Gates or No Gates for horse logging

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  • March 2, 2009 at 2:30 pm #40254
    ADKLogger
    Participant

    I do logging in the Adirondack Mtns, small scale sawlogs and firewood. I have come across two schools of thinking as to the use of gates and allowing my horse to run by himself between the gates. The one school seems to say that this is the way to go as you can greatly cut down on the danger of being run over by the logs especially in the deep snow like we have right now, and around the corners. The other school says that this is just teaching the horse a really bad habit and that they learn that bolting is an acceptable thing. Right now I have a horse which has not been trained to do this and I am enjoying the ease of the hitch but I have to admit in the deep snow it would be nice to let him go and trail along behind him. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

    -Frank
    ADKlogger

    March 2, 2009 at 4:11 pm #50470
    Ronnie Tucker
    Participant

    we dont work in snow but mostly we turn our mules loose to go to the log pile or landing or to the truck or where ever they are supose to go with light logs they might be a little fast but if you go and come enough they will slow down with bigger logs the mules will stop and get their wind i have drove 1 or 2 or 4 walking behind them sometimes i use one line on them and especially when i start out breaking them but as far as being safe if you are out of the way you cant get a log pulled on you horses do seem to want to go to fast more so than mules ronnie tucker tn logger

    March 2, 2009 at 11:46 pm #50471
    Ronnie Tucker
    Participant

    these mules are broke this way they are use to work this is a regular regimen for them my stock are not used for an occassional wagon ride or to plow a little for fun at 57 i my be considered an old timer if so then so be it but so many on this forum do not realize the potential of their work animals if you are sincere in draft animal power and willing to work and train them the results will be significant you have to learn what they will do for you when i am in the woods i dont have bmws or joggers to deal work is what it takes to make a dependable work animal ronnie tucker tn logger

    March 3, 2009 at 2:10 am #50468
    Ira
    Participant

    Yes you can. It will take some time. Start by getting him to work with voice commands.Once you can hang the lines on the hames and stand off to the side and work him just by voice commands you will be able to let him head for the landing and you can follow at you own pace. Just stay close enough to get him to “whoa” if you should have to. He should catch on and just go by himself after just a few trips. Most of the percherons I have had learned to do it with very little effort on my part.

    March 3, 2009 at 2:18 am #50473
    ADKLogger
    Participant

    thanks Ira, my biggest problem is that i had a horse that was trained this way and he learned to bolt both at the hitch and at the gate and i do not want to relive any of that. i had to go back to the barn to many times, and get him. But my team keeps on pushing me to do this as they know that i have become the slowest link.

    March 3, 2009 at 12:46 pm #50469
    Ira
    Participant

    It helps to have someone on the landing or you have to be close enough to make sure he stops.

    March 3, 2009 at 1:28 pm #50467
    Carl Russell
    Moderator

    The only problem is if you let him go, and he develops a bad habit, you have lost the opportunity. I would aim for next winter when the snow gets deep again, but in the meantime work him by the reins, so that he and you get used to what is expected, and see how he works like Ira was suggesting.

    I have hung the reins in the britchen many times for one reason or the other, but I prefer driving them all the time, because I feel that I can get more out of them that way. But if the going is good, and they are relaxed in their work, by all means they can learn to walk to the landing by them selves.

    NEVER let someone else tell you how fast you need to learn, or train your horse. If you are going to be a valuable part of the team, then take the time required, and don’t compromise the capability of your horse because someone else is in a hurry. My motto is (or at least on of them) “If you’re in a hurry with horses, then you should have gotten started two weeks earlier”:D.

    Carl

    March 15, 2009 at 12:54 am #50472
    luvmimerle
    Participant

    Just a thought…. if you let the horse go on his own, and he realizes his freedom and decides to runaway/bolt , how are you ever going to retrain this horse to behave? It only takes once for a horse to become a chronic runaway.
    I used to have a team of oxen that were very well behaved. Many people would ask me why they didn’t run away since they had no lines or bits. My reply was “They don’t know they can”. In their training as calves, if they ran, I ran with them & when they stopped I just resumed my position at their shoulders & continued on. They never caught on that they were on their own. Being young & yoked, it wasn’t hard to keep up with them. Can you keep up with a runaway horse? I think not! And what a shame to ruin a nice logging horse because it’s easier/faster than walking behind. Good, well trained horses are hard to come by. Runaway horses are just dog food.
    Now if this horse was 20 yrs old & used in the woods all his years, he would eventually go to the gates by himself & you could feel comfortable that he still knows he’s working.

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