[Rick Alger]

One little trick for those of us who tie front and rear is to tie them pointed in the direction they want to go. This will make it more likely that they won’t twist around, and more likely they will keep tension on the choker.

[Rick Alger]

Best of luck.

[Rick Alger]

I like the idea. Anything that helps restore our shrinking middle class is a positive in my opinion.

[Rick Alger]

Hi Diskidmore,

I’m all for horse rescue but definitely not for rescue horses.

Over the years we have boarded three rescues. One put its owner in the hospital with serious injuries. Another kicked the Vet. The third wouldn’t trailer, and when the owner built her own barn in a neighboring town, she wound up leading the horse 17 miles to its new home.

These weren’t “bad” horses. They just needed someone like Carl or my daughter who could read them and restore their confidence and dignity.

What I’m proposing is that we need horses ready to work for the teamster of average skills who does not have the time, interest, or ability to devote to significant retraining challenges. If we ever reestablish a large draft-powered community where horses play a critical day-to-day role, we will needs lots of these horses ready to go upon purchase.

[Rick Alger]

Good comment mlegr,

Back in the day there was a horse dealer in North Stratford, NH who sold work horses with the provision that if the horse didn’t work out you could bring it back and take another one at no charge. This dealer was a big part of the infrastructure supporting draft horse users back then.

I would much rather buy a replacement horse this way than either go to an auction, or play the typical private sale game. Truth be told, I’ve been screwed six ways to Sunday in private sales even though I actually know a little bit about horses.

If Carl or DAPNET or whatever wanted to sell recycled problem horses this way, I would be very interested, and I believe a number of others who don’t have the time or wherewithal to drive to Waverly or whatever would be interested as well.

I know Carl is talking only about solving his individual replacement horse needs, but maybe this is an area where Carl’s expertise and DAPNET’S connections could take a leap forward in helping restore a viable piece of infrastructure for the horsepowered community.

[Rick Alger]

Very occasionally I’ve sold wood to local craftsmen – a cabinet maker, a snowshoe maker and a hand-carved axe handle maker. I’ve sold poles for clotheslines and dog runs, and I’ve moved rough-sawn logs for cribbing and shoring. None of these deals were particularly lucrative. Also, I have friends who have sold wood to canoe makers, hot tub builders and a violin maker. But again the volume was too small to be significant monetarily.

Like Carl said, most of your volume will have to go to commercial mills for commercial prices.

The “forest improvement” model that Carl uses is the way to go I believe.

If I were younger, I would get a forester’s license and write forest plans for landowners that would hopefully require the kind of forestry I could do.

[Rick Alger]

Wish I could have made it. Any updates?

[Rick Alger]

Yes, good video. The stand they are working on reminds me of many of the sites here in NH that I’ve cut. Ground skidding with a single horse is about the only way to get it done. The softwood mills around here take saw logs down to 5″ tops, so the small logs are saleable, but it can take upward of 300 sticks to make a load.

[Rick Alger]

Back again. Thought I’d elaborate on the topic of production. In an earlier life, I put in some time as a production cutter. I was far from the best, but I could easily cut and limb a load a day, and I once did seven. On the jobs I worked there was no concern for the residual stand or any other environmental issue, it was strictly, “get em down and take em to town.” That’s the production mentality.

The reason I committed to horses was to get away from that mentality. I like to think of the horses as a forest management tool rather than a production unit.

The challenge is to get fairly paid for the management value that you provide. Generally it can’t be covered by what you can produce if you do it right.

[Rick Alger]

Hi Tom. Thanks for posting. Not much logger talk lately on dapnet.

Those oxen look fit, and the stand is nicely done.

On the topic of production, I’ve cut a lot of wood for a lot of years and never had anywhere near the production you hear about. I cut mostly spruce and fir and generally averaged a ten wheeler load a week over a season. And I had to work long days and plenty of weekends weekends to do that.

Short-skidding to tractor roads sounds like an excellent plan.

[Rick Alger]

I’m not Mike, but Aaron Martin is a company in Canada.

[Rick Alger]

I don’t use front lazy straps . If the harness is tight (tugs and britchen), the neck yoke is suspended right where it ought to be. In the video, that shot of Sax sitting on the neck yoke shows this. Tension is holding him and the neck yoke in place, not lazy straps.

I don’t know much about plowing, but for twitching wood I don’t use back lazy straps. I want the tugs unrestricted so the log will rise and fall with the terrain.

Along this line of thought, I suppose you’d have to figure the line of draft for a plow with a vector from the D-ring instead of the hame.

Also, hitching long on a sulky shouldn’t change the weight on the back pad as long as the hitch is tight.

But either way, loose hitch or sulky plow, I don’t see lazy straps having any role in the physics of getting the job done.

[Rick Alger]

I have three D-ring harnesses. All three were cobbled together for specific horses. The lengths of the short tugs are 19″, 20″ and 21″.

Another point. The fasteners at the hames can be a bolt or a swivel. The swivel takes a shorter tug.

[Rick Alger]

Looking good.

[Rick Alger]

The problems are resolved. Thanks to all. Rick

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