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Chester Grimes, made in 1971 by Herb Di Gioia and his partner, the late David Hancock, has not been available for public viewing in years. It tells the story of a 70-year-old logger who still worked in northern Vermont at that advanced age with his team of horses. Di Gioia, who lives in Sutton, Vt. and is well known in the world of film documentary and ethnography, pioneered “observational cinema”
I think it deserves observation for several distinct aspects of horsemanship, technical workmanship, and stewardship. This seemingly uncomplicated countryman demonstrates some valuable traits that I think are worth pointing out.
His humble yet confidently comfortable style of interacting, and working around his horses is a subtle and often overlooked manner that is foundational to the exceptional performance and handle-ability of the animals. At one point, when the horses are getting shod, the blacksmith is overheard barking commands at the horses, which is a common and more noticeable mannerism….. more demonstrative…. and therefore possibly apparently picked up and passed on as “THE” way to communicate to horses. There are several other gentlemen joshing about an unruly mare, and dismissing his claims that he could gentle her in a day to work without driving……..
I have seen this dynamic at work, and for many years I never even noticed the quiet patient men, until it finally sunk in that their horses paid far more attention to them than the others did to the barkers….. this is worth watching over and over again…. These horses are not pre-programmed, they are listening and working with Chet on a moment to moment basis, not just responding to commands.
Also of note is the way the D-ring harnesses are fit to the horses. Britchens are high and tight. When hitched, the pole is high, and there is no slack in the hitch. The log trucker tries to tell him the horses should be hooked longer to use the pole for leverage, but Chet stands his ground. Horses do not turn a sled from the tip of the pole, they turn it at the evener. The pole is for holding-back, and backing.
The way he uses the peavey is instructive too. He puts very little effort into it, using gravity and the balance of the logs to his advantage. Planning will out-perform brute strength every time. Logs are secured using load chains with a large slip hook and a Fid hook. A very effective and once common way to use one chain to hold multiple logs, and variable-sized loads.
Finally, he gets ridiculed by the trucker for cutting poor quality logs. When he says he has good logs still on the stump, he is told that he should cut the good first and not worry about the other guy. His response is that he does care about others who may use the lot in the future. Worst-first forest management in a nut-shell.
Work has a purpose that extends beyond the immediate gain, and it is a stewardship land-ethic worth regaining. It breaks his heart to see the working landscape deteriorating before his eyes. Of course there were always economic pressures that led folks to make poor environmental choices, but there is a truth to the lives that tie themselves to the land and natural functions.
In the face of all that this world has become, I believe it is important to be relearning, and sharing these methods, techniques, and philosophies. Thanks Chet.
Carl
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