[drivingpairs] Neck yoke / pole crab

In a message dated 4/30/2005 12:09:16 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
ecartis@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
> Subject: [drivingpairs] Neck yoke / pole crab
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> I'm still VERY new to pairs, but have started a pair of young  Haflingers. 
> One is a very hard worker - the other is more easy going but  not lazy. In 
> all 
> these discussions about leaning in or out from the pole  (problem I 
> currently 
> don't have - guess I'm lucky so far) Hardy says we  should use a neck yoke. 
> I 
> have a light weight pole - 10 lbs - and a pole crab  that is wider than most 
> 
> I've seen on other rigs. I leave the pole straps  slightly loose and have 
> breeching and brakes on a 5th wheel buggy. I still do a  lot of ground 
> driving 
> single and pair and single light pulling stuff around with  me walking and 
> talking.
> 
> I am wondering if the pole crab is doing the job of replacing the neck  
> yoke. 
> 
> By the way I had a long time searching the inter-net to even see what  a 
> neck yoke was.... always thought that was a term for oxen. I looked at the  
> list 
> photos and only found 3 neck yokes - I think - and the most obvious was on  
> big mules.
> 
> Just thought I'd mention that a lot of us newbies still don't have all the  
> names of pair stuff or where it goes.
> 

Good points! Let's start this from the bottom: Yes, we all need to constantly 
educate ourselves, so we know what our horses need to make them work best, 
and a good way to educate ourselve is to become members of clubs and 
organziations, subscribe to driving magazines, read books and articles and look 
at 
pictures of top drivers and see how they do it. I'll give you some example 
below on 
the yokes.

You say you have a "wide pole crab". Well, when I say "yoke" I don't 
necessarily mean a traditional American yoke which is made of wood,  has a wide 
kind 
of leather ring in the middle which slides over the traditional American drop 
pole head from the front and is secured by a small leather strap from falling 
off again (very important to have it secured, as when it falls off, that means 
desaster with the drop pole head hitting the ground). That's the traditional 
yoke. But nowadays many modern marathon vehicles do come with a pole head that 
has the two rings for the pole straps not directly close to the pole head, but 
has them spread out to the sides a little. Well, that's a start to the modern 
marathon yoke. (Strictly speaking, it's not a "crab" though, the "crab" has 
the swan neck hook on which to hang the lead bars for a found in hand, which we 
shouldn't have on a pair pole, as there is only a chance that they get 
tangled up in that hook.) So if you have a pole head like that with the two 
rings 
spread out already a little to the side (not a real crab with swan neck), 
that's 
fine already, especially if you use your brake and have the pole straps 
usually a little slack, AND your horses travel STRAIGHT. Then all is well.  

Now, the modern marathon yoke is even a little wider, plus also usually 
swivels freely to all sides = up and down, and front and backwards.  That's 
what 
many modern marathon vehicles have these days, and for a good reason, because 
it 
works well.  When you look at marathon pictures of upper level pair drivers, 
you'll see it in use with many of them. Example: Just look at the last Whip 
(March 2005) cover picture - Alan Aulson. Or if you are not an ADS member and 
don't have The Whip, perhaps you have Driving Digest? Similar picture 
March/April edition (No 134) page 6, also Alan Aulson.There you see it. As I 
wrote 
yesterday, it's slightly shorter than from middle of single tree to middle of 
single tree, but then, it's also not hooked into a center D ring of the 
breastcollars, but into a D a little off center to the inside, and it is hooked 
in there 
very short, e.g. directly without any pole straps, but just with quick 
releases. (I use exatly the same set up)

But not everybody uses it that way. Some examples of the older style: Driving 
Digest same issue page 7 top right a Haflinger Pair same as The Whip (March 
2005) page 44, or Carriage World Sept 2004 Cover page. If you drive your horses 
well and straight, it works that way too.

Same Driving Digest page 10 shows a real draft horse hitch yoke.That's fine 
for draft horses, but I don't mean to say that anybody should use that for 
light horses. That's  too heavy, too wide, and too low for carriage horses.

Or if you are CAA member and have The Carriage Journal: March 2005 page 78 
and page 104 (sorry not numbered you have to count them there- ad for Hats by 
Katie) shows no yoke but pole chains on page 78 and pole straps on page 104, 
whereas page 89 shows the traditional American Yoke as I described it above, 
with 
the leather ring in the middle (This one in the picture is a little wide for 
my taste).

Sorry I'm better with magazines than on the internet, but I'm sure you find 
many good pair pictures there as well. But try to look at what the top folks in 
the sport do, they usually know, as there is a reason they are at the top, 
and don't get hung up with what other beginners do. They may have it right, but 
they may also not
Happy driving
Hardy


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