[drivingpairs] hitching advise... and a GREAT book....
- From: Kathleen Conklin <conklink@xxxxxxx>
- To: driving pairs pairs <drivingpairs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 06:28:24 -0400
hi everyone,
i have been having some email problems over the last week. .mac, my
email provider, has been erratic. if anyone wrote to me and i didn't
answer i'm sorry.
reading all your advise for hitching from the drivingpair web page
and , while there are some differences, it all looks like good
stuff. in a perfect world i would like a barn with a drive thru isle
that was wide enough to hitch a pair in while xtied.... however, that
isn't going to happen. the next safest thing for me is to hitch
while the mules are tied to 2 rings on the side of the barn. i think
i will do this weather or not i have a header. in the last 10 years
i don't think i have EVER hitched john henry untied. he has ALWAYS
been tied to the barn at home and ALWAYS tied to the trailer when
away from home at a show or a lesson. that is not to say that he
wouldn't stand to be tied... it think he would stand for hitching in
the middle of the thruway during rush hour but i don't think it is at
all safe if it isn't totally necessary because i am almost ALWAYS
alone. with that in mind i also have ALWAYS tied agnes next to john
henry while i hitch him. she stands and waits and watches everything
i do and when i am done hitching him i take her to the back of my
cart and tie her to the cart for ponying. if i have time i usually
walk away from the mules, jh is hitched and still tied, for a few
minutes so that they don't get the idea that we move right off once
agnes is brought to the vehicle. i then untie jh, from his neck
collar, and get up in the cart and i just sit there again. after a
few minutes i turn jh away from the barn and walk off sitting on
agnes' lead rope.
i believe that this routine will work to my advantage when hitching
the pair. the one thing i will do is to lengthen the tie ropes so
that they both can stand further away from the barn which should will
make it easier to turn and walk off. i will continue to hitch jh
first and then agnes. she is much more a creature of habit than he
is and she really appreciates and relies upon a "normal" routine.
i haven't been able to hitch since last saturday at waller's because
the fellow who is making the brackets to hold the singletrees hasn't
finished them yet...he DID say that the would be done last monday -
sigh! i have a driving friend lined up to come over to be with me
the first few times. i am ready and so are the mules. agnes has
been out every day but sunday [day off] for a ride and jh has been
fox hunting 2x since saturday [monday and yesterday]. i'll let you
all know if i get them together before the weekend - we are going
away for the weekend so the next time i could
drive them would be next monday.
now to the great book...you are all probably familiar with this book
but bear with me i'm a neewbe..
"a teamster's view - more and different"
by steve bowers
http://www.bowersfarm.com
don't be put off by the "draft horse" focus because all of the
principals work with any kind of harness and horse. he seems to know
how to get all the engineering correct... like how to get the trace
length correct for different length horses... or why pairs point out
or in ... or what the draft line from the side looks like is if the
pole is too short or too long among other issues. the book is very
well illustrated and it is all written in a no nonsense style with
lots of practical advise and a very interesting explanation of a
driving safety devise called a foot rope... btw, he NEVER drives a
single without a bucking/kicking strap and both pairs and singles
with a foot rope on the horse in training ..... i highly recommend
this book.
tally ho,
kathleen, john henry \ / & agnes \ /
http://john.henry.org
http://horseblanket.virtualave.net
http://pbase.com/conklink - photo albums
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