[jen judkins]

Becorson, Could you post a photo of your contraption…sounds interesting and quite useful. Thanks. Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

Thanks, Carl and Bachelor!

I went to Meader and Campton sites later and looked at their D-ring harnesses and thought better of the one on ebay. Maybe someone will have a used one for sale at the swap meet?!? I don’t really have the time for leather anyway, lol. Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

Thanks for all the advice everyone!

First, let me say that I cannot and will not use herbicides on my property. Not only does that ‘feel’ wrong to me, I now understand that it really IS unnecessary and can lead to soil issues, insect population effects and runoff later. I don’t mind a few weeds…I just want the feed plants to outnumber them. Besides this project is more of an exploration for me, into ways to manage soil and animals in a ecologically responsible way. I think this is why the owner of the property has given me the opportunity and why I asked advice here and not the local Agway. I’d like, more than the pure desire to grow pasture, to improve the soil, the pasture and the environment in its creation. Land that produces sustenance for a variety of animals, insects and the soil itself is my ultimate goal. Disrupting that cycle with herbicides seems counter-productive.

I like the pig idea, George!

And Tevis, thanks for the clarification on the sheep. I can totally relate. Goats are sooo people friendly…I think unless you have them very distant from your home, they will be a problem. My mom who is a knitter would definately prefer sheep, lol. We’re managing so far though with the goats.

Thanks again. Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

You guys rock! I’m so relieved…the thought of starting completely from scratch was making me dizzy! Time, I can deal with, lol.

One of you mentioned goldenrod and bedstraw…which are the two main culprits in my fields. The horses will, of course not touch either of these. I just got a couple of goats (surprise adoption…long story) and they seem to like the bedstraw, but I prefer to put them on the edges of the pasture for control of the invasive buckthorns I have, for now (wow… am I learning about fencing!). Would cows eat the goldenrod and bedstraw? I’ve considered raising my own beef and could only handle one or two at a time given my acreage. Perhaps I could divide up the old pasture and have cows devour the weeds for the first half of the season, next year?

Carl, when do you prefer to broadcast…anytime you move the animals off or at certain times of the year. I thought about doing a frost broadcast in the late winter/early spring…does that sound reasonable?

Tevis, I appreciate the feedback on the clover and alfalfa. In regards to sheep, I have a friend in western mass with alot of land. Initially he had sheep graze first then cows then the horses rotationally. So I was surprised last month when I visited that he had sold all his sheep and bought a herd of Boer goats. He feels that they are as good as sheep, plus they are much easier to move from place to place and are more people friendly. I thought that was interesting. I’m still processing what I have learned from the two goats I now own, lol. They are pygmies and should be easy to keep in but they are so crafty. Just yesterday I watched one jump from a rock, nearly 5 feet over a fence, to land squarely on all four cloven feet…amazing!

Anyway, thanks for the info. Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

I saw the piece on the news as suggested. It was very well done and I think the dialogue after was interesting and thought provoking. Good job! Jen.

[jen judkins]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies! This is indeed a valuable place and though I have met very few of you in person, I consider you mentors. We’ll pass on this year, but I certainly am inspired to do the work it might take to get to the point of being successful at such an enterprise.

So if I am understanding some of your comments correctly there are a few ‘requirements’ for this job. First, a steady experienced animal that takes cues reliably even when feeling abit nervous. Second, experience in the woods negotiating terrain, pulling things less smelly, and perhaps third more information about where the pull might be and how tricky the terrain might be.

Thanks for the reality check! Though I kinda figured this job would be alittle out of our league…for now.

Carl, if you go out this year for a moose can I tag along?

Jennifer.

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Hi Ralf and welcome. I too thought your forecart was quite nice. Since I’m in the market for buying on for my youngster, can you tell me more about it?

Oh and I have a stupid newbie question for anyone who hays with horses. What happens if the team poops in the hay? Or is there a way to teach them that that is inappropriate? Yeah, I’m blonde!

Jennifer.

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Alittle off the thread, but I am planning to attend all three days of the fields days…do you need volunteers for anything…I’d be happy to help out. Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

While I don’t own draft horses exclusively….mine are out 24/7 and have access to the barn, though they only come in for feeding and really foul weather. I have a track running the perimeter of my pasture closest to the barn about 15 feet wide and that acts like a track for them to exercise on. My belgian is keen to run laps in the snow most days with the mini colt.

They have water and its heated, but I keep it some distance from their shelter and hay area, so they get some exercise. They get free choice hay, though I’m leery of the round bales and have never fed them. Jennifer.

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Kristin, do you have photos of Sam. I’m thinking of a seasoned horse to pair with my youngster. I’m in central NH. Thanks. Jennifer

PS. If no photos, how tall is Sam? My youngster looks like he will top out around 16.3 or 17 hands.

[jen judkins]

PS. It was totally awesome to put some faces to names…Lisane, Kristin from Does Leap, Jean to name a few.

[jen judkins]

I would love to see the minis working…would these demos be at events worth traveling to? Could you post any info in advance? Thanks. Jennifer

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Plowboy, Can you clarify the ‘draft mini’ thing for me? Are we talking mini horses or halflingers (which is my vision of a mini belgian)? There is a big difference in the pulling power….so I am envisioning your post correctly. Thanks. Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

One of my mentors is a real stickler for not mounting a horse that wants to walk off (rider here, sorry). To me it was never a big deal…so what…he takes a few steps when I swing a leg over….who cares?!? Well, was I amazed to watch that mentor ride a horse at a gallop…swing her leg out of the stirrup (as if to dismount) and have the horse screech to a halt, without a single cue. She built that in to the horse, by NEVER swinging a leg over a moving horse. Her horse knows that when the leg is swinging, he needs to be standing still.

So I can see all sorts of ways to ‘build in’ safety measures while driving a team. I like Carl’s ‘release of the reins’ as that is simple to practice and if it is done consistently, the horse really does develope a pattern of stopping. Horses love a pattern…it is the easiest way to teach a horse…so pick a pattern, spend some time teaching it in a quiet place and it will be there in a panic situation (IF the horses trust the teamster).

Mark Rashid has a great saying…”consistency leads to dependability, dependability leads to trust, trust leads to peace”.

Ya gotta love ‘peace’! Jennifer.

PS. Sorry to butt in here..I have so little teamster experience, but the training issues do appear similar to the riding horse (who also runaway from time to time, lol).

[jen judkins]

From one dreamer to another…welcome to the forum! Jennifer.

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