Riding horses that are in harness

when i work four mules to the log cart i ride the near wheeler and drive the lead team with one line ronnie tucker tn logger

The wheel team is closest to the implement or wagon. To put horses in a big hitch the faster more upheaded go up in the lead to keep everything tight. If they are slow the wheel team may walk up on them. You would want stout wheelers to hold back a heavy load because the wheel team is all you have to hold back. There is a fair amount of linesmanship involved in tandem driving. For plowing we use the Pioneer rope and pulley hitch you have to hold the wheelers in and let the leaders out to keep the neckyoke in place and keep everyone working evenly. It is a game of give and take and the only way to learn is to hold those lines in your hands. My Dad and I are self taught driving 4up on a wagon after milking one summer. I would get home from work and harness 4 horses so we could play when he got done for an hr. Someone told us if one person drives the leaders and the other drives the wheelers it is a good way to learn. The first night we tried it and it was a disaster the horses dogtracked terrible. After the second trip around the field
I asked for the second set of lines and drove all four a while and then handed them over to my Dad. We weren’t great at it but we got better each time we went out. At present he’s not as comfortable driving tandems in front of people as I am but he’s certainly capable. We were going to try for a 12 horse this spring but I think some of the horses we were going to use are going to be sold the month before. I have never driven 3 seperate teams as in 2-2-2 or 3-3-3 or 4-4-4 only 2-2 or 3-3 or 4-4. I’m sure if we make it happen it will be a learning experience to handle that extra set of lines and get the feel of it but if I set myself on it I’m confident I could get it done with the local teamster network we have locally and the guy that did it near her 20 yrs ago as a co-pilot. Jen I get the sneeking suspicion you have big hitch driving in your future??
As far as riding one of the horses the freight teams used to ride a wheel horse and drive with a jerk line to a leader. One jerk meant one direction and two meant the other. I can’t remember which. A gentleman named Lapp a belgian man used to do a six up this way for exhibitions until just before he passed away. I’m sure that to drive this way you would also depend largely on voice commands to bring them around where you want them.

Jen we have a good friend that shows and we crew for him at his hometown fair in Fonda N.Y. He shows a 6up of Percherons and partners with his buddy for a 6up of Haflingers and then he shows 6up of minis. We have 18 horses harnessed hitched and standing quietly all at one time. He comes thundering back to the barn, the headers grab the horses and he goes and jumps on the next wagon. It takes coordination and communication to pull it all off. We joke with him because he seems to have the most fun with the minis even though he’s a Percheron man. This year he was showing off with the minis and the judge went to walk across the ring. He called out to him,”stay where you are”. He went over and spun circles around the judge with 6 minis like he was circling the wagons. He has the best team of minis I’ve ever seen for leaders they spin up dirt pulling if the swing team can’t keep up. Good luck with your venture. If you want to see it in person he will be at Fonda fair on Labor day and we will be there helping. Good luck with your 4 up but you better not ride any of those, your feet will drag and slow them down.

Hi,

it’s not only history, it’s safety, also. And it’s still done. If you find footage of the Queens birthday parades, you will see that some carriages still have the additional rider

http://unterhaltung.t-online.de/t.gif

In German the near horse is also called “saddle horse” because it was the horse the rider would sit on.

Carriages/transportation without a seat for the driver would also ask for riding one horse.

no one is on the log cart you use a saddle on the near wheel mule the off wheel mules hitch rein is tied to the mule i am riding if the saddle mule needs any attention i use the bridle rein now to the lead team i have 1 line to the lead mule which is the one on the left if you use this method instead of check lines you have your right hand to use on the wheel team or to work the brake rope if you are using a wagon i have drove four mules with lines on all of them but never in the woods and not by choice i normally carry a whip on my shoulder it is mainly used as encouragemrnt if need be i once drove 14 with one line we were just p[laying we were going to try twenty but my freind jack strode did not make it with with his 3 teams so i drove 14 if you break your mules like they should be driving with one line is not that hard and by the way you can break a horse this way as well ronnie tucker tn logger

what’s the rectangular beams (?) atop the withers?
elke