Near Calamity with Neck Yoke Clip

[Does’ Leap]

I was ground skidding logs the other day when one of my horses managed to hook his bottom teeth on the neck yoke clip (attached to the front side strap) on a D-ring harness. At first I thought he was fearful of something in front of him as he started backing rapidly. I quickly moved to the teams heads and saw what was happening. I managed to stop him, but he was extremely uncomfortable with head cocked down and a lot of pressure on his gums and teeth. I thought about cutting the side strap, but it is so thick it would have taken too long before he had enough. Luckily, I managed to get his head down and lever the hook out of his mouth and we went about our business.

It never would have occurred to me that this could happen! I now attach the two side straps together with two rings and a double clip to keep them tight to the horse’s chest when they are not in use.

Stay safe….

George

[Jay]

George, thanks for sharing this story/warning with us. Glad it ended ok for you. Jay

[Carl Russell]

George, I just had the same thing happen the other day… Hitched on the pole on a cart.. Took some doing, but I was also able to get the bit off the way it went on.

Matter of fact, I have had that happen a few times over the years. While it seems like a devastating situation for the horse, I am always pleasantly surprised at how well the animals take direction toward the solution.

Clearly it makes sense to take steps to prevent this from happening, but I also think folks should understand that the underlying communication that you clearly have with your horses is fundamental to successful recovery of these cases.

In my case, my mare threw herself back, and wanted to swing off the road. Of course the stuck bit was overriding everything I was trying to convey through the lines, so I had to rely on voice to calm her down before getting off the cart to even investigate what was going on. Kneeling on the ground in front of the team, lifting up on the pole while pushing down on the horse’s nose, trying to hold the snaffle ring to slide it out of the hold-back hook, and convincing the mare that the added pressure was necessary for relief all add up to substantial commitment from the horse.

She had to really work at getting her head that low,mand that far back to hook herself like that. I am not sure of the circumstances that caused it, but it truly was a freak situation…. 1% type of deal.

As much as we would all like to avoid these problems, I have found that when you work horses, you find mishaps. Prevention is only part of the cure. Preparation for the unpredictable has also got to be part of it.

Stay safe out there, Carl

[Mark Cowdrey]

Wow. I’ve had bit rings get caught there but not teeth!
Makes me go over the way I do things in my head. First, make sure my knife is sharp enough to cut whatever I need to cut when I need to cut it. Second, keep the whole rig as short as possible, figuring that the further back the neck yoke assembly is (closer to the horse), the less likely they are to get hung up in it. Of course there is a practical limit on how close the jockey yoke can be to the horse. For a place to start from, I adjust my front side straps so the hooks will just catch in the top ring of the front lazy strap. I remember when Les Barden showed me that, it was at the get together up at the Ames’ several winters ago.
Not saying George or Carl aren’t running perfectly safe, well adjusted rigs, just expanding a little with some thoughts and observations folks may find useful.
You never know when that 1% chance event will occur, or for that matter the 0.1%….

Mark

[Ed Thayer]

Yikes, glad that worked out OK George. I have not seen that before either. Another item to pay attention to.

[Does’ Leap]

I have never caught a bit on the neck yoke clip and I am glad things worked out for you Carl. Marc, you bring up a good point about side strap adjustment. I also follow Les’s lead and have my side straps adjusted in the same way.

Another preventative measure is having the horses be still while standing. I don’t have a lot of experience watching others work their horses, but I have seen teamsters accept horses bobbing and rubbing their heads. Someone once told me as long as they are not rubbing on each other, it is OK.

I am fairly intolerant of my horses messing around with their heads. I don’t want them rubbing anywhere and certainly not rubbing on each other. Sometimes when it is hot I will give their heads a good scratch and rub down while resting from mowing. Otherwise I respond to any antics with a “HEY, Donn” etc. If they don’t stop we just go back to work and pretty soon they get the picture. I guess I just was not tuned in when this happened.

Having an experience like this is simultaneously frightening and reassuring. Things could have become bad very quickly, but it is reassuring that despite the pain and unyielding pressure, this horse was able to remain calm and confident in me solving the problem.

George

[Carl Russell]

I missed the part about it being teeth. I was assume it was bit…. Mine was bit ring… My hold backs are adjusted as yours.

When ground driving I always hook them up on the market strap ring.

Strange indeed George…

[mitchmaine]

it happens with belly backer too. the breast strap snap loves to capture a bit ring. I use only buckled lines for that same reason. snaps on lines love to capture anything they can find including halter rings on other horses. which leads me to this next thought.
I wonder if any of you ever considered using heavy buckles for breast and side straps? I thought about it now and then, but some of my horses have been pretty good at understanding whoa and I have always seemed to manage to get out of my messes ok so far. but who knows what horse is coming down the road.
it would be a little bit of work buckling in every time. I have never done it. just wondering.
glad it worked out for you George, it can be a pretty hectic couple of minutes

[karl t pfister]

A couple three years ago I had a series of 3 bit hold back happenings with 3 different horses.I’d had it happen a few times in the previous 20 years but this was the last straw, so I bought some trigger type bull snaps no more accidental hooking up. It is a little troublesome hooking to the yoke but I think worth it .
I probably could have been more diligent while training to stand but I didn’t use to stand still to good myself , now I move slow and stand still a lot.

[LStone]

I had my mare get her teeth caught on that same hook a few years back… Same, same results luckily. My hooks are pointed inboard and I think I talked about this with the group when it happened. Someone, I think Carl mentioned the working part of his hooks are facing down. I’ve been sort of inactively looking for hooks that would face the same way. I don’t like an active head while standing but horses will be horses. luckily through line contact and a using a head check you can prevent most of the movement. It just goes to show that while you are teamstering it is a full time job.

[Donn Hewes]

hey George, I didn’t know you had a horse named after me! I am honored. Or perhaps it is like when my mother used to call us by the name of the child that best represented the crime being committed! You use my name to say “don’t grow up to be like him”.

I don’t think it is the part George was hooked on, but Meader Supply does carry the downward facing hook for your side straps. As i am about to have a local Amish shop make me a couple harnesses I am wondering if anyone knows how to find a in solid brass or stainless steel. I would also like to find that front hook in the same. I am also looking for the D ring that is one piece with no bolt. Donn

[Carl Russell]

Auctions Donn… Auctions….. I can’t part with them, but I have found them that way…. and I am the local depository for all thing old horse from many older gents who have been holding on to good old stuff for years…..

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