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Great points Donn. Photos only capture a moment, but sometimes they show us things that we don’t notice or can’t perceive well while we are on the lines. Some times it is a line adjustment problem, but it can also be a multitude of other factors or combinations.
Two years ago one of Sam’s black mares started to hold herself oddly. The harness and lines had not been changed and she had been working well all summer. Sam swapped sides, adjusted the lines, checked her shoulders for sores and collar fit, checked her harness over for any changes that may be irritating, but nothing seemed to get her pointed straight as usual. I decided one day that it was time for hair cuts (we roach manes) and as I took the clippers to the mane at the base of her neck, she jumped. There were no visual signs that she had a problem, her mane was at least an inch long, and to gently palpate the area it seemed fine. Upon closer inspection and some careful clipping, it became apparent that she had a large sore under all that hair and the cause of it seemed to be a tick. Once clipped and clean she had a quarter sized open sore. After 2 weeks rest and some TLC, she was back to her normal “straight in the traces” self.
Another example is Sam’s old Dillon horse, he is a champion on many levels, including the most important, being the “go to” horse at home when you need some real grunt for a project. Dillon is easily recognized in recent photos as Sam’s grey near horse that almost always has his head cocked to the left. Now 18 years old, Dillon has developed some arthritis in is neck and after some dental and chiropractic work, and quite a bit of experimenting with the lines, we have decided that he is just more comfortable going forward with his head cocked to the left. He is a “behind the bit” kind of horse, this bothers us, so we have been working with a couple different bits to find him something that works best with his compromised breathing and large tongue (he is a roarer). Maybe he carries his head that way to help his breathing? We hope to find a high ported curb bit to give his tongue more room, in theory, this may help him swallow and breath better while he is working, it may help straighten him out some too. Who knows? It won’t hurt trying something new.
Horses are dynamic creatures, like humans, so many factors can change during the year and years: weight, Body Mass Index, fitness, etc. We use the same horse on a regular basis, once in a while something wakes us up out of routine to realize that they no longer fit a harness/collar/bridle like they used to. It just sneaks up on you sometimes. This summer we realized that Sam’s older geldings really needed smaller collars, at 16 and 18 they are past their prime and it was time to adjust to the changes in their bodies. A couple weeks ago I witnessed and experienced teamster take a horse out, one that had not been used on a couple months, harness her up, then off to work to see how the long rest had treated her. It wasn’t until in the woods looking at the horse from a distance when he realized, something isn’t right, her collar no longer fit, it was now too small. It happens to the best of us, our animals, like ourselves and the world around us are ever changing.
There are so many variables that can contribute to, or block us from our goals as teamsters. I have to admit that as much as I hate to find a problem, it is finding a good solution that makes my work so rewarding as a teamster. I wanted to add these examples to this conversation so that a novice might realize that though it is good to check the adjustment of the lines, not all “straightness” problems are solved solely by adjusting the lines.
I think Mark is onto something, line adjustment and all the variables of drop rings, spreaders, etc, would make a fantastic topic for a DAPFD workshop.
Grasses grow stronger with a legume. Alfalfa, even the newer branched varieties, will not tolerate such wet conditions. There is a new red clover named “Freedom!” It lacks the heavy pubescence (hairs) that regular medium clover has and therefore drys down faster for making hay. Red clovers are generally more tolerant of wet fields than alfalfa.
I have lived on 2 farms that swear by a Timothy/Broome mix, one with red clover (clay soil) one without clover (loamy sand), either way it makes good feed and the animals like it.
The last few bags of Timothy that I bought are a late variety and even though it is only a few days later than the regular “Climax” variety, some times a few days can make a word of difference in quality. There are also some good late orchard grass varieties out there that can give yo a leg up on quality if you can’t get on the field super early.
I buy a lot of seed from Kings and Lancaster Ag (Kings neighbor with a few different other brands).
