[jen judkins]

My Gawd! That looks incredibly dangerous…especially for the poor chap driving the hay cart! Who knew that farming was such an extreme sport! Great video, once again, thanks. Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

Wow, Drummond, thank you. I thouroughly enjoyed those videos. Being very visual in the way I learn and focus, these videos really help me see down the road aways. Where on earth did you get the 1930’s video? Wonderful. Welcome to the forum. Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

Carl, Do you start your animals with blinders right from the beginning?

I wonder that in my case being one of those rider ‘immigrants’, an open bridle might not be a good way to make the transition to using them for work. After all, I have a youngster and am new to driving (though certainly not to horses in general)…..I will need to at least rely on what I know works in the partnership, before forging new ways to communicate. I am a bit far away from pulling any logs out of the woods, but your point is well made and has me looking ahead abit. Its that idea of keeping a clear idea of where any training is heading, in order to work out the steps to get there in the most effective way.

BTW, are there many women teamsters out there…I’ve not met one yet. Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

Carl, that is a perspective no one has shared with me…the aspect of focus. I agree with you that it is probably naive to believe that blinders truly blind a horse to its surroundings…in fact, I wonder if some horses would prefer to see things coming in stead of hearing them. Anyway, the reason I chose a open bridle is that by nature I tend to rely heavily on body language and my intention to get across my point with my horses. They have learned to cue into me visually…but maybe that is naive as well, I don’t know. This is just part of my own horsemanship and I just feel that blinders at least initially would put me at a disadvantage. Your point about keeping the horses focused on the job is a good one and exemplifies how much I have to learn about actually ‘working’ with my horses.

BTW, I am lovin this forum! Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

Biological Woodsman wrote: <<"Most of the European horse loggers don't use blinders either. I prefer to have blinders just to make the work easier from the onset, which I guess means less time training one to all the possible scenarios of working and get me to the point that I am putting wood on the landing quicker which means more money with less training.">>

I have pondered the blinders or not issue alot lately as I am about to start driving my 2 year old. Having very little driving experience, I have of course canvassed vast numbers of experienced teamsters and drivers to no avail….all have differing opinions on both sides of the matter. It does seem pretty clear that blinders do indeed speed up the process from start to finish…but since I have more of a ‘natural’ tendency and have no time constraints I went with the open bridle for my first harness. I can see alot of reasons why I might someday use blinders however in some circumstances. For now, I think it is important to do as much as we can in an open bridle to engage Peanuts brain and cooperation.

Steve Bowers out in Colorado, who I respect (and miss) a great deal, recommends that if a horse was started in blinders, keep them in blinders. If a horse is started open, there should be no reason to use blinders. Makes sense to me and sounds like it is the experience with you folks as well. Jennifer.

[jen judkins]

Hi Jean, I read an article about a mini that did alot of forestry work somewhere. I guess these little guys can get into some tight spots where the big boys have trouble..so I’d like to put the little guy to work when he is older. But a carriage would be nice too. I look forward to hearing more about your pair…interestingly the same ages as my mare and colt. Jen.

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