Apollo, a work in progress

[Joshua Kingsley]

Sounds really good. I am glad that you have taken the time to go back and work with this promising stallion. You should have a real nice team if things work out with hooking him and Hermes. Best of luck and be safe in those woods.
Joshua

[cousin jack]

Ok, here’s “the boy” as we call him, working on the skid arch, he is going really well now, always knew he was going to be a star, he just wanted to make me work for it 😀
http://www.draftanimalpower.com/photoplog/index.php?n=482
http://www.draftanimalpower.com/photoplog/index.php?n=481
http://www.draftanimalpower.com/photoplog/index.php?n=480

[cousin jack]

“The boy”, just keeps getting better. I was working away for a week, so never got to work him for 10 days, I thought he just might be a bit silly, not a bit of it! He just went back to work without a care in the world, one little hiccup occurred when I left him standing loose while I cut some brash, ( I had anticipated something maybe happening and had removed the swingle tree). Anyway, he stood like a rock, but when I cut the chainsaw, he started to walk off, I was about 20yds away, so played him at his own game, and told him to walk on rather than whoa, when I was powerless to enforce it, the moment he slowed and lowered his head to pick some grass, I whoa’ed, picked up the reins and back to work as if nothing had happened. Afterwards, I tied him to a tree just in case, and this next bit relates to his intelligence, after snedding a tree, I unhooked the rope from his headcollar, but left the rope tied to the tree. The pull out was approx, 75yds, got out, unhitched, turned around and walked back in, just short of my next pull, he stopped, thinking he was going to stale, I stood for a while waiting, nothing, then I saw where he had stopped, right by the tree with the lead rope on, I think before too long he will be able to make me a cup of tea 😀

[cousin jack]

The title describes are next episode wonderfully. Apollo has been working well on the chains and arch, very well. I wanted to get him going in the forwarder and with hindsight should have progressively built up to it, but after a hard mornings work put him in the forwarder in the round pen, he did’nt like it too much but settled eventually and we moved onto the field. Once in the open, he set off at a canter but after a couple of laps slowed and settled down to walk. Each time I asked him to walk on he set off hard trotting then came back to a walk, he seemed to struggle with the balance of power needed to start the forwarder then easing off just to keep it moving. Eventually he got the hang of it and we started sensibly, stopped, turned hard with no problems and things were good, so stopped there.
The forwarder was very stable and never felt like turning over!
The next day I was complacent and lazy! I decided not to bother working him in and put him straight into the forwarder, as soon as I got on he was off. I was not overly worried as this had happened yesterday and I thought a couple of laps and he will steady up, I made no attempt to slow him or apply the brakes to the forwarder, but he was obviously fresher than the day before and we must have been going a bit faster, as we started to turn I felt the forwarder going over as if it were in slow motion, we hit the ground with a fair old bang and I was spat out of the back as the machine ploughed into the ground. As I crawled away I knew my leg was broken and was already dialling 999 on my mobile before my wife got to me, she got her priorities right 😀 told me to keep still then unhitched the horse who was standing as still as a statue.
Anyway, a long story short, but I broke my leg in two places, will be in plaster for 8 weeks, and probably a bit longer before I am walking properly again, still, it could have been a lot worse, on the plus side it gives me plenty of time to build a proper breaking cart, I still have faith in this horse, but he might just have his nuts removed as retribution, all the best folks, CJ

[CharlyBonifaz]

outch!
good healings !

[cousin jack]

@CharlyBonifaz 21392 wrote:

outch!
good healings !

Thank you, Charly

[lancek]

Hey Jac don’t you know your spouse to spread your arms an flap like a bird and then run like a goose when you land still flapping ones arms this way you don’t break anything when you land ! Of course the neighbors will think you should be committed after words but thats ok you still didn’t break anything!Now the nexted lesson I will teach you how to run and scream bees bees every other step while finding a river to jump in after you have cut stright through a bee hive in a tree, thats real fun! Any way hope you feel better sone and dont demand too much from your wife or she will colber you with a frying pan ‘ or at least thats what happens to me when Im sick and needing attention! lancek

[mitchmaine]

very sorry to hear of your troubles. eight weeks should give you time to make a good plan. good luck next time around. keep us posted on progress. thanks, mitch

[cousin jack]

@lancek 21397 wrote:

Hey Jac don’t you know your spouse to spread your arms an flap like a bird and then run like a goose when you land still flapping ones arms this way you don’t break anything when you land ! Of course the neighbors will think you should be committed after words but thats ok you still didn’t break anything!Now the nexted lesson I will teach you how to run and scream bees bees every other step while finding a river to jump in after you have cut stright through a bee hive in a tree, thats real fun! Any way hope you feel better sone and dont demand too much from your wife or she will colber you with a frying pan ‘ or at least thats what happens to me when Im sick and needing attention! lancek

😀 Laughing out loud

[cousin jack]

@mitchmaine 21404 wrote:

very sorry to hear of your troubles. eight weeks should give you time to make a good plan. good luck next time around. keep us posted on progress. thanks, mitch

Will do Mitch

[cousin jack]

[img]http://www.draftanimalpower.com/photoplog/images/706/medium/1_2074.JPG[/img]
Ok, we’re back, 7 months down the line, and I’m not sure if I’m mad or not, but I am going to try again. I notice there are over 3000 views of this thread, seems like a lot of people want to know the outcome, well you will read it here, if I fail I won’t hide it!
I decided he had to come back up to speed pretty quick if we were to get anywhere, so far so good and back into the shafts after a couple of sessions in the round pen. I have a Liverpool bit in now, with a curb chain, not at it’s most severe setting, I want to keep something in reserve if need be. Anyway, will keep you posted!

[jac]

Hey its great to see you back again.. he looks fairly settled in the foto. Good luck…and your not mad..just addicted:D…
John

[Pebbles]

Just joined draft horse power last week. Read your thread today so glad you are back. It does put the fear of God in you when you read of someone (you) who is doing everything well, taking their time and gets hurt.

I’m just starting my driving adventure, training my quarter horse. One thing I have really noticed, you can never relax and stop planning ahead when driving. I, like you, have trained and ridden saddle horses all my life, with driving I am learning you as the teamster much always be on the ball-no coasting allowed 🙂 it seems like the second your mind wanders something goes wrong.

Thank you so much for sharing-I am learning a lot from your experience.

[cousin jack]

Well, despite everything going well at home in the pen, and the paddock and out on the road locally, as soon as we went to the wood yesterday he bolted as I was about to hitch him to a log, no reason, no excuse, he knew what I was going to ask him to do next and he said, “no way”. I am not prepared to risk anyone’s safety anymore, so this is the end of the story, thanks for looking in, CJ

[jac]

Cousin Jack im not so sure id give up just yet.. me personally, I would hitch him to a hitch cart and gradually increase the load till he is really having to work at a constant pull.. away from the woods to start. My big bay gelding was like that a bit when we got him and it took a while but he came good.. hard work can take his mind away from a lot. Just my thots. He looks so calm in the earlier fotos id hate to see you give up on him just yet….
John

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