[Pammy]

@Donn Hewes 19998 wrote:

Up side down neck? I think that is a nice looking horse. I am sure he can pull a lot. my preference, based on some limited experience, would be to move round bales with a low, wide sled. Come up along side – roll the bale into the sled on it flat side and go.

My only concern about using the small single horse for this isn’t so much if he can do it. With the proper preparation, and situation, he probably can. Just realize that you have designed a task that is asking him to work near his weight limit. Imagine a weight lifter, they work and work below their max effort, and every once in a while they see how much they can lift. If we ask for a big effort too much or too often we can sour an animal. he looks like he could be a good worker and I am not suggesting he can’t do this work, just a word of caution about pushing the smaller horse to do everything the big fellas do.

I worked with a pair of Halflingers a few years ago. Nice drafty ponies, and good workers overall, but I all ways felt they had been a little soured from manure spreaders and mowers that should have been for bigger horses. We spent a lot of time asking them to go.

Thanks, this is very good advice, you are right, he wants to work and is a people horse, likes to please, this is what worries me and having never worked like this before I am scared I dont recognise when I ask too much, I am going to get a harness soon, I finally got a reply from someone who is going to sort me out then once I have worked out how it all goes on then I will get started, I will let everyone know my trials and tribulations soon:D

[Pammy]

@Howling Farmer 19989 wrote:

Pammy — Here are some pictures we took last winter. Let me know if you want some when the plow isn’t covered with snow and I can take more.
Leslie

Thanks, tell me how long does it take you to do your driveway, does it do an adequate job?
I am awful on the quad, it does not have power steering and I dont have the upper body strength to pull it round too good and I am prone to tipping it on slopes!….I promise my equine skills are much better…although saying that I have yet to harness up and try all this stuff!

I have put an ad on Kijiji for collar & hanes harness but had no replies yet, I know there is a weekly auction close by but am unsure what to look for, I had a search online but it all look much the same to me, cripes I never knew this would be so complicated, in my mind I thought any harness, stick it on, attach pony to something and away we go:rolleyes:ignorance is bliss as they say;)

[Pammy]

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Just wanted to put a picture of Indy up, this was taken last summer before I got him so he has filled out a bit, he was a bit skinny when he came here but he looks amazing now!

He has a bit of an upside down neck, not sure if this was due to the type of work they were using him for.

[Pammy]

@Howling Farmer 19973 wrote:

Thanks for the welcomes and making me feel like I’m not the only one who has had some mishaps along the way…

Scott — “stumps up the butt” made me laugh!

Pammy — we use a homemade snow plow. It’s two heavy boards nailed together to a short piece of 4″X4″ to form a “V.” Then more heavy boards going across the top to brace it. I nailed a small wooden box to the top to sit on. Sometimes my daughter sits on it too, if we need it to be heavier to plow deeper (we’re each only 100 lbs. each). Easy enough to build (if I can do it, anyone can do it…) Let me know if you’re interested and want a picture or dimensions. If I’m remembering correctly, your horse is about the same size as mine. It works well if you plow right after it snows. If you let the snow build up or get icy, it tends to ride on top and act more like a sled than a plow.
Leslie

Thanks Leslie, I would love to see pics!

I am looking forward(almost)to the snow coming, may as well have some fun and work the pony too!
When I told my neighbour about what I was planning on doing he said I would get a reputation for being the crazy Scottish Canadian Kennel lady(I own a dog/cat boarding place), emm….what do his horses do all winter…how much does it cost to run his bobcat….who is crazy now?!

[Pammy]

@Howling Farmer 19975 wrote:

Hi Pammy and welcome. I’m new to the forum too and still learning, learning, learning…as someone who is new to horse farming too, feel free to ask any questions. All the learning experiences are still fresh in my mind…our latest endeavor is mowing hay, but we’re still going to have to buy some.:(
Leslie

I plan to do hay next year(using the pony hopefully!)this year Enbridge pipelines planted for us but we cant do anything with it yet.
Cant use the farmers eqpt as he needs 14ft to get his machinery through and we dont have that kind of access as I was stupid enough to plonk a huge building and fence around it in the way(its a long narrow plot)…lol…you live and learn!

Glad I am not the only Albertan here so not alone with the snow issues!

Am having to buy hay too, not sure whether to bother with first cut as round here it rained so much and I know it was sitting out so I am worried it will be mouldy?….prices have not come down much from last year, I was lucky, I found a guy in Bruderheim who sold me what I needed for $75 each, everyone else was paying over $120!
Rounds are such a pain to work with though and this year I cant get them close to the field.

[Pammy]

Thanks!

My neighbour/customer drives for pleasure and keeps threatening to come and show me how to harness up and get me started but he is a bit of a all talk and no action type!

I will look for this type of harness in the meantime though.

I must admit I am a little worried I scare the heck out of the pony, there are a couple of driving courses over 3 days to introduce the basics of using animals on the farm but they are over the weekends and a 3hr drive and I run my business from home and no way can escape for that long especially at weekends…typical!….next time they advertise I think I will e-mail to see if they would do a home visit.

[Pammy]

@LStone 19851 wrote:

Welcome Leslie,

I won’t speak for anyone other than myself, but my pants have been drug through the mud on more than one occasion. I find it to be a very effective teaching aid although I try not to make it a common occurance. Somehow I don’t think we are alone.

Larry

What have I let myself in for:eek:

I never thought about plowing the snow, how is this done?

[Pammy]

I just bought a connemara pony and noticed he was drinking funny and he was so skinny although I put that down to their poor pasture so I decided to get a dentist out, he had a portable crush thing he put the pony in, he sedated him and hung his head up and opened his mouth up to show me what was going on, well his teeth were awful, so sharp, his gums were all bitten and sore looking, he spent 1 1/2 on him and a week later what a difference, I cant believe they were driving this poor thing in this state!

I say a yearly basis is good enough, it pays dividends in the long run, we all know what its like to have toothache!

[Author]

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