[Neil Dimmock]

I am a leather man but the cost of outfitting so many teams kind of pushed me it to synthetic, Once tried I liked, for line its real hard to be beta vinyl. pros, its easy to look after and when you see a student drag your beta lines thought the muck you don’t get as ruffled as you do with your new leather, just wipe it off and its as good as new, tensile strength of the beta is more than twice that of leather and it comes in 100′ roles so no splices to let go or fray even in the big hitches. they have out lasted the leather so far with very little maintenance, and the cost is half. they do feel some what different than leather in your hands but not in a bad way and the response is the same. right now I have 19 sets of work harness and all but two have the beta lines. they don’t freeze up in the cold and I know about the cold. so I cant pick holes in them at all but still if I was buying a new Fancy (go to towner) leather harness It would have leather lines
Neil

[Neil Dimmock]

Just to kewl, some even have collars:D
Neil

[Neil Dimmock]

I bought one a while ago and tryed it! I like it better than a yoke but its not worth a hoot in Fly time, funny I thought some one that drive’s Ox would see that, Oh well, Here a couple of pics
Neil

[Neil Dimmock]

here’s a video. I have one like it is all but that sounds like a reasonable price with collars.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=XeAgZoYNV4w

[Neil Dimmock]

I ask them to stop then if they dont I pull on the line, and the aim or( head) for stop that I dont have to pull on the line to get ,

exhausted horse should never be pushed, if you do your training balkers, You should rest them often and long enuff so there ready to go, if there still to tired then lighten the load or add more horses, take your time until there in shape, a teams should plow an acre pre horse per day but you’ll have to work up to that it wont happen in the first two days, The temptation is big ,lots to do ,team not standing as good as they should, weather is just right! all these thing make you want to push. Some times its your approach to starting them, they should be on a snug line( pull up the slack until you feel the bits) and speak up so you know they heard you and then play out the line( like fishing) as they walk forward but keep them snug dont let them fall loose, this will help insure a smooth start, no flying ahead and then flying back as the other catches up, no swinging from left to right as they look for the bit to guide them.

Now your load is just right for your team and their in good shape, you have your line tension just right and they still dont go, dont shake the line like in the movies or slap them with the lines, Just take a Minuit to study your team, there is always one that is the starter always one that puts it foot out first and the other will fallow,now the starter has played out or just wants the other to start for a while and will just wait, to help this incurage the slower one to step up as soon as the other, say their name or a (light) tap with a whip just before you ask them to go should help, Dont be harsh but be firm, start on lighter loads first then ask then on the heavier loads and you’ll see the diff right away.
Neil

[Neil Dimmock]

Buckback to the bit, if it a bad one to the halter will fail, I never and I mean never had one hurt it own mouth at least never a drop of blood and they will only really try once after that its just for show, and only the really bad ones. In training I ask for a whoa first then the line and head for a voice only stop but don’t count on this for every situation. Some use whoa to much, for some it means stand, or get over or please don’t scare me! it should be used only for stop, and don’t mix it in with a whole bunch of words like( King whoa now) horse don’t understand sentences but single words. I teach my students to speak up as well, that way you know they heard you and you can correct them with a clear conscience. if you mumble you will never know if they heard you or not and you’ll hesitate and soon they take advantage of that and stopping will be a long process, same with turning and backing , say it once, speak up so you know they heard you and then correct if they don’t do as you ask. its like going forward you ask once then move them up and you don’t keep asking them to go forward after that you just let them go, nothing sound worse than a driver saying over and over, Haw, Haw, get over Haw, they sound like a crow, it just a bad habit and teaches your horses to ignore you because there to much info for them to take in .

[Neil Dimmock]

Hey kewl pics, thanks. were did you get the harness thats on the halfingers?
Neil

[Neil Dimmock]

Double tree’s triple tree’s quad tree’s are all eveners, small light teams you can get by with narrower double tree say a 38″ specially with a small bottom on the plow, lighter soils so you can use a lighter double tree like a steel one off of older horse stuff. Leave the offset alone the one in the furrow is not working harder but to help the plow run steadier you can hook his tugs one link shorter, start them on a drag with the eveners your going to use and go for a ride, now set your lines so their heads are straight and even, when you hook to the plow this step will help a lot. wider double trees need wider lines and vise a versa.
Neil

[Neil Dimmock]

Please fill me in with more details, like what size of plow? how big are your horses? what kind of soil? etc. it helps to explain what you might need
Neil

[Neil Dimmock]

Ebay sometimes has good buys if you know what your looking for. Most harness shops have a supply as well. try DraftHorseStuff.com
Neil

[Neil Dimmock]

Yes!
Neil

[Neil Dimmock]

Buckback’s are very good at holding one in a team but wont work on keeping a team still, if the one with out goes so can the one with the buckback. I use them for training and retraining , all that get started here I use the buckback on and you can hold the most unruly runaway and it works super for reeducating a hard mouth horse and works super for driving big hitches. I probably have the most buckbacks hanging in my barn than anyone else. All the new trainees have one hanging on there harness for the first year and when I start them one things like mowers and such I’ll buckle it up and hook them to an older experienced horse, snap the buckback across to him and go, it holds the trainee back until the fear eases. most wrecks happen in the first two minutes. Any horse brought to me for a try out or evaluation were a buckback, had to many( broke to death)and (your kids can drive) horses blow up and try and go. I am not sure how many horse I have trained but 20 to 30 a year for the last 20 years and right now I have 18 teams all raised and trained by me which I use to train people to drive, farm with ,put in big hitches, parades, etc and not one runway! not one. It can happen but training and the proper tools and attitude help keep a perfect record!

[Neil Dimmock]

As you can see the rope hitch is just a lighter McKinnon chain and I have used that one a lot.

[Neil Dimmock]

I guess I have trained to many teams. I never leave the lines. these type of run aways are just trainers, now they know some one is int there all the time and some day when they feel like it it will be a big one, to break there(maybe) habit break your first!!! take the lines with you, if you have to saw off your line pegs to help you break the habit so be it, but do it! it all fun until your team runs over some one kid! I cant say how many horse functions I have been to were some one is trying to show how good there team stands and leave the lines only to have some one inexperienced walk up and make a kissing sound thinking that’s how you say high to a horse and away they go, or at a thrashing down south they gave me a hard time because I tied my team at the machine, then the main pulley blew up and pieces went every where, my team was still there but there’s ran over a car and two tents. lucky no one was home eh!! some just cant drop the lines fast enuff like there to hot to hang on to or the weight 200LBS but there your brakes and steering, ya wouldn’t leave your car in drive and walk away! Please just hang on to them It might be your kids they get!!

[Neil Dimmock]

Here is a video of her driving the 4 , all over a ton and grained up!
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=z3s4Bo8CfFc

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