when we are better they are better

[lynn miller]

I have for decades trained horses for work, I have learned that the best animals are those who are worked regularly and who are always in training. Each time I allow an infraction of my working standards of conduct I am telling the animals that the rules don’t count. This makes of them lesser work mates. I screw them up with my laziness. When I discipline myself to constantly reinforce the behavior rules for the horses all of us are better.

The same thing may be said of us as farmers, only we are in charge of our own training. Each time we let rules of behavior or work slide we become less effective. Tedium will tempt us to cut corners, to court the more simply predictable at the expense of the magic that did and will and could motivate us.

I still choose to depend on draft horses as motive power for the farming. I never tire of them or the nature of my working partnership. It is always fresh and intriguing. In the oft quoted words of my mentor Ray Drongesen “The longer I work them, the less I know, and the easier it gets.” There are many other choices to farming that can have the same refreshing aspect. They can be identified for most any operation. And they need to be utilized to keep the enchantment in our work.

[CRTreeDude]

Your comments follows my reasoning. I think as a culture it is so easy to get into a quick fix and quick results where as it used to be thought that slow and steady wins the race.

In our own operation, I like to occassionally take a break and look around to see where we are compared to a year ago. Is the streams and rivers healthier? How is the animals and wildlife? How about the workers?

We have grown much over the last 5 years, but it has been gradual. The key is to not let go what you have accomplished and to enjoy the road, not the end result.

[Anonymous]

I always said that the best broke horse is the one that’s finally finished with the spring plowing.
The truth is, if you’re working horses full time, you’re not making enough money to be sustainable.

[CRTreeDude]

I guess one advantage we have here is we have a 365 day growing season – smooths out the work for sure. (yeah, we are always busy!)

But it is true, when you finish a big job everything is really working well.

We are large enough (more than 20 workers) that we can have someone working the horses year-round. And with 500+ acres, we have more than enough work.

[Carl Russell]

@lynn miller 16 wrote:

……the best animals are those who are worked regularly and who are always in training. …….

The same thing may be said of us as farmers, only we are in charge of our own training. …….. Tedium will tempt us to cut corners, to court the more simply predictable at the expense of the magic that did and will and could motivate us.

I still choose to depend on draft horses as motive power for the farming. I never tire of them or the nature of my working partnership. It is always fresh and intriguing. ……..

This is at the root of what I find so attractive about using draft animals. I stopped a long time ago trying to “train” my animals. I am always trying to respond to the situation at hand , the moment. I don’t want to have animals that are without spirit or motivation, so I don’t concentrate on rehearsed expectations.

What I do concentrate on is communication. I expect that my animals learn to listen to me, and to trust me when I give commands. I never assume that they have any predictable coarse of action. Therefore I have to be completely alert and aware of not only the working situation, but also aware of them and their re/actions.

We are always working to improve communication as we are working. The work is being accomplished in the moment as I am appraising the situation, and then communicating to the animals the appropriate action. There is no room for tedium. It is always fresh.

This kind of experience can be had with machinery or tools as well. I know that many people, including myself, feel invigorated by the momentary mental and physical actions required to perform tasks with tools and machines.

There is a difference however when working with living beasts, as they have no gears, throttle, or key, and they do have sensitivity, brains, and heart. It may not be the measure of success, or sustainability, but it sure is intriguing and rewarding to be involved in that organic mechanism of communication.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

In thinking about the discussion in Horses Standing, I recalled these comments in this short thread. This was one of the very first threads on this forum.

Carl Russell wrote:

What I do concentrate on is communication. I expect that my animals learn to listen to me, and to trust me when I give commands. I never assume that they have any predictable coarse of action. Therefore I have to be completely alert and aware of not only the working situation, but also aware of them and their re/actions.

@lynn miller]I still choose to depend on draft horses as motive power for the farming. I never tire of them or the nature of my working partnership. It is always fresh and intriguing. In the oft quoted words of my mentor Ray Drongesen &#8220 The longer I work them, the less I know, and the easier it gets.” [/QUOTE wrote:

Carl

[mitchmaine]

The other day after collecting sap from our woodlot, I was letting a young woman who had come to “learn” about horses take them around the fields by herself a couple times. There were three of us perched on a bale of straw, and I was trying to answer her tough questions about driving horses. She was really putting me on the spot there. Actually I was realizing again after a long stretch, how much about teaming skills I can’t seem to verbalize. Things you do often , good or poor, are often taken for granted. Something you do over and over without thinking about too much, until someone asks why.
When I do work my horses, I don’t actually talk to them very much. Now and then, when I’m chatty, but as a rule not too much. But as I was chattering away like a magpie, everytime I said “go” or “slow” or “hello” or anything that rhymed with whoa, the horses stopped dead in their tracks. We got to laughing about it and decided to talk later and let her drive, but it gave me a moments incite, a little deeper into what it is that we do. They were listening again. They do it all the time, even when I think they aren’t. everytime something like that happens I get a rush out of it.
Lynn miller repeats that quote(above)by his friend lots of times over the years. I liked it and wrote it down with a crayon on the inside of my grainbox so I see it each time I pop the lid.

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