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Robert MoonShadow
ParticipantMy next thought is that with using the butt width as a measurement standard, won’t that still rub/chaffe the sides, as both are quite round (wide :o) in the body = moreso than their butts. I’m assuming this will lessen as I get them into shape, but I’m wondering what, if anything, to do about it, until they do get in shape.
ParticipantI’m wondering how this 2″-4″ measurement would work out for donkeys? My girls are fat! {Um, I mean “winterized”} I’m trying to find out what the proper measurements would be for single- and double-trees for these girls of mine…does it differ, according to field (plow/cultivator), logging or wagon/cart use? Anyone have an idea on this…and sources for same?
ParticipantHey LostFarmer – Good to meet you! I’m a bit south of Geoff = on the Salmon River outside of White Bird. {70 miles south of Lewiston}…we got 4 inches of snow last week…but it’s all gone, now. I’ve got 2 large-standard donkeys that are either learning what I’m trying to teach them, or already know it & are fooling me.
Participant“If the problem is too big to handle, try having a smaller problem”…I’m looking forward to this leather D-ring harness set I’m buying from a member here –> and Jen’s problem of weight/height won’t be such a factor: I’ve got a pair of large-standard donkeys! But then, trying to see past those long ears can be a challenge. :p
ParticipantWell, it all sounds good, just as long as there’s not any women teamsters using a team of donkeys…I’d just get into too much trouble, w/ my ‘commentary’.:rolleyes:
ParticipantHey Old Kat – Whacha tryin’ to do? Move in on me moment of fame & glory?!?! 😡 Besides, you don’t just cruise on down to the local pirate shop & pick your choice in the eyepatch section; ya gotta have these leather jobs custom-made {’tis why I’ve got the a red, a turquoise & a white one}.
*sigh*
Whatever = go ahead and announce, ‘Kat…trying to watch two teams w/ only one eye is a bit of a strain…kinda like when I was dating one of a set of twins who loved to dance at the bars…let’s just say it’s a damn good thing they weren’t triplets – I’d have had whiplash so bad, me poor head would’ve spun clean off!! 😮I’ll just show up & watch the pretty women teamsters kick all those he-man guys’ butts! 😎
ParticipantKatherine; That’s exactly what I’m talking about…and I’d like to see that type of competition again. A competition showcasing the abilities of draft animals.
It’d be one heck of an enticement to come all the way to Vermont next fall.*hint, hint*
😀
ParticipantI do like that they actually train the bulls, now, and not use fear/pain to “motivate’ them (at least most don’t), but for the same reason I quit following Spanish (as opposed to Mexican) Bullfighting: if the bull wins (gores/kills the matador), he used to be retired – now he’s slain. I like the ‘edge’ – the raw aggresiveness – of the original sports (‘fighting & ‘riding), that gave an opportunity for the animal to win. Now, it’s just a platform for the rider to perform/showcase his skill, if any. I just don’t see any “sport” to anything that is so designed, that one side can’t win.
What I’d like to see, sometime, is a ‘draft-animal diverse working competition’ = where the animal(s) are hitched/yoked up, and not just put to moving a log or plowing/etc.; but for ALL of it: hitching w/ speed & safety points, pull a log through an obstacle course {including crossing a “bridge”}, same with a wagon/cart, then plow a small piece, harrow, then plant. Wagon/cart (or perhaps under saddle?) in “traffic”. Riding & walk-behind equipment both used…sort of a versatility/utility competition. Showcase the best team/single animal (including oxen) AND teamster skills. Points added if you don’t need to tie up your animals to harness them. Lift legs for “shoeing”, etc. You get the idea; Who can best take a loose animal out in a small paddock, prepare it for work, use it on anything one’s likely to use it for around the ranch/farm/daily life (hence the simulated “trip to town”). Safety being foremost, and lack thereof, being penalized. Who can “do it all” the best, and look damn good doing it? Heck, I’d might even come east of the Mississppi to see something like that! 😀ParticipantWhen they took to sawing off the horns blunt, donned kevlar vests & helmets, then bred the bulls’ aggressiveness down…just got too placid – took the heart & thrill out of it. Like exhibition karate, fuel/HP governers on race cars & putting race cars on oval tracks = kinda boring, to me.
Just my own opinion, of course.Participant@near horse 11091 wrote:
The USDA can get your info from various sources – how about through the brand inspection service, for one – a requirement if you are selling or transporting animals across state lines. BTW – These things are a joke.
Not if you just don’t do it…witness: 2 donkeys, in one trailer, over the only main east/west highway in central Idaho, left Montana to Idaho = no ‘brand inspector’ or any such. Them darn outlaw donkeys!
As Carl said; too many of us to enforce it. If you get worried, you can always just move some illegal immigrants and/or meth ‘cooks’ onto your property & put your critters w/ them: they seem to be pretty much invisible to the so-called “authorities”.
Besides; they’ll have to get in line behind the others that’ll supposedly come for me, when I refuse to participate in the “mandatory” {socialist} health-care system they’re working on.
I’ll be on my farm…hiding in plain sight.ParticipantI’m thinking it’s due to it being a donkey; most horses I’ve seen would panic. I’ve seen donks get caught in a bog or barbed-wire & once they realized they were stuck, stand still & bray [for ‘help’??].
Participant@Jim Ostergard 12344 wrote:
I’ve got both leather and nylon harness. The leather one is set up for ground twitching with no britchen. My britchen harness is all nylon and is a “D” ring harness. For my long (and team) lines I use nylon (not plastic coated) with leather on the driving end. So I’ve the feel of leather in my hands but 20′ of nylon ahead of that.
JimJim; Do they sell lines made like this, or do you have/make yourself by adding leather to the ends? By nylon, are you referring to lines made of nylon webbing {I’m picturing the webbing used in ratcher-straps??}? If so, does it have any problems w/ sliding through rings, etc.?
ParticipantI think that might work, too; after all, you’d then be there to protect them & move them around…the only downside would be that they might get tangled up in heavy brush.
When I first started out, I bought welded-wire stock panels (they’re about 16’L x 4’H}, and w/ 2 (or more) per side, I’d make a box, using two snaps to join each section together. Fairly easily movable, and they’re fairly stable (unless the goats get to climbing/pushing), for temporary fencing. These are what I use – cut down to 8′ lengths – to take the little ones to the farmers’ market for sale. I’ve also made similar panels out of wood & regular stock/field fencing. Screw eyebolts into the ends, run a piece of L-shaped rebar down through them. {I can’t weld, so I never used the eyebolts welded to the stock panels}. These DO get awkward to use on steep ground…specifically, on the lip and bottom of the slope, but it can be dealt with, with some thought. I’ve even used wood pallets tied together w/ the rebar for support.ParticipantJoshua; I think you hit on a very important point: allowing the dream to change & flow, as the circumstances warrant. After all, it’s YOUR dream; you can mold it into anything you want. And it’s a real skill – it takes practice and effort to ‘accept reality, while demanding excellence’, and developing the mindset that allows us to adapt, adopt & allow life to be good to us. I thought I might’ve been getting off-topic of this forum section, but not really: “Skills and Crafts” also menas mental/emotional skills, ayuh?
I hope your injury heals and allows you to enjoy fulfilling your dream with your boy.ParticipantJust a bit of an update on the ‘raised beds’ form I built: the beds did just fine; in fact, after a full season, the compost settled about half it’s original height (about 5″), as I expected. They had the expected advantages over the conventional rows, and the form was easy to use/reuse…by now, though, it needs a bit of repair from screws coming loose in the old wood. An advantage to having used different height of wood on the sides than the ends: when placing/filing on uneven ground, it’s easy to swing it around to use the appropriate side/end downslope, to facilitate creating a level bed.
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