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Brad Johnson
ParticipantBen-
Sounds like an interested opportunity, but I am afraid I have more work here than I can get to. If things down there are anything like they are here, you will find that the work is there but finding competent and willing teamsters with horses is a trick. Good luck!
-BradParticipantLooks great Carl. I am tied up in Northfield at the moment, but please keep me in the loop as I would be willing to help out at some point depending on timing. Hope all is well over there.
-BradParticipantSpreader and mower are spoken for. Thanks.
-BradParticipantCan’t seem to get pics to load, but I can email to anyone who is interested. Just let me know…
ParticipantCarl-
Thanks for your thoughts here. I was struck by your description of the teaching strategies that your mentor teamsters used with you. When I think about my most important experiences as a student or a teacher, the effectiveness of this strategy jumps out at me. I learn best and, I think, teach best when it is within the context or real work, done on the job. I almost never teach apprentices in any other setting, for better or worse. From time to time, such as this winter, this approach has created some challenging situations for my students, and for me. Do I send an apprentice down a steep landing approach with a big load of pine when the ground is bullet proof and icy? In most cases, yes I do. Have I had bad outcomes from doing so? Yes, I haven but I have also seen the relationship and confidence in both my apprentice and student grown immensely from such challenges. And, I can’t really afford to spend a lot of time teaching if I am not generating income.That said, I am not sure that this hands-on the lines approach allows me to make the greatest teaching contribution. It does allow me to make a living and teach as I go, which is very important. And, this hands on plan also allows apprentices to see the honest struggles that this way of life promotes; this is not easy work and it is not for everyone. I am striving to discover a way to continue teaching this way but reach a wider audience. We are trying to teach the craft with skill and effectiveness, and I am struggling to find the way to best do so.
-BradParticipantI agree on both counts Rick. One of the challenges in matching up the work with those teamsters close enough to get the job done. We have lots of work available around here, but I know others do not have jobs close enough to make sense.
-BradParticipantCarl and others-
Could not agree more with the perspectives shared here. I started working with horses on a farm that was powered by one Belgian and a small tractor. We cultivated 1-2 acres of veggies, raised all kinds of livestock, hayed, and cut 30-40 cords of firewood each winter with that mixed power arrangement. My farm and horse mentor often lamented the fact that many farmers buy two horses when one would do fine. The old timers say that a single fit horse with the right teamster and equipment should be able to cover 20 acres of mixed farm work. The single is a terrific tool for a farm that size, and more importantly it is a perfect foundation for building your teamster skills and relationship with that one animal. Our single spent a lot of time on pasture with cows, sheep, and poultry and she did just fine. We did have to make sure that we spent time with her each day, but if you are willing to make that commitment, a single is a super option. And, if you can handle a single horse with skill and poise, working a second horse in is not that much more difficult (and in some cases easier…).
-BradParticipantMy horses are out on pasture all but a couple of nasty weather nights a year. They will be happier and healthier kept outdoors, provided that they are well fed and can get out of the wind when they want to do so.
-BradParticipantYes, the variability has been tough to handle. I feel for the horses, given the fact that every day seems to present a new set of conditions – muddy to icy to firm to…hard to guess what we are going to get. For the first time this winter I have been thinking that the screw in studs I use of the horses’ shoes are not quite up to the task but I have not made a change yet. On the firm, icy days sharp shod would be the ticket, but I have never tried it. The other thing that has been really tough is the lack of snow to slow the sliding of big logs behind my arch. When we head into the landing, which is on a side hill, the large diameter logs want to push the horses ahead and to the side, and when the ground is soft or bullet-proof it is tough for the horses to hold things back. I am having to be creative in how I approach the log pile. I have not used my bobsled at all this winter for the reasons you point out, Carl. Even the tractor with chains has been spun around 360 degrees with the front end slipping and sliding all over the place. At least we have not had to shovel any stumps – first time that has happened for me!
-BradParticipantTyler-
As we talked about on Monday, I think it really depends on what you want to do with the horse power. The farm I was on in Maine was one horse powered, along with a small tractor (no implements besides sickle mower, bucket). The mare was always my first option, and it worked great. But, we were not doing any winter time commercial logging on steep VT ground! A single horse is a great tool for many, many tasks, but there are field and forest jobs for which a team makes a lot more sense…
-BradParticipantHelene-
We take a summer season apprentice starting in late May, though most of our horse work is working in the woods – logging. If that is of interest, get in touch and we can chat about it. There are lots of wonderful apprenticeships around for field work with animals, depending on what you are after.
-BradParticipantExcavaotor will work, if is big enough. That is no problem with Hans – I asked him that question…
-BradParticipantThe pole market is tricky to be sure. You do get a lot more money than selling red pine for logs, but you have to load the poles on the truck yourself, which is no picnic with poles up to 50+ feet in length. I have 130 or so poles marked by Hans on the woodlot I am on now, and I am going to try to send them, but have not yet figured out the loading. Carl is right that you cannot afford to pay any stumpage unless you get pole money. Not sure if Hans will take scotch pine but might be worth a try.
-BradParticipantCarl and Jared-
Could not agree more with what has been said thus far. I am constantly searching for ways to make life easier for myself and my team. I frequently use chain rolls and cradle hitches – those small adjustments can make all the difference for my team over the course of a long day with larger diameter wood. And, the more tricks and tools you have at your disposal the better off you will be; some days I use the arch, then on others I use a the bobsled or scoot, and others call for working on the ground. The trick seems to be to have multiple tools and strategies in your cap and then apply them at the appropriate time. In terms of how to work my team into good working shape, I try to think of how I would get myself into shape for work – slow, consistent, and focused work. I can tell when I have asked too much of my horses too soon, and then it is time to dial it back. If you know your horses, you will know recognize when this has happened. And, when they are really dialed in I push them with longer days and more work, which they seem to enjoy. I guess in the end, it is a matter of knowing your animals and paying enough attention to them to recognize what they need.
-BradParticipantNeat video Carl. I have often thought of trying to use skid mats, but don’t know anyone who has them. This makes me think about making a couple of my own…
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