Line buckle slips through hames ring

[LStone]

I am wondering if anyone can help me with a problem I had last week that has happened to me before. I was wondering what, if anything can be done to prevent the team line buckles from sliding through the hames ring. I know probably the best idea is to pay attention and not let them slide through, but sometimes…

Any advice?

Thanks
Larry

[Donn Hewes]

yes, this can be a big problem. Most of the time you give it a yank and it comes back through. That makes it too easy to overlook. There have been accidents were this was part of the cause.

Training horses to work together and teamsters to respond when they aren’t is part of the answer. There are other solutions. I have three sets of team lines I use regularly.

The first is a set I had modified so the stub lines are long, (almost 8′). They come together near the horses butts and a horse would need to go along way past the other before the buckle approached the hames. These lines have been great, but I can drop the lines over a mules butt and have to lift it off of there. I have never gotten stuck there.

The next is a set that were given to me. They have a metal ring under the leather at the buckle. Since this ring doesn’t fit through the hames it prevents them getting stuck. This has worked perfectly also.

Finally, and old set of leather lines with no defenses at all. I use them regularly, but I am aware of the risk of getting a buckle stuck. There are a lot of reasons to keep them working side by side, but with young stock you are teaching them and some line solutions might be useful.

[Gabe Ayers]

Find a ring that is to big to go through the hame line ring, but large enough to let your buckle on the end of the line go through and put it in front of that on your lines so it catches the buckle on the spreader line before it goes through the hame ring and causing a runaway. You can’t hold/drive them by the shoulders.

This has been done with a piece of thick back leather also, but the ring works better.

This is especially a good trick with a young pair being started out on the ground without a tongue. We have found that sometimes old worn out halters will have such a diameter ring.

[Donn Hewes]

yes, this can be a big problem. Most of the time you give it a yank and it comes back through. That makes it too easy to overlook. There have been accidents were this was part of the cause.

Training horses to work together and teamsters to respond when they aren’t is part of the answer. There are other solutions. I have three sets of team lines I use regularly.

The first is a set I had modified so the stub lines are long, (almost 8′). They come together near the horses butts and a horse would need to go along way past the other before the buckle approached the hames. These lines have been great, but I can drop the lines over a mules butt and have to lift it off of there. I have never gotten stuck there.

The next is a set that were given to me. They have a metal ring under the leather at the buckle. Since this ring doesn’t fit through the hames it prevents them getting stuck. This has worked perfectly also.

Finally, and old set of leather lines with no defenses at all. I use them regularly, but I am aware of the risk of getting a buckle stuck. There are a lot of reasons to keep teams working side by side, but with young stock you are teaching them and some line solutions might be useful.

[Mark Cowdrey]

I use a ring in the buckle. I actually have it under the loop of the main line that goes through the buckle so it is held snuggly in place.

Although it does not directly address this issue, using a butt rope helps keep the horses walking up together, reducing the risk of a buckle passing through.

Donn, I know a fellow who has a set of those long cross checks & they drive me crazy. They are forever getting down around the butt when I try to use them. Just my perspective.

Larry, stop by if you ever get over Andover way.

Mark

[LStone]

Yeah I suspected that the stupid human is mainly responsible for this and I am willing to pay closer attention in the future. Anyway great advice here. I will try it all before I am done, I am sure. Anyhow yesterday I re-read the essay by Doc Hammel about the ten most common wrecks yesterday after I posted my question. He used the ring on the buckle method for that too. I think as time goes on it’s probably a good idea to re-read that article from time to time.
Thanks for your support.

Larry

[Vand]

We slide a leather disk (with a slot cut through the middle that the line fits through) onto the line infront of the buckle. That way, when the buckle reaches the hame ring, it can’t fit through and doesn’t get stuck. When training colts or unruly client’s horses, this simple addition has proved to be a lifesaver.:)

[Rod]

I like a longer stub line like Donn described. The buckles are so far away from the hame ring I don’t see how they could even even close to it. My buckle rests on the horses butt in front of the spider.

Incidently I had a big problem with my teams longitudinal alignment (not even when pulling) and solved it by adjusting the stub line length. Mine is 8″ longer than the outside line now and they walk right togeather with the yoke at right angles to the pole (usually). Not my idea but I read about it is Steve Bower book ” A Teamsters View” He is against the short stub lines that are often used and has a good explanation of why in the book>

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