcome, welcome, welcome.

I don’t know of Fell ponies but it is always surprising at how many different “breeds” or “races” of horse/pony there are in Europe that we don’t hear much about. I recently saw some of the Dartmoor ponies but don’t know much about them either.

Can you describe the fell area from which I assume the name is derived? Is it much like the area in Dartmoor?

[near horse]

Hi Erika –
I did wonder if the Alice’s Restaurant references would make sense to “you younger folk”. It’s worth a listen/look – essentially about how a movement can develop.

So, with your segway idea, will you guys come sweeping through the market with your friend screaming “you can take away our market but you can’t take away our FREEDOM!”

That would be a youtube moment!

BTW- no feedback yet from my contacts.

[Author]

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