[J-L]

I would love a team that size. I have a some nice QH mares that I’d like to cross with a draft type stud and try to raise a team similar to her. I really don’t need horses over 1400 pounds give or take a hundred.
One of these mares is a blue roan that is a gentle but stout made mare. I think her and a old timey percheron would be a good cross. If I can find one in this area I’ll make it happen.
Thanks for the pictures, nice horse.

[J-L]

There are a lot of good horses out there. This one sounds like he’s a counterfeit sonofagun to me. My advice is contrary to some here, but it’s been my experience that a horse like that is not likely to come out of it given your and his experiences. I’ve taken in a few like this and have had some success with them only to return them to the owner and have it happen all over again. If he went through the fence in a runaway, he was going in a bad one and a horse that’ll runaway blind like that will get you or your kid hurt. I would get something broke, older, and coldblooded.

[J-L]

Reading Plowboys post reminds me of my all time favorite work horse. His name was Doc and I worked him for about ten years when I got out of the service. He was coal black, not a white hair anywhere, and about 15 and a half hands. I would guess he worked down to about1500 or 1600 pounds and wore a 24″ collar. He was a working fool and had loads of common sense. I often wished he was a stud. I haven’t seen his like around this part of the country since.
After him came a couple teams of some what forgettable Belgians and now some mules. I do like the mules as far as being efficient work animals, but I sure miss old Doc.

[J-L]

I haven’t had a horned cow for a few years, but at my father in laws ranch which I’m running now, he as 20 or 25 horned cows mixed in with the polled cows. I don’t see the horned cattle doing that much pushing around but I will say this, all of his horned cows are fatter than the average polled cow. They always get the first shot at the supplement tubs we put out to them free choice. They must do the battling when I haven’t been looking, and I seriously doubt that it’s a coincedence.

[J-L]

I was going to post about this in depth, but jenjudkins, Iron Rose, and others have covered it from my viewpoint very well.
It wasn’t too long ago that some of the big (very big) ranches in the west fed their hired men horse meat fairly regularly. The tended to cull out the real bad horses (they’re not all good ones) and cripples and recycle them, so to speak, in the cook shack, and tan their hides to make their tack.
I would like to say that it’s nice to see this discussed in a civil manner. Like goodcompanion says, this can get emotionally charged very easily.

[J-L]

Good looking bale mover Kent. Give us the more detailed pictures please. That looks like what most people have been looking for as far as moving and feeding round bales.
My feeder works fine, but doesn’t lift so it’s hard to just move hay or feed partial bales with it. Thanks.

[J-L]

Hello Ty R.! It’s good to hear from a youngster with these interests. I’m partial to cattle myself as we raise cattle on our small ranch here in Wyoming. A kid who likes to show cattle, 4H, and working horses. What’s not to like. Sounds like my own 11 year old boy.

[J-L]

I saw the pictures of your Raven mare Gulo, and I think she is a good looking horse. I would wager she’s got plenty of power.

[J-L]

Hi Wayno!

Wayne lives just a few miles down the creek from me, and is a saddle maker. He also makes some real nice carts. It seems like he can make anything he wants to.
This summer Wayne and his son Cory helped me out by letting me use his beautiful, original, Yellowstone wagon to drive in a rodeo. He’s got a pretty awesome collection of horsedrawn stuff. For sure one of the good guys we like to have around this community.

[J-L]

When it gets to that point, it won’t matter if there’s a cow or a Clydesdale pulling your plow. Whatever is at hand will work.
Living in a small community like I do, and seldom leaving it for more populated areas, I tend to forget just how many people there are. I went to Salt Lake City last spring and was just amazed how huge it’s grown. My point being, how can the mass of humanity survive in a situation like we’re discussing here? Maybe more importantly, how can we survive them? I’m guessing it would matter how fast we ran out of coal, petroleum, etc.
I’m fairly certain I can feed myself and my family. I also feel I can produce enough goods/services to barter for things I may need besides. I worry about the other 299,000,000 or so people who can’t.

[J-L]

Neat old picture. Looks like it was barn cleaning day, maybe.

[J-L]

I can’t help but think that this is the problem with our nation. Not the cow farts, but the idiotic thinking back of this idea. Let’s put everyone out of business and make food too expensive to produce in this country while everyone still pollutes with their cars and coal powered lights, etc. Makes sense to me.
People have no sense. Can everyone not look at the dense population centers, under their blanket of smog, and not consider starting there? Come after the farmer/rancher instead. We will wind up importing all of our food someday. Brazil and other countries aren’t going to be affected by this, and that’s where your’e meat will be coming from, and possibly your produce. When we legislate ourselves out of food we will truly be in trouble. The fact that this idea can even be considered makes my heart ache for our country.
Coming after the farmer and rancher is plain nuts.
I know that a lot of folks on this forum may not think it will affect them and that may be true. But I can guarantee you if this passes it will put under a good many small ranches in my community, including yours truly. We are all barely hanging on this last few years and this could put us over the edge. I’ve said all I can say. I sincerely hope everyone here will make known to their Congressmen/women that this is an extremely bad idea.

[J-L]

Hello Geoff. Welcome here. There’s a lot of info to be had here, especially on logging which is a little more universal than farming is from region to region. The growing seasons we have out west can be pretty short in comparison to many other places.
I live quite a ways from you in south western Wyoming. Grass hay is my main crop, although I have 30 acres of alfalfa that I’m in the process of reworking and I plan on putting about 15 acres into oats and barley this spring. I work a couple teams and hope to get it drilled with them.
Can’t plow here because of the rock’s (I shouldn’t say can’t, won’t is more like it). I went ahead and used the tractor and disc to tear it up and am going to put the manure spreaders to work with the teams.
There are quite a few guys in Idaho that I know of working teams and a few that are doing all their work with horsepower. Every year I run into more people who use horse/mules.
It’s surpising how many teams went to work feeding cows when the fuel got over $4. I also saw more teams pulling sheep camps as well.

[J-L]

Thank you for your input. Wood Mizer was one of the brands I’d looked into. My budget probably won’t allow for many bells and whistles and for now it’s just in the idea stage.
I have two brothers living on adjoining ranches and it’s possible we could cost share on a mill.
Not many people around here are logging with teams (actually none, excepting myself on a small scale) and I’ve been contacted a few times about doing some thinning to curtail the beatle kill that’s going crazy here. Last year I did a 40 acre patch and it went quite well. This fall I did another place for firewood as the timber was already dead. It could keep me very busy if I advertised.
The very thing that John Plowden mentioned has happened as far as running into some good saw logs while doing the firewood job. That wasn’t a problem for me until the other mill closed.
Being very portable would be nice. Some of the time you could mill right on the sight and burn the slabs and ends with the slash piles if the landowner’s wanted that.

[J-L]

They could have done a better job with regard to the positive aspects of the animal power, I agree. Maybe they could give an insight into the satisfaction and the low impact angles also.
I have to admit that I was drawn in by the little team of mules. Those were some scrappy little animals.
Watching those guys parbuckle the butt end on the truck was also good watching.
My point is, that you could find some good tidbits for all of us.

I also have to admit that I’ve lodged many a tree like that ‘old boy’ did. And I cut them down just the same way he did, if I thought it was too dangerous to snatch them out with my team.

Was it fun? Yes, for me.

Could it have been done better (the show in particular)? Yes.

Would I watch another one? Yes.

[Author]

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