[Mark Cowdrey]

Fascinating. That never occurred to me, although it fits with the wound following natural contours rather than being straight. I never saw any puss-y discharge, although he was turned out in the snow the day it appeared, never any noticeable lameness or inflammation.
Thanks Kristan,
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

It belonged to Ann Hawthorne, who had a hand in editing it, and was given to me by Peter D.
So it was serendipitous, if there truly is such a thing in our cosmos…
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

This is the rig I use for my sleigh trails. Definitely not the same situation as you although the principle might have some value:packing the snow down rather than pushing it aside. The angle of the board could be flatter for better packing, I just went w what I had. It works pretty well

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[Mark Cowdrey]

Thanks Gabe!
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

Some mental rambling.
Thinking about what we expect from our horses and what we expect from ourselves as we are working them, in regards giving and taking direction. When I think about that in conjunction with a significant increase in the role of horses providing tractive power in our society, ala a Kunstler scenario, there will necessarily be many more people acting as teamsters. All of these horses and all of these teamsters will exist on a continuum of behavior. Some teamsters will expect more from their well cared for teams and get more out of them. Others less so in all regards. To some extent, on a smaller scale, this situation exists today. And above a certain threshold of safety & humaneness, that variation is not only OK but inevitable. Perhaps OK because it is inevitable.

I agree that the teamster makes the team. Not only in how they give direction (e.g. stop on a slack line or tight one?) but the level of expectation of behavior; e.g. standing w/o shuffling, anticipating and acting on starting before actually being asked, head rubbing, eating while working (all issues I deal with). And temperament figures into it to a huge degree. How much patience does the teamster have? Is their personality “geared” to consistent, repetitive behavior or is it something they have to spend a lot of energy concentrating on? Currently we self select to a certain degree, if one does not have the natural traits to make a decent teamster, or the will to bring them to bear, one probably is not driving. With a significant expansion of the use of horses will this change? One advantage in an expansion scenario is that regardless of approach and personality, horses and teamsters will be getting more consistent use, and that promotes the bond of communication between driver and team that in turn promotes usefulness and production

Again, I find this variation acceptable, particularly viewed through the lens of determining acceptable risk and how that fits into the entire context of any situation. This does not excuse us from continually trying to improve but gives us permission to carry on while acknowledging our imperfection. The leadership in effective horsemanship that is shown by the members of this forum, its existence as a repository of experience and knowledge, both traditional and innovative, and the support it provides for practitioners at all levels, is surely an asset as we move forward into a future we cannot see.

Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

Got a boar. Thanks for all the help.
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

George,
I use drop rings as well, probably has more to do with how much “head fussing” by the horses that I put up with.
Also, And I think we may have plowed this ground before, the “down hooks” that are available from Meader’s are heavy, clunky, sharp-edged and inelegant as compared to older ones I have and have seen. There is a “DAPNet branded” product/project for someone with access to forging or casting to take on!
Mark
I’ll give the photo another try:

[Mark Cowdrey]

Oh well on the photo.
M

[Mark Cowdrey]

Great thread.A few notes:
. Joel, I like my rigging as compact as possible and I have clipped directly into the “U” that holds the ring on a typical jockey yoke. I learned this from someone else (Another geezer on this site.). However, it is a very tight fit to get the harness hook in, tight enough that it lends itself neither to convenience nor safety. So I removed the “U”‘s from the end of the neckyokes and heated & reworked them to be longer, with round cross sections where they protrude beyond the wood to reduce wear on the harness clips. I resecured them with (probably) 8/24 or 32 bolts with the ends cut & peened over the nuts. That worked well for me.
I have since made my own neckyokes, based on the design I got from George. In my opinion my modifications are simpler with no sacrifice in functionality.
Speaking of keeping rigging straight, George’s photos reminded me of something. I use a very similar lever bit. I usually clip in the ring and occasionally in the first drop. I found the lines were getting caught up or snagged on the lever more often than I wanted, so I cut the levers down by one notch. It has made a significant difference in keeping things “straight” and, for me, if I need that third notch I plan to leave the horses in the barn.
And joining the chorus, safety is about managing risk. When I am in the woods with my horses, particularly if it has been weeks or months, I will tie their heads while cutting. I run halters under bridles. I am not a professional logger. After they get more comfortable, and more tired, I may leave them untied, particularly if I can do it with them facing away from the landing/barn. It all depends.
And managing winter work. If I have to dig out a tree to cut it down I am going to find something else to do. Maybe catch up on my DAPNet postings. That is one of the great benefit of having a diversified operation, including a gainfully employed wife!
I really appreciate this community. Stay safe all.
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

When I try to go to a thread I am prompted for username & PW to enter “Restricted Area”. When I enter my historic UN & PW it fails to satisfy. Then I get to the thread anyway & can post. Links to photos do not seem to be showing (e.g. under”Well broke Percheron Team”, photo posted by Broadwing does not show up). Am I in some kind of limbo? Any advice? I am a permanent member
Thanks,
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

OOPs. Something weird is going on.
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

When I try to go to a thread I am prompted for username & PW to enter “Restricted Area”. When I enter my historic UN & PW it fails to satisfy. I am a permanent member. Any advice?
Thanks,
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

If a “wheel” is watching, how about renaming this thread to include “pig insemination” or some such?
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

Thanks Joel.
I have thought of that. What do you figure your cost per pregnancy to be? How do you choose semen?
I have a line on a couple boars and will probably go that route for a couple reasons. One being I am helping out some longtime farmers by sharing w them & don’t want to try AIing their pigs. I have watched a couple Youtubes (the one from Asia w the female tech in a pink suit & white boots, for example ) and it seems to be the hardest part would be knowing when you were “locked in”. Do you use the screw type or he mushroom looking ones?

Mike,
Where are you?

Thanks,
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

Glad to hear things are going well. Have thought of you off & on over the past year. Ida is bred (to a Dexter. Hey, I had the semen. Should be an interesting cross.) and due 3/16. So that is when I am expecting the first big sap run. Any sugar bush potential up (down) there?
Mark

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