Farmer Brown’s ‘Plowing with Horses’ video

@jenjudkins 17965 wrote:

OK, I’ve become a plowing junkie! I attended the first annual GMDHA plowing bee with Reno and won our class….single horse walking plow. We were the only participants in the class. I would normally exclude that bit, but we did a pretty pathetic job….AND I’m told there are not many single horse contestants out there….so voila, I have a new obsession!

Anyhoo, Farmer Brown attended the GMDHA auction saturday on his way to the Billings Farm plowing bee (his horses are enormous!) today. I spoke with him about a single horse walking plow and bought his plowing video. It was pricey and I balked at first…but I have seen 2 of the 3 DVDs and am very impressed. He gives a nice overview of harnessing, eveners, yokes, etc. and why one type is better than the other, then describes how to renovate an old plow (I found this part delicious!). He then sets about plowing with a walking plow, describes how to adjust it and what the ideal furrow should look like. Then he shows you how to be a perfectionist and fix your ‘mistakes’. He then goes on to a three horse walking plow and then a two horse one way sulky plow. Then a two way in hard gravelly soil, etc. etc. You get the picture.

Very nice resource for anyone who wants to plow with horses…

Cool thanks for the evaluation.

He earned the name Farmer Brown and is a committed to this culture as much as anyone I know. I recommend anything he has to offer educational or equipment wise. You get what you pay for with this guy. His success is not doubt attributable/relative to his wonderful wife and partner Linda.

~

once you become a plowin’ junkie, the next step is a harrowin’ addict.

I own this video as well. If you don’t have an old horse farmer at your disposal, Farmer Brown’s instructional plowing video is the next best thing. I enjoyed it.

Thanks George.. was on the site just now.. AWWSOME.. you guys are so lucky having a resource like that in your own country…
John

That’s the same Farmer Brown whose team ran off while running the obstacle course during the practice day at the US Horse Plowing Contest in Dayton, Ohio in 2007. He had them hooked to the hay wagon that all contestants were using. As he approached one of the obstacles, he clucked at them to speed them up since this was a timed event. They broke into a trot and suddenly you could see that they were getting faster and faster despite his trying to get them under control (see photo below). He was able to run them in a large circle around the course and took them out into a plowed field where everyone had been practicing all day. When he finally got them stopped, he was laying on his back with the lines up over the rack on the front of the wagon. He was quite embarrassed and took some ribbing, but there were hundreds of onlookers standing all around the grounds and he managed to avoid all of them and no one was hurt. I captured a great photo of a lady with a baby carriage running to get out of the way. His team is well trained and it was totally unexpected. It just goes to prove that one must always be aware of what is happening and ready for anything.

An old man told me many years ago that you’re not a real horseman till you’ve had 3 runaways… seriously though sometimes all it takes is a team that is normally “bombproof” to be put to a strange vehicle that pulls/sounds/feels strange. They may be allright at the walk but a change of pace can send all sorts of messages..especially at these speed trial obstical cources . I firmly believe the horses sense the excitement and anticipation. Well done that man for avoiding a complete disaster !! that situation can tell the real teamster from someone that drives now and then who may have froze.. We have these speed trials over here and most of the horses get more fired up as they progress through the course to the point of being on the point of runaway as they leave the ring. Ive said for years they should make the turns a lot tighter with a few reversing maneuvers to slow it down and make it more skillfull but its all show folk we have over here and most can only get there teams going round in a big circle.. there are a few exceptions of course and those guys mostly drove for the big breweries, Kevin Flynn being one notable driver, his father Mick was Prince Philips head groom and mentor… Anyway Rick these fotos are excellent, any chance of some ground drive balers:)??
John