[J-L]

Mules tell what they’re thinking just like a horse. Usually they’re going to have the head up, a** down posture, nervous stuff like pawing the ground or pacing. The ears will tell you a lot with a horse, same with a mule just amplified. I find a mule fairly easy to read. They show their tensions.

I have a mule story from last year. I was feeding cows out of a stack that was a half mile down the road from the feed grounds. The mules had been antsy all day with the high wind (like 50 mph wind) and were still so when I backed into the stack. I loaded a ton and a half of square bales and was at the back of the wagon throwing the last few on top when a bale fell off the stack and broke sending a flake right into the big spooky mules flanks. They jumped hard enough to dump me off the load and left me in a heap there in the stackyard.
I hollered ‘Whoa’ to no effect. They had to turn wide seft to miss a flat bed trailer, swing wide and right to make the gate and right on to the road. This was at a lope. Down the road they went.
In about 100 yards they slowed to a trot and by the time they hit the approach they were walking (all on the right side of the road) and turned wide enough to make the turn and were waiting at the gate for me.
My wifes uncle watched it from his house and couldn’t believe those mules settled down and even stayed on the right side of the road. Wagon in tact, load of hay still on, waiting at the gate.
He gave me a ride on down to the team and I went through the gate and to the feedground, which they walked like nothing had happened, while I finished feeding.
If this had been a team of horses I would have been picking up pieces of wagon and probably taking someone to the vet or worse.

[J-L]

Too true about the older places (homesteaded earliest) being down in the brush. Parts of my place were homesteaded by my family early in the 1870’s, the windy bench where I took the Lost Farmer was homesteaded around 1910or so. Where Kari lives gets more snow than us though.
Scott, we are very similar to Laramie in elevation and climate. Very few places on earth are windier than that Arlington, Rock River, Bosler country around Laramie. Northern CO sure ain’t no picnic either. Are you close to the Ft. Collins area?

[J-L]

Kari! Heck I know this guy. Good to have you here. Don’t let him fool you guys he knows how to handle a team plenty good.
I am going to bale into the mule project tomorrow. Been to sick to do so far. Going to ride them first then go to driving a little later.
I just talked to Nonie a little bit ago and she’s dropping off her Perch filly for me to feed with for a bit too. Plenty goin on here these days, and I thought I might get bored this winter!

[J-L]

Jason, just saw your ‘air freshener’ joke. Good one!

[J-L]

Thanks Kari, I’m afraid my poetry goes unappreciated by our eastern friends!

[J-L]

I’ll try and get some tomorrow.

[J-L]

It’s pretty straight forward. The one I built last fall was a little different from my old one. I used two 4″x6″ stringers between the standards (uprights) and just went across those with 2″x6″ plank. Easy. The dimensions on this one were 12’6″ long, 6’6″ wide. It worked out that lenght with the way I had the reach adjusted on my bobs.
The front edge of the rack comes forward to just a few inches shy of the evener pin, the back edge goes out to the end of my back runners.
Be sure to put blocks in front of and in back of your standards on your back bobs. Then be sure to anchor the sleighbed down to the back bobs so it can’t skip over the standards. I leave my front bobs loose so they walk over the rough ground better and you have a smoother ride. This is important for me as I go through a lot of swales and sagebrush, snowdrifts, etc.
My old sleigh was made different. An old guy that worked for my aunt taught us how to build them lower and lighter. We used stout 18′ lodgepoles for stringers, then came under those front and back with another stout pole 6’6″ wide, bolted underneath the stringers. On the outside edge of these cross members went another lighter stringer 18′ long, on each side. We then laid the floor on top of these 18′ stringers. For floor we used 1″x6″ winnie edge lumber.
By making the bed the way we used to it would actually make your sleigh bed lower than the way people usually make wagon beds, by about 6″ or more. This makes it super nice for picking ground bales off the haystacks.
My new sleigh is made lower from the runners to the standards anyway and is small enough that I didn’t feel the need to make it light. You can only fit a ton and a half on it, whereas the old sled I could put nearly three fairly easily. I hope this isn’t too confusing and I may try to post you some pictures of each so you can see for yourself.

[J-L]

From all your pictures and posts, the horse part is in the bag for you. I found that it’s actually pretty easy to navigate the timber with a team after you already have used them farming or doing chores anyway.
I think you’ll do great with this venture. One thing that bothers me about the picture is that you don’t have a mule hooked in there somewhere. Nice looking team in spite of that. Go for it and good luck.

[J-L]

I see it occasionally around here. Not so much since we quit running Hereford cattle and made our Simmental cattle solid colored (mostly black now).
Most of the time when we found it on the range cattle it was too late for anything but cutting the eye out and taking a lot of the affected lids with thema and sewing the socket shut. If you did this in time the cow could live for years and years. We had quite a few one eyed cows running around. It would make it tough on your ox I suppose. Seems like if you don’t take the eye and all the surrounding tissue that could be affected, it’d come back with a vengeance.
I have one neighbor who runs 300 head of Hereford cows. He usually just ships those cows with bad eyes instead of taking the eye. My dad and I took lot’s of eyes out for neighbors as well. It’s a bloody, nasty job.

[J-L]

I have mules and horses. I like them both and think both have good points. Having said that, my opinion is that a good, honest, experienced team of draft horses is what I’d recommend. I know it’s hard to find such a team, and it may be expensive, but it’s worth it if you can find them.
Mules do not have revenge on their minds. That’s a load of B.S. that someone made up. If anything they can be very forgiving. I do think taking into account their quirks is something you need to have experience to deal with. If you ever figure them out you’ll get along fine with them. I happen to like them very much. Some guys don’t. Most everyone can get along with a gentle old team of Belgians/Percherons/Shires or whatever.
In my experience a mule can figure out a little kid or an inexperienced person in fairly short order and take advantage of them. When they know they can’t get anything by you, then they’re great.
That’s my two bits.

[J-L]

Thanks blue, I’m just a rifle shot from the Utah border. Can’t get much farther from MT and still be in Wyoming. However, I do get to Billings occasionally and have some neighbors who run horses through the sale at BLS. Were they rebuilt or in decent shape?

[J-L]

The plows I’ve seen around here are absolutely used up. This rocky country was damn hard on them apparently. We had two plows left on this ranch and they are just hammered out in every joint and pin let alone the actual plow bottoms being in really bad shape. Not worth rebuilding. I’m a long way from nowhere in relation to a lot of horse farming equipment or dealers out here and it’s kind of a pain the butt at times.
Who knows, one day I might run into a good old plow or I’ll strike it rich and buy a new Whitehorse or Pioneer.
There are some tractor plows around here that aren’t in too bad of shape. It’s possible that I could fit them to a 3 point and my Pioneer cart and try it out. The ones that I’ve seen look like 16″ bottoms.

[J-L]

Robert I must watch at different times than you. I sure lot’s of cowboys biting the dust in bull riding everywhere.
I do have to agree that it’s taken away from Rodeo somewhat. To me the ultimate is still the NFR. Saddlebronc is my favorite event and then calf roping. Both of which I used to do.
Rodeo itself has changed somewhat around here too. We used to have 3 or 4 local rodeos that were full of local people and some folks that’d travel around to some shows. The stock was from around here too. It was a fun contest where you felt like you could actually compete and win whatever event you’re in.
Now we have associations putting on rodeos with people who travel with them and know the stock. Many of them do nothing but rodeo on their folks money and are at a level that is hard for the average working cowboy to compete at. Not as fun and the people are not as fun.
Robert I hear you on a draft animal event, but unfortunately it wouldn’t be a big bang with anyone but us! I tried to incorporate a chore team race into the county fair and one of the ranch rodeos but can’t get anyone to drag their teams to town around here.

[J-L]

I envy you all for the nice dirt without rocks. I worked up 15 acres of ground here in Wyoming last spring with a tractor and disk. We hauled 7 dumptruck loads of rock from it. That was the second time it’d been planted. We plan to keep doing it until we run out of rocks (hopefully before I’m long gone) and plant a bigger spud patch along one side. We’ll see.
I found an old survey marker on the corner of that alfalfa patch that says the elevation is 7068′. Not a great place to grow much but hay. I’m sure I can make it into a good potato patch and get to use my potato plow at least.
I’ve only been able to plow once in Idaho for a day. I thought that was the best job around, at least as good as mowing. It mesmerized me watching that ground roll away from the plow. Makes for great horses too.
Job well done to all of you posting pictures of your plowing.

[J-L]

Vand that is sure pretty country you’re in. Tell me about the team you have on the walking plow there. They look to be youngsters. Also what are you guys going to grow in your plowed ground in all these pictures?

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