tying a horse in the woods

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Julie, I am not a parent and so probably have more way to screw this up than I even know. Fortunately my personality never led me to consider not doing something for that reason. The baby monitor was the thing that allowed you to consider going out in the first place, right? Now it is just a question of how to respond to it when called. Unhook the single horse from what ever it is hitched to. Take the horse to the customary place to tie it up. If it has a halter on tie it up and go. if not change the bridle to a halter and then go. If my wife called to tell me (she would have to yell because I am getting a little hard of hearing) that the house was on fire; I would quickly unhook from the equipment I was using and go put my horses in the barn. Then I would deal with the next issue in that order. I hope I can say all this just to give you some other ways of looking at things. I really don’t mean any offense.

[Carl Russell]

Julie, sounds like you’re trying to cover a lot of bases. Now I wasn’t breast feeding, but I did do a lot of rearing as Lisa has always had a more steady income, and she would leave the farm regularly. When I had to choose between child care and working the horses, child care won out. Just sayin’….

I know it doesn’t get the work done, but that is the kind of distraction that I just wouldn’t bring to my working relationship with my animals.

That being said, I will harness my horses in the morning when I’m in the barn cleaning and feeding, and then leave them in the tie-stalls until I have time to work with them. Sometimes I end up unharnessing them at the end of the day without working them.

I think the immediacy of the transition you are trying to make adds too much stress to the equation. I never want to leave my horses in any way other than where they can stand for hours unattended. You never know what you may get involved in, especially with a youngster.

I have a lot of respect for you wanting to be a productive contributor beyond motherhood, but one way or the other you will be facing risk.

Just relax and do what you can do easily, safely, and enjoyably.

Maybe there is a neighbor or a homeschooler nearby who would like to watch you work your horse and run interference with the monitor while you unhitch and tie-off.:)

Carl

[Julie Clemons]

Rick – Yes, Jonathan said he saw you up there last fall during muzzleloader season. he said you were working a mare single and had another suffolk tied up to the trailer? He is actually going back up there next weekend to feed the blackflies, I mean, flyfish with some friends. Maybe you’ll see him. I forget which cabin they are staying in, but they are meeting a fish biologist up there so they can catch fish for science. They did this last year – they catch fish and she puts transmitters in their bellies and lets them go again. I think she works for the state of NH.

Donn and Carl – thanks for your thoughts. Maybe I am just trying to do too much. It is just driving me nuts looking out the windows at all the work I could be doing, and at Lil out there getting fat. I suppose this is why historically the housework has become women’s work – things you can put down when the baby hollers. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t drive me nuts though. I suppose back in the day I would have been in the house cooking for 20 field hands, so I should count my blessings. (But then of course I would have 20 field hands! Imagine all the work THEY could get done!) I do have a babysitter who comes a couple of hours, a couple of days a week.

I would be happy to put a halter under her bridle except that she is in between sizes (in between “large horse” and “draft”) so her bridle is barely big enough – but the draft size bridle I bought could not be buckled down tight enough, even if I had punched extra holes. So regardless of the motherhood issue, my original question – why don’t you see more people using neck straps on horses? Just a matter of convention? Or are halters actually safer? Or is it like blinders – you will find arguments both pro and con?

[Rick Alger]

Julie,

I’m going to miss the fishing party this year, but I expect to be back in the fall. They tell me some of those fish move 15 miles up and down the Diamond. This is amazing when you consider all the rapids and falls they have to negotiate.

On neck straps, I have used one on a horse whose nose was chafed raw. It was fine for tie up, but lousy for leading.

[Julie Clemons]

Oh, good point. Lil leads so easily that I would not have thought of that. You might have to retrain a horse to lead by a neck strap.

[leehorselogger]

@Rick Alger 27242 wrote:

Julie,

I’m going to miss the fishing party this year, but I expect to be back in the fall. They tell me some of those fish move 15 miles up and down the Diamond. This is amazing when you consider all the rapids and falls they have to negotiate.

On neck straps, I have used one on a horse whose nose was chafed raw. It was fine for tie up, but lousy for leading.

loop leadline over nose…instant halter….my three main horses haven’t had a halter on them in 5 years….neck collars…..and always a secure high tie when in the woods,or side of wagon…..

[mitchmaine]

julie,
i once poured a couple concrete blocks for weight for my harrows and stood horseshoes up in the concrete for handles. they worked great. another thing they worked out good for was tying horses to. spreading manure out in the open fields was a trick to let the horses stand while you hopped on a tractor and swung a full bucket back and forth over their flanks. so i dragged the blocks out and tied off and the horses never tried once to move them. the weighed only about 30 – 40 lb. apeice and snapped into the nose ring on their halters. i like halters. don’t know how well the blocks would work hooked to a sidestrap or neck strap.
and i remember you saying your horses was inbetween sizes and hard to fit a halter to. you might be able to slip a large draft halter on over your bridled horse just for and only when tying off. just a thought. mitch

[Does’ Leap]

Julie:

I am a big fan of rope halters. They are less bulky than regular halters and fit under the bridle nicely. You can also tie them to fit your horse. Here’s a link if you’re interested:http://www.naturalhorsesupply.com/tiehalter.shtml

George

[Roscoe]

What about the kind of driving halter/bridle that they use in europe?
It’s basicly a halter, and you just snap the bit. For logging and fieldwork (hitched abreast), you don’t need blinders anyway.
I got once a driving halter from a old fellow, an then I ordered by Aaron Martin a pair custom made, granite material, nice spotted for my parade harness thatn I used for hayrides.
By short breaks, just snap a rope or chain to the center ring, for longer breaks, take bits out aus well and feed them with nosebags.

http://www.draftanimalpower.com/photoplog/index.php?n=602 http://www.draftanimalpower.com/photoplog/index.php?n=601

[Scott G]

Roscoe & all,

Here is a link for one. They intrigue me and I’m considering trying an open bridle (no blinders) just to see how well it works in the woods. You could rig up your own just with a halter but I like the bit carrier straps and the extra d-rings on the cheek piece, more adjustment. The one pictured is nylon but they make them with beta as well.

Halter/Bridle

[Simple Living]

I have a nylon halter bridle combo the kids use alot when they are riding the Haflingers. It is an open faced with a brow band. It works well because I don’t have to worry about them losing the horse when switching from bridle to halter. I just found this one doing an online search. http://greenrivertack.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24_57&products_id=229&osCsid=7240576da00bb8851b6b033a86f23933 It is leather and comes in Draft size as well. And the price doesn’t seem to be that bad as well. BUT then again we all know that most times you get what you pay for.

Gordon

[Author]

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