[Will Stephens]

How do you all see the difference in your approaches if you work you horses yourself versus having multiple teamsters working with your horses (or training other peoples’ horses for them, though that may be another “animal” all together). This could be in the field or simply barn/stall chores. How do any of you see a difference in your horses with different handlers? Driving with relaxed hands verses a driving who was taught a more active line handling approach or not minding if your horses takes a bite of hay leading into the stall but having a partner that forbids it are two examples that come to mind.

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[Will Stephens]

This is a great thread. Karl, It sounds like an even better DAPNet weekend workshop! There are so many subtleties in this topic. I am working through much of this right now as well. I have a new “trained” team and learning how to communicate with them. I have been using the adage “use your horses for what you want them to do” more than formal “training time” like I have tried in the past (to limited success, a sub-topic for Karl’s workshop perhaps?). I have always required certain behavior, but I have definitely lightened up on the idea of dominating my horses and instead being clear with my expectations and rewarding the expected behavior. This paradigm shift may also have helped in my dog training as I overpowered my last bird dog being too insistent on certain responses and squelching her desire to work for fear of “getting it wrong”. I would love to see more time spent on this topic.

[Will Stephens]

Southern massachusetts. Nantucket Island.

[Will Stephens]

The photo file was too large to post and I don’t know how to change that. I’ll email photos if anyone is interested but trust me, he is VERY handsome.

[Will Stephens]

Doug,
What can you tell me about the harness?
Will

[Will Stephens]

Thanks George. I’m going to pick up some steel for a new neck yoke later today. My team are both 15-3 and about 1400(?) pounds; not overly wide. Thanks for the help.
Will

[Will Stephens]

What is the address so I can look it up?

[Will Stephens]

I am sorry you all are having trouble renewing your membership. I appreciate you taking the time to let us know by posting the problem. The problem is being worked on.

As you may or may not know, DAPNet is currently run by volunteers and a hands on volunteer Board of Directors. This does limit our ability to react as quickly as we would like some times. We will get this fixed. In the mean time, anyone interested in volunteering to help the organization at large or specifically with problems like this would be welcomed with open arms.

Thank you for your patience and your highly valued membership and involvement.

Will Stephens
BoD

[Will Stephens]

I use Stihl but not commercially. 5-15 cord of firewood per year. I use an MS250 for limbing and small logg crosscut and an MS441 for the big stuff. Never a problem. 441 is heavy and probably bigger than I really needed to get after a while but is is surprisingly good on fuel.

[Will Stephens]

You can tell I don’t want to be in the office today and would rather be out building stuff!! Pioneer makes a gange mover. I don’t know but I bet it’s expensive. Human powered reel mowers are available at yard sales all the time. I can easily imagine a few build scenarios to build something trailerable/mountable to your forcart or a stand alone unit, may walk behind so you could make it out of wood. I gotta get out of this office!!

[Will Stephens]

There are mowers designed specifically for that, Single horse.http://smallfarmersjournal.com/wp-content/gallery/farmdrum027a/351-mower-2.jpg is a picture of one. I am planning on trying to convert a side bar mower to this configuration. Hard but not impossible. I have been planning on doing this for several years though. There is a 4 ft single horse mower for sale on this site I am interested in but would not get to doing anything with it for a while. It appears to be a good candidate for the conversion as parts are readily available for that mower (unlike my off brand rusty project mower. I don’t have mowing experience yet but intuitively I think this setup would be better for a single horse than a side mounted sickle bar because there is no side draft for the horse to work against. Donn or Jay Bailey may have experience with these.

[Will Stephens]

Lots here already. A short anecdote… Our Morgan had a VERY fat tongue. He was a real challenge. Almost everyone with horses has a bunch of bits. We ended up using a Mikmar bit which is one I never would have bought but is the only thing we found that works. I have had good luck with a solid bar kimberwick also. Can be neutral like a snaffle but it has slots on the D-Ring that allow subtle changes in available pressure. The point is, borrow as many as you can to try before buying. They are even easier to borrow than collars and they can cost the same to buy.

[Will Stephens]

Jonny,
This is a topic near to my heart for a number of reasons.

I am a carpenter by trade. I worked as a carpenter’s helper in highschool and also did lawns and landscaping. I went to a 4 year college right after high school, working full time, at my parents behest though I wanted to take a year off. I am now a 43 year old carpenter with a double major in Anthropology (I thought I wanted to be an archaeologist) and Literature with a minor in music who spent 12 years paying off his 4 year degree and within two years of graduating realized I would have gone to school for a completely different reason. Unfortunately I couldn’t afford to pay for college twice. I barely made the first time financially.

I would strongly recommend 1-2 years working in the fields you are interested in before college. That will allow you to discover if you like doing what you think you will like doing after college and also give you a better understanding of what level of schooling is appropriate for what you decide.
You will also get more out school the more specifically you know what you want. I am grateful for my degree and if you decide to pursue one you too will appreciate it. There are intangible lessons learned in college that will serve you the rest of your life even if you change fields someday (statistics say you will change fields several times throughout your life) so I am certainly not saying don’t go. But I am a strong advocate for at least one year working in a field you are interested in pursuing before committing to the time and expense of either a 2 or 4 year school.

My opinions only. I am really happy for you to be in such a good position to have the option and opportunity. GOOD LUCK!
Will

[Will Stephens]

I have a 9(? I have to double check) year old Canadian gelding. 14.2 and doesn’t need much to eat. I am looking at a team (Donn, if you are reading this, the negotiating is back on!) and would need to move my Canadian. Good boy, green but does harness and go. He needs every day work and I don’t have enough for him. I need a horse that can go down the road and the road is not for him.

By all means, come to Field Days this fall!

I have a tractor I got really cheap but I borrowed a skid steer for a number of years. A lot of people have them and don’t use them much.

[Will Stephens]

Awesome Jay!

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