Ground Skidding

[Dennis]

I figured I would post a video of my girls pulling a couple logs. I am working with them on a woodlot cleaning up storm debris and making some trails for the landowner. All three of us are at varying levels of green, so any constructive critisimn would be appreciated. One thing that we are working on is backing together when not hooked to the arch.

[video=youtube_share;KTMYfSCDyD4]http://youtu.be/KTMYfSCDyD4[/video]

[Chum 62]

Dennis we all have to start being green first I would shorten the rope you have joining the girls on the hames. for your backing up together you need a strap or rope to go from the out side hame of on to the out side hame of the other mule threaded through the breeching to hold them together at the tail end. that will help out at backing together. by the way good looking mules. I am in the proses of training a team of pony mules for a friend the left hand mule of our team swings out just like you white girl does. chum

[Anonymous]

I don’t know much about mules but if they were horses I would teach them the comand “step in”. Then when they sprall off like that as you are backing them tell them to get in or step in and they’ll square up straighter. All in all looks like you are doing a good job. Might want to hold the grey mule wile the chestnut gets it’s feet where it wants them so it can start with the grey. I don’t think the chestnut likes starting so fast. Might help to lay your hand on the grey and pat it some just to settle it down some before you start them.

Cheers Tristan

[efdgoon]

Dennis,
I agree with Chum. I had the same problem with keeping the team together when backing. I call it a butt rope. It works wonders. Those horses have really big ears!! Good luck.
Jeff

[Donn Hewes]

Those are great looking mules and they are off to a good start. A butt rope is not a bad idea, and it might help. I tend to focus on how the animals are responding to the work. The white mule needs to relax; easier said than done I know. I would work a little slower. In other words a little pause between each phase. Make them stand well before you go. it will also make it safer for you. When I start animals backing, I make them stop every five or ten feet. That does three things. Helps them remember how to stop while backing; helps the teamster check where there are going; and helps keep the team together and relaxed. Make safety your top goal, relaxed animals your second, and the number and size of logs your third. My two cents.

[Brad Johnson]

I second much of what has been said here. And, I would add that backing up is not a natural or instinctive behavior for a mule or horse. They would just as soon turn around right? So, it takes a good relationship and some trust on their part to have them back effectively. I use a butt rope too, but I think time and practice make the biggest difference. A calm teamster with deliberate and consistent commands help a great deal. Good luck!
-Brad

[Steven Q]

Depending on wether you are working on a job, or working on training. If I were working on a job, I wouldn’t be asking them to back that far, it would take a bit too much time as you can see.

Rather, I would drive them until their noses were over top of the hitching point on the log, ask them to haw or gee around, hitch them and go. Understanding you are in the training point as well, there would be a pretty good pause between the hitching and going. My one mare loves working, I’ll drive her to the log, spin her around and we don’t go anywhere until she is calm and relaxed. She gets fired up and I’d way rather her stay in her head.

I also start my horses on ridiculously small logs, just to build their confidence, as well to understand how they are going to take larger loads. The logs in your video look like pretty good sized logs, probably bucked as short as you can without ruining them, maybe you could try hooking to different sized loads, so they get the idea that not every load is going to a heavy load.

Just a couple thoughts, be safe. Be overly generous with your praise as well.
Steve

[Dennis]

I appreciate everyones comments. I plan on taking them out tommorrow so it looks like i will try a but rope. I had not tried it yet because I had heard it was not good to work them with one. I have been alternating the size of the logs when i skid to keep them from anticipating the large ones as bad. Those were the first two logs of the day so they hadn’t gotten the fresh worked out of them yet. The white mule has calmed down with regular work but shall she wants to do is pull. Out of the two of the m the red one has the least experience, but she is the calmest, I got her about two ears ago and she had never been worked with. These are the first two that I have trained and so far I have had better luck with the red one that was green compared to the white one that I was told worked about 7 yrs before I got her. I feel that I have spent more time correcting her prior training to match what I want. Donn, I saw the pics of your Suffolk mule, when she throws the colors you don’t want ou can send them down to Virginia.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Dennis, I don’t think that mare will throw a color I don’t want for the next ten years! I do have two good looking Percherons that I think will foal early next year. I plan to sell those mules at weaning. Your mules look big and friendly. Enjoy the process of making them what you want them to be.

[near horse]

Hi Dennis. Every once in a while I have no butt rope (or baling twine!) handy and I’ve had good success flipping the line(s) over the respective outside of each horse and then backing them. Just that little bit of “feeling restricted” by the presence of something along their outer hip/rear leg is enough to keep them close when backing.

Maybe this is a disaster waiting to happen as I’m pretty green too. It’s not easy being green.

[Dennis]

Geoff, I do the same when they are hook to a cart or arch and it works really good for me. I just haven’t figured out how to do that one handed yet.

[Billy Anderson]

Tristian.
You made a comment about training them to step in. Could you enlighten on that please
Thanks

[Dennis]

So I tried the butt rope today and it seemed to work wonders. It helped out the backing issues and it kept the white mule from stepping out of the traces. With those issues taken care of I was less frustrated which calmed the girls down. Had a very successful day today.

[PeytonM]

I would also check your lines, when i first got my team they would turn inside out and then i did the rope trick from the out side hame around the butt threw the britchen and then to the other hame. I had my team at a buddys and he told me keep that off and he was driving them and parked them and told me to pull the lines, made a new hole on each on where the cross over buckle is and now I just run them up straight pull the lines snug so they are equal and pull straight back on both and they come straight back. my one horse thought he was going to be a smart guy cause he would step out after done backing up so he was way outside and he was broke from that one day.

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