[Plowboy]

They should be able to hold that load if they are in shape and if they get good footing. If they are not shod ice and wet pavement might compromise their holding power. If you are real worried about it you could have a “shoe” made to skid one wheel. We have two of them made from wide shallow channel iron turned up on one end to accomodate the tire and a hole in the nose to run a chain through and chain it back to the running gear. We used to use them when hauling 6 round bales on a wagon. Typically a horse can pull more than they can hold back.

[Plowboy]

Good luck with the little one and keep her interested as much as possible. I’m 30 and I’m the youngest serious teamster in our area that I know of. I’ll always be “the kid” until I have some of my own even though they treat me as an equal now. looks like a good all around horse no matter what breed it is.

[Plowboy]

I used to show purebred Ayrshires when I was a kid. An old timer and friend I showed against would train a yoke of yearling heifers almost every year for exhibition purposes at the fairs he attended. He used to shine their horns up with fine grit sandpaper when they started getting dull and flaky.

[Plowboy]

Mentoring is very important to the preservation of the craft of teamstership. The trouble I see with some new comers is that they put all their faith into books. They have read therefore they know. Books are valuable reference tools IF you have the right one’s but are second to practical experience. Each horse is a little different and working situations differ with climate, geography, terrain, commotion, experience and skills. There is no better resource than a good mentor. I am considered around this area to be a fair horseman but still listen intently when someone with more knowledge, skills or experience is speaking. I was regarded as a quiet kid when palling around with the local old timers. What I was really doing was listening, watching and learning. It’s amazing what knowledge you can absorb if you open your ears to those who have the knowledge and skills. Each of us should pass on as much as we can to anyone who wants to learn in order to preserve this craft.

[Plowboy]

Buy as much as you can afford. Good land is getting developed and the prices are rising. If you think you’ve bought too much you can always sell some off as the value goes up. There are alot of variables as to what you are planning to do and the fertility and rainfall in the area you are looking. I have to disagree with the person that wrote the book. Ten Acres is not enough at least for me. I have 60 and plan to try and buy more from a neighbor if I can afford it.

[Plowboy]

I can’t say from experience but for the most part this cross will produce a bay. It is possible to get a roan, a black, chesnut, buckskin or anything else in the spectrum depending what is in the mix with the dam and sires heritage. The old timers say that bay is the most common with a Percheron x Belgian. I would say it is not uncommon for these two breeds to be crossed because there are some bays around although there is a rare string of bay full blood Percherons scattered around the country. Availability of local Stallions may be a factor especially among the Amish. If they want to breed a good mare and a neighbor has a good stallion often times they may not be the same breed. I would also like to say that given the current horse market horses should only be purposely bred with intense thought given to what offspring you might get. If raising to sell make sure they will be saleable before you breed the mares. If raising to replace your own or friends stock then raise them, train them and work them. I know right now you have geldings but there are too many folks out there breeding inferior stock. Just because you have a mare it does not mean she should raise colts and just because you have a stallion it doesn’t mean he should be allowed to sire colts. Sorry to get off on a tangent but I see the horse market right now and it makes me sick to see the market flooded with run of the mill foals or culls resulting from breeding for a foal crop instead of quality. If you ever want to raise some bays find a nice mare and breed her to a good stallion and you should raise nice foals. If you want to get another pair of bays to work you should be able to find them around the country. Good Luck with them you have a sharp looking team!

[Plowboy]

Nice looking bays! If I were to venture a guess your right hand horse is the one hogging on the bit. He just has that look and head carriage but if their broke as good as you say once you get through that quirk you should have an excellent team for the next 15-20 years. Good luck with them. I love the looks of a good bay but having Percherons we always hated the thought of breeding to a Belgian because of some of their undesirable qualities like feet. Anyone breeding a Belgian mare could only be doing themselves a favor breeding to a good work stock Percheron. Ok Jason or if you have one available a Suffolk Punch. Just kidding ! One of my dearest mentors used to say, ” Belgians are OK and Percherons are good but if you cross the two you’ve really got something “.

[Plowboy]

Jean that sounds like a great book and may look into it for my Dad to read. He is a lifelong dairy farmer despite the pitfalls he has survived keeping his overhead low and to the amusement of some of our larger neighbors uses horses in the fields when possible. They are a little slower and when pressed for weather and time the tractors still come through. Milk is at an all time high but so is fuel, fertilizer and feed. The farm report claims milk will drop significantly and fuel feed and fertilizer will stay high. My fear is that the few remaining small dairies will throw in their hat and the small northeast dairy farms will disappear as they have steadily all of my 30 years. Even yesterday as we cleaned the horse barn he seemed discouraged and that if what they say is true he may have to throw in the towel. He has a good mixed herd with some good holstein, ayrshires, jersey xholstein, swedish red x holstein and now breeding in some dutch belted. A few years ago we were holstein and ayrshire purebred but the holstein has been bred solely for milk production and their longevity is terrible. We have been experimenting with different crosses to help get longer lasting cows and still keep production up.
Sorry to get off track but right now good cows are bringing upwards of $2500 with the high price of milk. If there are good cows bringing 1940’s prices in your area I’d love to buy a load and bring them back here to a good dairy sale and make some quick money. It’s amazing that everything a farmer buys at market value is so high and what he gets is subject to the wholesale market and the processor gets his share no matter what. It’s a terrible time we live in now. What used to be an agrarian society has turned into a minority only to get smaller except for a few of us that enjoy growing our own food.

[Plowboy]

Yes it is what was left standing after we decided it was too late to keep refilling the silo. When it gets dry enough we pick it for winter feed. A 5 gallon pail of ear corn doesn’t yield much if you were to shell it. The horses are pretty methodical about removing it from the cob and keeps them busy during their mid day hay feeding. We feed outside twice a day and once inside. They clean it up better than just dumping a whole bunch and letting them pick through it.

[Plowboy]

We have 8 draft horses and feed about 8 bales of good grass meadow hay. Each mature horse gets 1/2 scoop of horse pellets in winter or sweet feed in summer when they come into their stall. We have a 2 yr old that gets a whole scoop and a 10 month old that gets 1 1/2 scoops to help reach their potential. During long days of hard work such as plowing a few oats give a lot of energy but should only be fed during or leading up to strenuous work. In winter we feed a 5 gallon bucket of ear corn scattered around in the pasture once a day to the whole herd. The ear corn is good for their teeth and keeps them fat during the winter months so they are in good shape for spring work. Too much corn causes founder so it should be fed sparingly. I think our feeding program is pretty traditional for this area. Many people feed no grain but it helps during heavy work with energy and condition. A hard working horse that is not fed to match his work load will start losing weight.

[Plowboy]

I am sorry for your loss. The only consolation would be that he died with his boots on so to speak. We have culled a couple renegades and had a foal born dead. The hardest thing we have had to do was take an arthritic mare to the sale at 27. She plowed that spring but by August couldn’t pull her half of the side rake during second cutting. We kept her around for several months trying to decide what to do with her and finally decided to send her to the sale. When Dad got home he said never again. She followed him in like a trooper but nickered at him when he turned and left. Some of our other horses are getting near 20 now and I’m sure we will encounter this same problem sooner than we would like to think. We raise them and get them trained the way we like and then suddenly they get old all too fast.
One of my mentors lost his wife in August. He is 84 and told us at Christmas Eve dinner, “As long as I’m as good as I am I’ll keep going like I am but when I get bad to hell with it”. He keeps 12 horses 15 beef cows a small flock of sheep, some goats and two dozen laying hens. He’s still going strong and when the weather warms up we are going to help him start some colts driving. I hope I age as well as he does. He still does the work of a man half his age. I’m sure our faithfull horses feel the same as he does.

[Plowboy]

Sounds like a real good all around team. I have used some crossbred teams in the past and pound for pound they usually give their all and then some. Hybrid vigor I guess. We are currently at maximum occupancy in our 8 stall barn but they sound like good prospects. Hope they find a good home.

[Plowboy]

Donn is right although many of us offer our help it is hard to communicate your problem and for us to give a definate answer. It is only possible to offer potential solutions to your problem. You may well get an obvious answer at your upcoming gathering where other horsemen can see first hand what is happening. You may also get many answers and I encourage you to graciously take them all into your memory and consider them. At that point you can make an educated decision which one to try first. The first may not always work. This is where it is beneficial to listen to everyone that offers a solution so you have something to try next. Good Luck other than this little quirk it sounds as though you have an excellent team on your hands. Gotta love them bays!

[Plowboy]

You might try a lawn roller made for a lawn tractor if the snow isn’t too deep.

[Plowboy]

If the guy you got him from was using a wire snaffle then he probably thought it necessary. We use them in two of our horses with good results. I like to drive with a light line as it is more enjoyable to me and the horses if I’m not fighting to hold them back. The rest of our horses are using just a snaffle but one is bullheaded and the other was a little rank when we got her. The bit doesn’t have to cause pain or discomfort unless he hogs into it and wants to go faster than you desire. Both of the horses that use these bits are happy and content and drive on a light line. I wouldn’t be afraid to try one at most you would be out $10 and if thats what he’s used to he might think he can get away with more now that you’ve made it easier. Each horse has a different personality and every one has their little quirk some need to be corrected and others ignored as long as it doesn’t interfere with anything. I would say if he’s lugging on you making your experience more difficult then it’s time to make a change.

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