[jen judkins]

Geez, I hope its a fable. My horses were out there early this am staring at the grass waiting for the sun to warm it up, lol. I generally take them off it though after the first hard frost…just too busy to shut all the gates today. They don’t eat it anyway once its been frosted more than once or twice in my experience. Looked like snow at my place this am…a sign of things to come I guess. Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

OK so Peanut is doing great over at Ted’s place. Ted had him harnessed with his ‘steady eddie’, Clayton in two days and has been harrowing/discing with them all week…I’m completely amazed, though I’m sure most of you are like, ‘whatever’! But I could never have accomplished this on my own…not in several years, lol!

So I went out today to sit in on Peanut’s training for the afternoon. We hitched them up, Ted giving me the highlights of where Peanut is having difficulties and what he is working on. Then we go for a drive. Ted tells me that on the first go round, Clayton basically dragged Peanut round til he got the picture. The lights came on pretty quick apparently and now Peanut is mostly carrying his own share of the load. Today, Ted picked the manure spreader… was I impressed. We didn’t actually spread any manure but ran the thing and boy what a racket! Peanut did great, taking all his cues from Clayton who was steady as a rock (and as big as a boulder).

The next step is to get him confident enough to drive singley. So far he seems to rely heavily on Clayton for his confidence…but I’ll leave that to Ted…who seems unflustered by anything. Best money I ever spent!

Jennifer.

PS. The D ring harness Peanut is wearing (pictured below…the blonder horse on the left/near side?) is apparently slightly big for him, but I do think it shows how the weight is transfered to the back and not the neck. In fact all the sweat marks I noticed were on the back and not under the collar. A novice perspective, however.

[jen judkins]

BTW, Larry, where are you located…looks like we could be neighbors. jennifer.

[jen judkins]

Since buying my small farm 3 years ago, I have progressively made efforts to grow/raise my own food in bigger increments. The rest I try very hard to buy as close to home as possible. I expect to pay more for food raised/grown in a sustainble/natural fashion. I don’t know where that expectation comes from, as I have no idea if a potato sown in earth plowed by a horse is more expensive to grow than one on a mass market conventional potato farm. I guess for me the value comes from several areas…one is the importance of supporting my neighbors and my community, another is my own belief that small scale sustainable organic farming makes for better food…taste better, better for you and its better for the earth. But maybe more important to me is the idea that I don’t have to buy into the negative vibrational energy I associate with mass produced food. I don’t value that way of ‘farming’ and am happy to have an alternative, albeit more expensive.

I’ve toyed with the idea of selling some of my excess the FM or in a roadside stand and I’ve often thought that I would include in the price of eggs or produce, an educational flyer that explains why my food might cost more….how I use my land and why its important and why the food is more valuable because of those things.

Lets face it, it is the mass produced food markets that have run down the price of food (artificially) and now that there is pressure on markets to raise prices, the small farmer is in a better position to compete. So I guess my point is that, Kristen, sell your produce for what it is worth and educate your customers. I would not be happy to find that my CSA farm was relying on free or cheap labor to grow my food. In fact I believe its in my own best interest to make sure the folks in my neighborhood are successful and sustainable.

Americans have grown accustomed to fast, cheap food. Kids no longer know where their food comes from or what it takes to grow/raise/hunt/gather. So its no wonder food has become undervalued. I believe (have to believe) the world is turning and things will change. When I see the rates of childhood obesity and early onset diabetes in our culture, I cringe at the medical costs 10 or 20 years down the road. It scares me, really. But I see change through the murky future, one family at a time. All the food scares may be a blessing in disguise, as it forces people to look at where their food comes from. Even the most mainstream of supermarkets has a section for local food now….a promising sign I hope.

Interesting topic, Kristin….thanks for posting. Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

@Donn Hewes 3042 wrote:

Ugh! I notice someone’s name missing form that list (I better send that in).

HEHEHE!:D I was just listening to NHPR this am…its their fall drive and I had to laugh at them ‘guilting’ me into my yearly donation! It works though!!!

Jennifer.

PS. I’m on the fence about ads. While, I would certainly find it valuable to advertise my business on the forum and would be happy to pay, I’m not sure it would serve the atmosphere of the forum well. And to have the ad buried in a category would likely be unattractive to many advertisers. So the answer might be to have a few very relevant advertisers on the main page in an effort to defray some, but not all the costs. I think the NPR style donation drive twice a year is a great idea! We could give donaters bumper stickers or mugs for certain donation amount. I’d be happy to organize the fall drive after the Field Days next year, so that it does not become a burden to Carl and Lisa.

[jen judkins]

Welcome, Larry. As the owner of a 2 yo Belgian, I am impressed with what you are doing with your two ‘youngsters’. Personally, I would love to hear more about any ‘bumps’ along the road or any useful tips you found helpful with them. I sent my gelding to the trainer last week and was amazed that he had Peanut pulling the harrow in just 3 or 4 sessions. That would have taken me all year to accomplish..probably longer since I don’t own a harrow;) Anyway, I think you are wrong to assume you aren’t ready to contribute here. There are many of us here just starting out with draft power and I learn something from everyone…even what not to do, lol. Looking forward to hearing more….

Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

What are the differences between a pulling collar and a logging collar? Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

Kristen, You and George have definately done it the right way! I am constantly telling riders to find a horse that knows its job and let the horse teach them. Most horses are very tolerant of beginners if they have the right training. I just can’t seem to follow my own advice!!!:rolleyes:

I learned to ride (and to fall off) on a green horse. Still have that horse too and although he is aging, much like myself, the working relationship is good. It was the hard way, but we both survived. So when I decided to learn about driving and working horses, I, of course, bought a baby. I’m known by many as a serious ‘blockhead’…its my swedish heritage….stubborn to the core!

But your point about riding has new appeal to me now that I see how much progress we have made in the past week working on something I understand so well. I’ve already saddled him and I have 3 or 4 rides in, but nothing major and not recently. I’ve put it off, as I feel like he is too young to do too much riding, and I’ll likely have a saddle fit issue at this point, lol. But I can get alot done bareback, so I think I will try that, especially in the spring when he is coming 3. Thanks for pointing that out. Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

Thanks again everyone for the encouragement!

Carl, You point (as always:D) is well taken. Its as if I cannot see the next step and Peanut is confused by that.

Its interesting….since I have known I would have to put him on a trailer on Saturday to bring him out to Ted, I have been setting aside some time each evening to work on loading, standing, unloading, etc. in anticipation of the trip. I’ve trained many, many horses to self load into trailers of all shapes and sizes and to travel confidently. So its no surprise that Peanut is ‘getting’ this piece without any problems at all. But your point brought to the forefront for me the fact that it is my confident vision of what the endpoint is that is helping him learn. Its not that he is perfect at loading and unloading (and that is not even on the agenda for this week), but in each session he has shown dramatic leaps in his understanding of what I am asking. He is finally showing signs that he understands that I am asking a question and he needs to figure out what the right answer is, which is the piece I have been struggling with, in his training. I guess this goes back to the ‘putting principles to purpose’ idea. So I am now much more optimistic that getting help from someone like Ted is totally the right choice both for Peanut and for me. It will get him a good start and me a better vision of where we are going and what the steps are to get there.

Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

OMG, you guys are the best! I’m feeling much better about my decision!

I met Ted at the Beginner Driving clinic at Shelburne Farms and loved his quiet confident manner, so I am sure he will be a great choice for Peanut. Thanks for the encouragement. Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

@Ira 2926 wrote:

The rule of thumb is to have your hames 2 inches longer than the collar.
24in. collar needs 26in. hames.
Hames are measured from the bottom hame loop to the top adjustment notch in a straight line.

Thanks, Ira. How do they think of these ways of measuring necks and collars and hames…all seems sort of arbitrary…though I’m sure steeped in tradition!?! Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

@Ira 2912 wrote:

Yes, I agree. If you look at Jennifer’s 3rd pic in her collar thread you see a good illustration of this. The tug marks on the collar are right above the point of the horses shoulder.

Ira, This is off the original topic…but I am curious. I looked at all my photos of the collar and the marks you refer to are more prominent on the left (3rd photo) compared to the right (2nd photo)…is this because this collar was worn by a horse in a team? And if so, is this a normal wear pattern?

Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

As a proponent of naturally based equine nutrition, I frequently talk with folks about the differences between value and cost. You can spend money on fixing problems, but the real fix is understanding what is truly valuable….which may cost more up front…but saves money in the long run.

I have spent thousands of dollars on horsemanship clinics, lessons and camps over the years and have been rewarded with a good understanding of horses and their way of communicating. But my point is this…I have learned many valuable lessons right here on this forum….for ‘free’. I have no problem contributing to a community that gives sooo much back. It is a pleasure and to be honest….a bargain! I am totally getting my money’s worth and more.

So, for all those ‘lurking’, who lets be honest, are benefiting from others and me putting my greeness out there for critique…put it out there! This is the green, draft power public radio! Pay up…even if its a buck or two. Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

OK, so it looks like I am looking for a 24 inch half sweeney collar….cool! Thanks, Neil!

So another question (or two)…When looking at hames for the collar….are there the same differences in shape in regard to the neck shape? Do you get 24 inch hames for a 24 inch collar?

Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

OK, Neil. I measured Peanut and the collar as per your video instructions and both measure out at 24 inches. No rocking. But I still can’t figure out the neck shape. Pictures below. I suspect his neck is of the flat type at this point, but might change as he gets older/fitter/etc. Thanks for any feedback. Jennifer.

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