[LStone]

I had my mare get her teeth caught on that same hook a few years back… Same, same results luckily. My hooks are pointed inboard and I think I talked about this with the group when it happened. Someone, I think Carl mentioned the working part of his hooks are facing down. I’ve been sort of inactively looking for hooks that would face the same way. I don’t like an active head while standing but horses will be horses. luckily through line contact and a using a head check you can prevent most of the movement. It just goes to show that while you are teamstering it is a full time job.

[LStone]

I’m probably not understanding but I think I know what your talking about. I noticed that same thing with a twist that if you signaled to go left, one of the horses would turn their head with the lines but keep travelling in a straight direction. Very disrespectful and exremely aggrevating. I was told that I have to hard hands and needed to “finess and feel” more about the direction I wanted them to move. It might sound crazy but if you look in the direction you want them to go and not try so hard they will go that way easier. I drive a team for a living commercially on weekends. In my loop I go through a three way intersection. I always take a right. I swear every other time I’d go through that intersection they would be crazy in all sorts of going all over the place. Once I figured out the secret they have it down pat. Only you know how your contact is with your team. I found that they have very soft mouths and I was letting contact slip a lot. I think I was suprising them when I suddenly picked up contact to steer them. Donn, I know you have way more experience than I but am I off base?

[LStone]

My mare is still available in Loudon, NH. She is listed on this site in the “Market Place” section.

[LStone]

@JaredWoodcock 37293 wrote:

It seems like if I am not ready to make a lesson out of the skid then Im not gonna skid. I am pretty stubborn and I seem to have a hard time “working” my horses when the work isnt necessary. But if I am ever going to prove to my wife and myself that I “need” a draft on our farm then I will have to keep “working” him for the sake of training and being together.

Jared

Every day is a training experience with the horses. When my mare was starting out she wouldn’t step out alone. I ended up driving from behind and having help leading her, (no talking or encouraging) then once under way fading back and out of the scenario until I failed to start her up again. She came around shortly there after but that’s how I started her ground driving. Your words above struck me a little bit though.

If your horse needs training then production isn’t the work, the training is. I think everyone can agree then that training is necessary. I would view the training as more of the reason to have the horse near term with production in the longer term. There is plenty of work that can get done while training. It is all in your perspective of what necessary work is and how it can be accomplished. The important thing is that you get him to start drive and stop at your command consistently while driving from the rear. After that I would add weight such as a scoot or tire etc. then skid the full length logs. In the mean time buck the logs and load them onto the scoot for added weight when he is ready.

[LStone]

Not for nothing but when my guys were younger and greener. I was told that they had to get used of loud noises such as those you’re describing. Chains and metal on metal / ground, chainsaws etc. I think Carl suggested to me that to show my own confidence, that I split wood next to them in the pasture. I also ran the chainsaw as well and was not the least bit careful of making noises such as dropping eveners and chains all around and in back of them. They are very compliant to loud noises now. I even popped my share of balloons near them as well. They just can’t get over the air bladders blowing off on air systems in trucks. and very loose and rickety equipment type trailers going down the road. I don’t own one so it isn’t too handy to practice with. The only practice I get is on the street. Keep after it. I maintain all things are mastered with time and repetitions.

[LStone]

Would love to see picture of that in use HP51. If you could. Is the spread stick what the jockey yokes are attached to?

[LStone]

Yes but the roll is square. Not sure about the simplicity of changing this one but I don’t have another pole to use anyway. I thought about the lines getting fouled up but I think I can control that enough.

[LStone]

I’ll try to remember to snap a picture and post.

[LStone]

Hi guys thanks for trying to understand. This sleigh has an evener clevis mounted on the cross-member between the leading ends of the runners. So a hammer strap would be redundant and push the hitch point out ahead of the runners more. Lets say this pole is 12.5 ft long and I am using only the single team. I think this pole was built for monster hosses. I know cutting the pole is an option but I want to make it the last resort as this isn’t my equipment either. Yes “Big” the hook is for the 4 up evener but is on the bottom vs. the top. I am trying to figure out how the best way to anchor my neck yoke would be. I’m thinking sneaking the yoke ring over the hook and drilling a through hole top to bottom through the pole about 10’6 from the evener hitch point and using a pin of some sort to secure the yoke there. Would that be advisable? I use 10.5 feet from the hitch point to the yoke on my wagons. Twelve feet away from the hitch point I think I am losing a lot of mechanical advantage with smaller team. If I can just set the yoke back on the pole a foot and a half I think I’ll be golden. Would a hole through the pole compromise it in anyway? Temporarily I am using a spare yoke ring with a “quick link” connection to the neck yoke ring and that sets my guys back about 8″ towards the load and I also have a yoke that will gain me another inch or so. I think that will get me back to hitching to the original length of heel chain. But I would really be comfortable with the whole foot and a half. Thanks again.

[LStone]

Gooseneck tongue iron I believe is the correct terminology for what is on the pole in question. How do you use it with a neckyoke / ring?

[LStone]

Hey Mark, long time no see. I understand that the optimal set up is with an evener on the pole. Although it is my preference it is not my equipment. I think, or it was mentioned to me that another advantage of this set up is that it gives very positive lift to the front of the sled to enable better starting. I just have to read the effort of the individual horses from the boot better I guess.

[LStone]

As a child I loved horses and trains. I also loved history and read a lot about old time logging operations with animals and railroads. My dad growing up had Standardbred race horses on the track and I spent a lot of time at the tracks with him learning horsemanship and the racing industry. I don’t know why but I have always been partial to Belgian drafts and 8 years ago I bought my oldest gelding brought him home and learned to drive him then a team. Now we have three… Funny how this hobby grows with you.

[LStone]

Not sure I have a preference and both sites have completely different uses for me. I know there are different people and subject matter common to each format and work within the limitations and audience of each.

[LStone]

Good Job Man. You get a lot more help than I do. I’m jealous, but then again my mistakes are my secrets.

[LStone]

I home brew as well. It’s been a while but I’ve tried using maple sap, and maple syrup extract. Best results in my opinion with using the extract and I have settled on that. It is all about control and consistency which always impacts the flavor. The raw sap I am afraid is too much of a wild card for use in in brewing. Remember your ratio of sap to syrup is 40:1 plus or minus to result in the desired sugar content in the syrup. There are many recipes available on the web. I think the loins share of recipes you will find will be to add syrup or extract on top of your 5 gal boil. In using sap, yes, I boiled my full pot (7gal) of maple sap down to 5 gal. in that particular test and it was a big disappointment. I won’t be doing it that way again.

Cheers!

[Author]

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