Starting a horse Logging Business

George,
If you haven’t already, try to find someone in your area who is, or has been, logging with horses so that you can get a close-up on processes, equipment, and job layout.

It will be important to have a good idea of production rates, costs, and markets. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to take it on like any other part of your business, and make plan with financial parameters and goals.

Take on jobs that are small, and easily conducted, with products that you know can be marketed easily. It will also be important to have some flexibility built in to allow for education.

I don’t mean to make this sound elementary, but from your post it is hard to tell how much previous experience you have.

If you give us more to go on we may have better advice.

Carl

George ,
Carl is right the chain saw safety if very important. I will send you some info on classes in our area. And once again watch who you take advice from . Some people will act like they are experts on every thing to do with logging and they will have never even logged off 10 acres in their life. When you do find an old-timer or some one that really knows their stuff ask them every question you can think of . If you commit 30 to 40 hours a week to the craft you will learn a lot and you will get something done. Logging and getting something done is a trick , you have to be very tired to learn if not you can bull your way though poor technique. It is like working a heavy bag any one can walk up and hit it hard eight or nine times but can they hit it hard for 30 minutes when your arms are not fresh and are weak your technique has to make up for your lack of strength. Then the next time you are fresh some of the technique will be with you and will make you better and faster . You learn , get better , get faster,…. when you put the hard work in and push your self when you feel like quitting . This is why you can see a twenty year old in the bush swinging a saw like a mad man and a fifty year old-looking like he is walking in the park and at the end of the week the fifty year old has doubled the young mans cords. When you are tired you become very aware of the steps you are taking and the moves you are wasting. Taylor Johnson

You have a lot going for you in that you have horse experience and you have other ways to supplement your income that complement horse logging. I would love to learn proper farrier skills, I know how to trim mules and horses to suit me and have helped shoe . Saying that I can say that I do not have any where nere the skills of the old boy that I help and that shoes my horses in the winter. I learn all I can from him and I think for the first few times we ment he may have thought I was a mute lol. I was just trying to be quite and listen to him and watch him.
One more thing a long time ago Tim Carrol who is a horse logger from MN told me some good advice he said “in horse logging fast is slow and slow is fast” this is true . There is nothing wrong with working hard and moving quick but if you get fast in your head it will soon get knocked right out of it LOL. Taylor Johnson

Hey george, how does the woods business work in your neck of the woods? maybe you could talk to some of the locals, taylor included, and find out how the wood is bot sold and moved, find a trucker, and a wood buyer and a forester or two and get to know the business enough to find a place where you can fit in with your horses.
getting your wood to the landing, and what you do with the wood once its there can be two totally seperate problems. try not to confuse the two or make one problem out of both, and I think it might make the job easier. I like your website. You have a great spot there. Thanks for letting us visit. mitch

George ,
I get down that way once in a while , I have logged a lot across the river from you . I might be going to that auction . Do you know Dave Mortensen? or Joe Johnson ? Some time this winter or when ever you will have to bring a team up and work them a bit. I will have one sometimes to apprentices this winter . I am hoping to head south after a while though . I actually have some jobs I have to look at in your neck of the woods . Taylor Johnson