Working the Haflingers

[Joshua Kingsley]

Well with all the changes in the last year and a half I have finally settled on Haflingers. I am currently working two pair on a regular basis. One pair of Geldings that are about 13.2hh and weigh around 1650 or 1700# combined. They are great in the woods for hauling out fire wood and such and are great for road work as they are real traffic safe, one issue I am having with them is getting them to work on farm machinery.

The other pair I am working right now are two of my mares. Natya is currently nursing a stud colt and I am trying to work her with and with out the colt along side, if I am on the road much I won’t take him as I am worried about the blacktop on his young joints and hooves. The other mare is Suspensa’s Suprise or Sunny as she is called. They are getting better every time I hitch them as Sunny has only been here for a few days.
Yet to be hitched are two mares that are raising fillies and the stallion, though I have had him harnessed, I haven’t gotten down to any real work yet.

I hauled in 3 loads of loose hay with the mares tonight with the forecart and a 4X6 trailer. There is still a load or two out in the field to bring in, so that will be the task in the morning.

Joshua

[Howling Farmer]

I enjoy hearing about your Haflingers and would love to hear more about your haying process. I’m doing hay for the first time this year, and am still figuring out the best system for getting enough in without spending every free moment making hay. I do enjoy it, but my garden has been sorely neglected this summer and I still have firewood to stack! Do you stack your loose hay in the barn? I’ve been baling mine using this hand baler I made from plans off the internet. I like the idea of hauling the hay in with a trailer. I have a lightweight 4X6 trailer as well, but unfortunately no forecart. We’ve been hauling hay in on tarps, but it definitely limits how much I can get in at one time.
Leslie

[Joshua Kingsley]

I tacked up and drove one of the Mares that is nursing, Little Darling is a willing mare that should be a near perfect match to Natya when they are both worked a little more. They match in color, and in build almost perfectly, the biggest difference is that Natya has two white stockings on her hind legs and Little darling is more of a solid light chestnut, they both have white blazes that go all the way down thier face.
A-Stone was a lot better the second time I harnessed him and was willing to move out nicely with a lighter bit setup. I found out after I had harnessed him the first time that he had been worked in a snaffle and not the Buxton bits that I had origionally been told that were what he was used to.

The three year old Gelding Ace is getting an introduction to the harness as well and is proving to be an easy fellow to work with, he will stuff his head right through a collar and is getting the Idea that the bit is ok to be in his mouth. I have not yet fully harnessed him though he will move out with a belly band and bridle on. I hope to hook him in the next week or two depending on his progress. I am in no huge rush to start him as I am also trying to get ready for wagon rides which will be starting soon.
Joshua

[Joshua Kingsley]

Leslie,
I have been mowing with the tractor so far as I am still trying to get my mower in shape after trying to mow with a pair that were not ready. The mares that I have been working should go on the mower some time this week to try, if all goes well we will attempt to get in some second cut with them.

The loose hay is from a small piece, that is on the edge of one of dad’s corn fields. I bring the hay in loose because the field is so small that it would be harder to get the baler in and move around then it is really worth. The hay goes into a bay in the barn and usually ends up being fed out to the animals that are in the dry lot, as some of the haflingers I own are REAL easy keepers… they get fat on air. If your trailer is real light I would see if I could figure out a way to hook some shafts to it and use your Haflinger to haul in the hay that way.
Joshua

[Joshua Kingsley]

Well I got some second cut raked on Saturday just in time for the rain to come in. The five acres gave the horses a bit of a work out but they were still ready for more when we were done. I am hoping to get working on some firewood soon, Dad is talking about cutting a bunch so I am going to use the horses to bring it all home. The mares will be good for this as it means standing while I am loading the smaller chunk wood into the wagon. They are a good steady team that will let me work on the ground and such with out a lot of excitement. The geldings that I have been working since March are a bit more up on the bit and tend to want to move around.
I can work them on the boat or anything for at least a half hour before they begin to want to stand. They are just a really wound up pair. Great for twitching out wood though. You can hook them to about any stick I would have here and they will go with it.

Unless dad decides to knock down the big oak… Then it won’t matter what I have for horses on the load it will take alot to get that moving. This tree is over 5 foot across at brest height! It provides a lot of shade in the pasture so I am guessing that as long as it stays healthy it will stay. There are some bigger Cherries and maples that will be coming out this year, along with the continuation of our thinning project.
Joshua

[Joshua Kingsley]

Well the wood lot is looking in better shape all the time. The houses are warm and the horses have been doing a good job brining in the wood.
Dad was helping with the horses a week ago and he kinda gavve me an ultimatium. Charlie my gelding that matched my bigger mare had to go. After a year of trying every trick I know to get him relaxed when working he just wasn’t calming down to the point that dad was comfortable with him here. Seeing as he owns the farm and I lease a secton of it for my horses and projects he has some sway over what I am able to have for horses.
Charlie had been good in the wood lot and on some equipment but had some real issues on other things. One was shoeing, he would let me trim him and maintain a barefoot hoof well but shoes would involve a horse that was in the air and striking or kicking out and bucking on the rear. He put me in the manger on a couple of occasions after working when it was feeding time and some other things. He had an old injury form an incident with my EX.. and so on.
To keep the peace I decided to move him on, well more like I was told that he goes or they all are going… So last Saturday he went to a fellow that was looking for a up on the bit driving horse.
Now I am at a loss as that split my main team.
Natya hasn’t been worked much in the last few months and is really getting big carrying a foal, and the only other mare I have is my bigger Mare Sunny. Sunny out weighs Natya by over a hundred pounds ( usually not a big deal till you figure that they only weigh 745 and 875) and is really a great worker, moves out and loves to pull and Natya is 16 and always a step or two behind. So now I have horses here but one is too young as he is going to be 1 in may and the other ones don’t pair up well.
So I am trying to do the best I can working single horses and then pairing up when I really need to but the best thing would be to find Sunny another mate…

Sorry for the ramble
Joshua

[Author]

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