Zach,

Where are you located in Alabama? I am just across the Chattahoochee river above Columbus, Georgia.

Forrest


7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Welcome Zach,

I think you are on the right track doing your homework first and starting with a well broke team. Thats what I did, I just don't have the farm part, my team is just a hobby for me. Maybe expanding a little with grandkids getting into the act. My 6 year old granddaughter thinks we should do the christmas parade of lights this year.

Good luck,

Todd


7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Welcome, Zach, to the Front Porch. Even though , as you say, you are far away physically from draft animal owners, but you will be close to the collective knowledge of the visitors to the Front Porch.
Your decision to wait till everything is prepared and then buy an older experienced animal is commendable.


7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Zach,
Welcome aboard. There are lots of nice folks here. People with plenty of experience and all of them willing to offer suggestion and help along the way.
You said, in my opinion, a very good thing by wanting to start with an older well broke team. One that will help you learn. That is very good advice!
I had ponies as a boy and into adulthood. I got my first draft horse in 1986. That old mare taught me plenty. She was very patient with me!
Go slow as you learn. Get a good sled. You will be amazed at how many jobs you and your team can do with a sled. You are also close to the ground so if things go bad, it's not far to fall.
Take your time, choose your team wisely, ask the porch folks anything.


7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Where are you located in Alabama?


7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Thanks for the replies and encouragement so far fellers; I am located in Enterprise, AL. Southeast Alabama.

Forrest, I am about 2-2.5 hrs or so from Columbus.

If anyone has any book or video suggestions I'd appreciate that too. I have almost a whole bookshelf now.. My wife kinda cuts her eyes every time she goes to the mailbox now to find another package. Haha. But I wanna learn as much as possible from y'all who's "been there done that." Books are great for foundation; but experience counts for so much I've humbly learned in my few short years. Thanks again guys, and keep it coming.

Zach


7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Zach,
Welcome. You are on the right track and folks on this forum are among the most helpful you'll find anywhere. Even though there's physical distance between most of us, it's a community in the true sense of the word. As for learning the ropes, a good older and well-broke team will be the best teachers you can wish for. You'll be amazed how much they help guide you and how much knowledge they possess.


7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Zach,

I have recently been through and am actually still in the process of switching to horse/mule drawn work. I have tried horses and mules and would be happy to share my experiences. If I can scrape up enough stunted sugarcane I will cook syrup in about a month or so and you are welcome to come up.

Forrest


7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

This is from Tommy Flowers:

Hello Joe, Saw on the porch a Zach fellow had written. How bout tell him he needs to do a little more searching for people that work horses near him. They are all around him, in Newton and Dothan, 20 to 30 miles away from him, I get together with them out there several times a year. I have delivered them plows and mowers in the past, and will be delivering another mower in a few weeks. These are horse and mule people, some of each. There is a small event in Dothan at Landmark Park, I believe on Oct 15. He could easily contact Jay P. Maddox in Newton, his next farm days event is April 8. Thanks,


7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Thanks Joe and Tommy. We were planning to go Landmark Park the 15th. I'll be looking. Btw; I did make contact with one older gentlemen not too far from me and got some advice this evening. I'll keep digging. Thx again

Zach


7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

While all the comments are great and good advice, I would be the devil's advocate I think, in that I'd say older is not always better, and rather than age, I'd caution one to look more to the "well broke" part of the suggestions. An old horse or mule with bad habits can be a danger to a newbie. I'm reminded of a pair of belgians I traded for from an Amish friend of mine once; an older gelding and a 6 yr old mare. They were well broke and seemed to be a good team when watched from a distance. I had a Percheron mare that was a real good mare but didn't match anything I had on the place. My buddy offered to swap his team to my mare. I didn't need her and was glad to have an older team for my partner to get some experience with. We used them quite a bit, but soon found the older gelding had some habits I didn't like. First, he would not stand tied. He would set back and break a snap at any opportunity. He would sometimes set back and try to leave when unharnessing. I ended up putting a good rope and bullsnap around his middle, ran the rope up between his front feet, through his halter and snubbed it to a stout post. I started unharnessing, and smacked him on the end of the nose to encourage him to try his "set back trick". He did, and was surprised by the rope, but he was smart enough to learn never to set back again as long as he had a rope around his middle. I ended up keeping a hay string tied around his ribs and as long as it was there he wouldn't set back. On a hay loader, someone, and I suspect my buddy was the culprit playing tricks on his brothers, had taught him to swing in and drop his manure in the hay. The loader would carry it up and drop it on who ever was building the stack. I can see my buddy thinking it was a funny trick to pull. I never really did untrain that behavior. I noticed that he had a habit of always taking two or three steps after stopping when I called for whoa, and I didn't like it. I had a Percheron mare that didn't like it either and she'd take a bite out of him every time he did it and that helped some. My Amish friends father later cautioned me that, "you know, that old gelding used to be bad to run off in his younger years." Well, I don't think he would have started a run away, but I know for the fact that hooked with one that would run, he was more than happy to go along with it. I traded for a mare that was a runner and my old belgian gelding just happened to be in the hitch one day when she decided to leave. He thought it was all fun and games until he stumbled and realized he was too old for that kind of stuff. After she dragged the harness off of him on her way to the barn, he thought he might ought to stand and wait for me to catch and see how bad he was skinned. I've owned a few other "good old horses" who were really good and I would have recommended for anyone, but I've also owned some young ones who were just as capable. I would caution that while there is an exception to every rule, there is no substitute for experience. If at all possible find someone with experience to help out. Maybe, take some workshops or attend some clinics or field days. Start off slow, plenty of sled work, and such and work up to plowing and mowing. Be sure you know what you want to get done before you try it. If you know what you want you'll be better equipped to ask your team to do it, and they'll feel more confident in your leadership. I get people all the time who ask me to teach them to plow, or mow, who want to come out and have me hand them the lines on my team and let them take the handles on the plow with no prior experience driving a team. They always seem taken aback when I refuse. Handling a plow and a team is too much for a rookie, and they really need to learn to walk (maybe even crawl) before they can run. There is no shame in starting slow and progressing slow. The important thing is to be safe, learn, and enjoy what you are doing.


7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Even though I was only six years old when our neighbor let me drive a team of well-broke horses all by myself to the hayfield from his farm( the horses most certainly would have found their way alone and all by themselves) I had many hours behind me of walking alongside that farmer on the field when he was harrowing or cultivating- up and down, up and down, it never got old, and then it was a thrill when sometimes he would let me hold the lines as he walked behind me lighting up his pipe.
Too many people are too impatient and want to do things while they haven't observed enough. Jerry, I agree with you on that.


7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Thanks for the advice guys!! Well taken

Zach


7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Hey Forrest...u got an email or number I can reach ya at? My email is listed on my profile info if ya wanna just send me an email. I am interested in seeing ur operation and chatting with ya. Wasn't sure how to get a hold of ya

Thx

Zach


7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Well....I got to do a little plowing and a lil driving Monday and Tuesday this week at the Georgia National Fair and I am so pumped up about it. The guys putting on the demo there were real good to me, my wife, and our baby girl. They allowed us their company and the opportunity to learn and get some driving time too. It was a real good experience and I for one am very grateful for the opportunity. The mules I drove and attempted to plow (lol) were big mules out of a Percheron mare. Think they were around 17HH and very patient with me as was the owner of em too. Thanks for all the advice here on the forum and I am sure I'll have some questions all along for you guys. Just wanted to say thanks for all that's posted in response to me and also wanted to thank Mr Larry Spillers and Mr Steve Montgomery for treating us so well at the fair this week. It means a lot to me. Thx everyone!

Zach


7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum

Looks like you had some fun. Walking plowing looks so easy and it does get that way, but man oh man those first furrows will make a humble man!


7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum