[Donn Hewes]

I like to use a loose check rein, from bit to one hames and back to the bit. Nothing fancy and loose enough to allow for full head and neck movement needed for work. Tight enough to prevent eating. Sometimes one will get the bright idea to pull the whole harness forward but tightening the check for a little while usually stops that. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

Lots of great ideas written above. We use horses and mules following sheep and move our graziers every day. that does have a great effect on the pastures. I also clip ( mowing pastures after grazing ) a lot; It is very satisfying horse work. This summer all the rain has held up my hay making, so I clipped more than ever; probably close to 80 acres at this point. All 1, 2, or 3 acres at a time, and many pastures have been clipped more than once. Great results – pastures all green and full of clover. All the extra clipping is starting to have an impact on my bedstraw problem. See clipping pictures here. This June I started to renovate 15 acres across the street for a hay field; solid golden rod. Out of use for at least six years and no fences or water for grazing. I brush hogged it once to save my mowers from the damage of, well brush. Now I am finishing clipping for the first time. Already starting to see grasses coming in. May have to mow it three times next year, but that beats plowing it. I will try to clip it once a year and hay it once a year. I will report the progress as it goes along. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

There are several factors to consider along with size when choosing a manure spreader. What will you spread? Dry compost or wet manure. Very different propositions. Do you want to drive it through the barn when you fill it? Do you want to fill it with a tractor? A spreader that is a lot smaller than your tractor bucket would be very maddening. I prefer a two wheeled spreader that goes behind a forecart, but other folks are very successful with a four wheeled spreader with a seat on. We have two halfliningers here that spread compost for many years, but we finally started letting bigger animals do it as the halflingers are almost 30 years old. They still work but a lot less than they use to. In their prime the spreader was very hard work for them, but we kept filling it with two tractor buckets. I don’t know how many bushels our spreader is but it is more or less the common size; maybe 7′ long and 40″ wide. Look for one in good condition, unless you want a project to take it all apart and put it all back together. When you fill it start with one bucket load from the tractor. then try one and a half. then try two smaller scopes. you will figure out what they can handle. Don’t know if it helps. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Erik, As usual I love your idea. I can see the bright colors of your wagon as soon as you say it. I once knew a guy who had a forecart not unlike my own except he had bright chrome hub caps. To this day I think it was one of the best forecarts I ever saw. Here is my point. I think with a bright and beautiful box no one will much notice the gear. You would appreciate it’s authenticity perhaps. A fitfh wheel wagon with wooden wheels is not as pleasant to drive every day, I am sure. I would consider brakes if you are going down many hills each time you go to town. I would also consider a cheap set of lights for winter work and after hours. Well those are just my idea of what I might do. I can’t wait to see it on the road. Good luck. Hope to see you at the NEAPFD!

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Lane, In my limited experience of one mule born on my farm, I would say treat them like any other horse colt. Make the training short, fun, and don’t rush them. They are usually very inquisitive, friendly, and fun to be around. I think my foal was about six months old the first time I ponied him along side his mother while she worked. Good luck. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

Just last week I finished spreading about 60 loads of compost, about average for us. In the fall I will spread about some more. Depending on the moisture content and the amount material is broken up, and how full a spreader is, they can draw hard at first. As you continue to empty the spreader it becomes easier and easier to pull, depending on conditions and the spreader they also become noisier as they empty. Unfortunately my compost also has a few big rocks in it that make some big noises as the spreader is almost empty. Spreading is some thing that all but the very best horses respond to. I would not attempt to spread down hill. If I had any doubt about the horses I would start with a slight up hill. I spread into the wind, but that may be a factor of my spreader. I took some pictures of my new compost piles but will have to add them later. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

To me slack line driving a revelation. It allows for a farmer to work animals all day with out burning forearms, it allows an animal to relax in their work, and it allows for any amount of ‘bitting down’ that you feel is appropriate for safety.

What do I mean when I say slack line driving? Lynn Miller describes perfect line pressure this way. Take two gate handles (plastic handles with the springs inside) and attach them to a fence. Attach single lines and stand back at the end of the lines; pick up the lines until the springs are being stretched, now back off until the lines stay up but you are no longer stretching the spring. I seek the same point of contact with the animal’s mouths but I get there in reverse. Pick up the lines until I make contact with the springs but don’t stretch them and err on the side of slack, (a slight belly in the lines).

Using this method of driving, you can drive a team that needs no bitting down at all, and bitting them down will not effect how they drive. You are not adding any pressure. It is like adding a safety feature – to be used in an emergency only. Here are a few pictures I took while spreading compost. I was by myself so the pictures aren’t perfect. The spreader is engaged while the pictures are being taken. Try to see the line pressure I am using. This doesn’t mean that when a large bolder goes through the almost empty spreader one of these mules won’t throw her head up. But her energy comes from a starting point that is already more relaxed. I have an opportunity to support her with voice and lines and encourage her back to slack lines again; her reactions to the spreader are less dramatic. It would be useful to realize that when I first got these mules I drove them with a fair amount of line pressure all the time. The one on the left is a pretty high strung mule and they are not a beginner’s team. Both animals are bitted down in these pictures. This method of driving them is improving them.

I am calling it slack line driving to draw attention to what I am doing different. In reality, driving with Very light pressure represents perfect application of this technique. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Lane, It is 14″ total. 2″ stick out to the right. I can’t remember which holes I ended up using the most. It probably has an extra hole or two. Good luck, Donn

[Donn Hewes]

I am kind of far away but if some one wants to barrow this plow for three abreast plowing and you are driving anywhere near Syr, NY. you are welcome to it. I could also bring it to Vt. in Sept. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Neal, Yes the Amish use a haybine with a motor on it. They make a two wheeled tongue truck that gives them room for a seat. you could also pull it with a fore cart. I put the engine on the forecart so I could use it for more than one task. The Honda 24 hp. motor works great for me – only runs about half throttle and not working hard at all. I am not much of a mechanic so a new key starting motor was important to me. Quiet too.

Sorry my message is alittle short but I am trying to beat the computer before it times me out. Have a little computer problem, must get fixed. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

I think you have to feed it in small amounts at first, preferably along with something they like. After a while they will clean it up! Just kidding – I have been trying to train animals to eat bedstraw lately and it must be on my mind.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Lane, I take it you saw the photo from the other thread. if you want a better picture or anything let me know. Unfortunately, the only picture I have from three horses plowing with that walking plow is not digital and is hanging on the wall. let me know if I can help.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi George, yes two horses will readily pull a baler. The reason I use four is two for the baler and two for the wagon load of hay. I have always had good luck with the older NH balers. Look for one that “hasn’t made too many bales” as they say.

As for mules, the truth of the matter is I just really like them. I think they are a great size for farm work. They are fast walkers. You need to be careful in their initial training to make sure and not rush them or skip anything. Buying older mules can be more problematic than an older horse but that is just a gut feel I have based on a few experiences.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Neal, yes baling with horses and mules is great. I use a 24 hp PTO forecart with a four abreast hitch. I pull the baler(NH 68?) and a flat wagon were someone stacks the bales. Nice work, walking on the wagon, stacking bales as they come off. When it is my wife stacking the bales, I call her the hay babe, she seems to like it. Just this winter I added some brakes to my cart. There are a few places on our farm were the turn at the end of the row is down hill and if the wagon is almost full I might for go turning around to fill it. Now I don’t have to. You can see a couple pictures here. I have made 2,000 or 2,500 bales in the past, hope to make 3,000 this year. Donn

[Donn Hewes]

I have done it in the past and it worked great. Tried it last year with three mules that had never plowed before and it wasn’t pretty. Three is one more mule than you can talk into a straight line at one time some days. I use a regular center fire three horse evener, (it is narrow but I would have to measure it to see how tight it is). For plow adjustment I welded some angle iron that bolted to the height adj and gave me some holes about six inches to the left of the beam. some plows came with this lateral adjustment and it had a little diagonal brace that went back to the beam. Anyway, I hooked my three horse evener on there and it worked great. It is nice to use three horses for sod busting or horses that really aren’t in condition for plowing. but it is one more horse to keep going straight! Planning to use the two bottom trailer plow this week end.

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