[JaredWoodcock]

What is the collar behind the bridle for?

[JaredWoodcock]

Welcome, There is a young woman in the pacific northwest who has a team of mustangs that she farms with. Please post some picture/stories of your progress working with your horses! This a great forum and most of us don’t mind answering questions that we have answered before, so dont be shy.

[JaredWoodcock]

In pinch I have used two trees that are growing close enough to wedge the pipe in. Simple conduit pipe benders are pretty common and you may have a friend or plumber who owns one that you could borrow. Go slow and make small bends and you will be fine.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ideal-1-2-in-EMT-Aluminum-Bender-Head-and-Handle-74-046/100341459?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-BASE-PLA-D27E-Electrical%7c&gclid=CjwKEAiAj7TCBRCp2Z22ue-zrj4SJACG7SBELjUigAt52I4eycdWGyVZm9HhL-axN6aWtQK9UQSpeBoCSynw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

[JaredWoodcock]

First off, Welcome!

I am unfamiliar with the latch you are talking about but I would caution against it. It sounds like something that could get triggered too easily for woods work. The amount of time it takes to pull a pin is not much and worth the extra security. I have replaced some of my evener bolts with hitch pins for a quick release and it only takes me two seconds to unhitch, Or you could use a hook, then you can just back the single tree off the sled quickly.

[JaredWoodcock]

The forum is slow, I dont use facebook but I hear that is where the action is…

Any ideas on how to drum up some action here? Has the forum lost its appeal?

[JaredWoodcock]

I figure there are definitely some challenges, on a positive note the more I work with the USDA and other government organizations I learn that once the spark is lit for funding you can often work around the barriers and help them create programs that can work better. Essentially grassroots lobbying without being a lobbyist. So it is nice to hear that this is on their radar, now they need to hear from people on the ground on how this funding can be better spent. Potentially to subsidize improvement cuts yielding firewood?

I would love to hear from the folks who went over to Sweden???

[JaredWoodcock]

What type of farming are you interested in? With that information we can point you in the right direction.

[JaredWoodcock]

I have dragged my share of coops like that around, they will be a pretty good spook machine for horses. Instead of wheels I cut a curve in the end like a backwards ski. when you lift the front of the coop it will ride on those “backwards skis” and keeps the rear horizontal rail from catching on things. Seems to ride better for me than with wheels.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 5 months ago by JaredWoodcock.

[JaredWoodcock]

If the trimming is past due and they need it badly, it is worth calling an experienced farrier. Experienced farriers usually know how to convince a horse to lift their feet. Even the worst draft horse is a pushover compared to many hot bloods, or spoiled ponies.

Stocks are WAY scarier than free standing with a horse that doesn’t respect you. Having a farrier will also free up your time to get the rest or your farm work done.

I second what everyone else is saying about this being the straw that broke the camels back. Don’t be ashamed to keep shopping for a horse or horses that fit your time constraints and needs. I personally get vary attached to horses but throughout the years I have learned that I will work lots of horses through my life and it feels good to move on to a new one when it is time.

[JaredWoodcock]

I have seen a couple for sale on VT craigslist in the past. In the mean time a quick homemade hoof jack might suffice. The kicker will have to be addressed before you strap her to a stock anyway. I have heard of that coming back to haunt some folks…

[JaredWoodcock]

I read somewhere that if you measure the circumference of the front “forearm” muscle you will get the collar size. I thought it was silly until I tried it, and it does work. As Donn said earlier fitting a collar isnt as easy as getting the right size, but I have used that measurement as a point of reference it works pretty good.

[JaredWoodcock]

Update: I did too many things to isolate what may have helped including, kefir, ProBios, dewormer, rest, Apple Cider vinegar. I received updates throughout my trip from my mother in-law who was watching our animals and she slowly got better. She has lost a lot of condition but she was fat to begin with. All seems well and we are slowly getting back into work.

[JaredWoodcock]

I have had my best luck with spending a lot of time developing a relationship with the horses before I move them. That way when they encounter all of the new things they will defer to me as their comfort zone.

As for horses and cows, introduce them to each other from a distance over a fence. If there is any doubt that they wont get along when you join them, make sure they wont have to compete for resources; IE plenty of pasture space, two stock tanks, multiple hay feeders. When introducing any new animals I usually try to guess which ones will be dominant and which will be subordinate. Put the dominant animals (halflinger mares) into the subordinate’s (heifers) pasture, that way the heifers will have the upper hand with being comfortable with the pasture and the mares will have plenty to check out before they start pushing the cows around.

My last haflinger was a real cow pusher, he would settle in fine once they all sorted it out but he definately drove some cows through fences.

Take this all with a grain of salt but maybe it will help.

[JaredWoodcock]

I really like those sites, thanks for sharing.

[JaredWoodcock]

I really like those sites, thanks for sharing.

[Author]

Posts