| How to Plow: Your Horses by Ralph Rice The first step to begin plowing with horses is to assess yourself, your team, and your equipment. Consider, too, the ground to be plowed. Assuming you already know how to harness, hitch, and drive, your skill as a plowman will come from one thing—time spent behind the plow, between the handles, and in the furrow. The horses you use for plowing must be a quiet, well-behaved team. They must stop when told, turn when asked, and walk slowly while pulling steadily. Plowing is a process requiring the plow to slice through soil, roots, and vegetation while gently turning the soil sod-side down. Rocks must sometimes be dealt with, and other natural barriers negotiated. Your horses need to lean into their collars a bit more when going through roots or tough sod, and when rolling out a tough stone. They should do it without balking, or worse, jumping into the harder pull. If your horses stop suddenly without being told, you may suffer a great charley horse when the stopped plow handle plunges into your forward traveling thigh. If your horses suddenly jump into a load, you will be jerked off your feet and up over the plow handles. Hitch your horses to the plow. Step them ahead until the traces are tight, and stop them. Tie your lines in a knot. Slip the lines over your left shoulder, against your neck, and under your right arm. Wearing the lines in this manner will help keep you from being dragged if you get into trouble—just lean over and let the lines slip over your head. The team may run off, the plow handles might get broken, but you should be able to escape. Scary? You bet. Even quiet horses can get spooked if they plow through a nest of ground hornets. Be careful, stay calm, and use common sense. You can adjust the distance from your shoulder to the bits by moving the knot in the end of your lines. Make sure the length is right—too loose and the horses will walk too fast; too tight and the horses will pull you forward, making it hard to walk behind the plow. Once you start plowing, you may have to adjust the length of the lines. I usually adjust mine a bit short in the beginning of the day when the horses are fresh and want to walk faster. All I have to do is lean back to slow them down. As the day wears on and the horses tire, I lengthen the lines a little to give them more comfort. Experiment with the length until you get it right.
Ralph Rice plows on his farm Riceland Meadows near Jefferson, Ohio. This article appeared in the Spring 2004 issue of Rural Heritage. |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
PO Box 2067, Cedar Rapids IA 52406-2067
Phone: 319-362-3027 Fax: 319-362-3046 E-Mail: |
26 April 2012 last revision
