Filed under: May 2022 | Tags: Draft animal training, draft horses, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch Foals, Suffolk Punch horses
May 30, 2022
Today was a good day for training. Hank, our stallion, is on the right. He is sweating from a little work, but mostly nerves. Look at Abby on the left. She has done the same amount of work, but she just walks along taking it all in stride. Hank wanted to fuss a little and be out in front pulling much of the load. He was wide awake and looking for anything to be mad about.
After about a half hour of him fussing, he decided that it was much easier to just relax and do what I asked and what Abby did. He was a real good horse by the time the lesson ended for the day. I don’t fight with him, I just let him have a little more of the load and talk softly to him to build trust and confidence. He does better at every lesson.
I had been using a jockey stick on him. The jockey stick is a pole about 48 inches long. I fastened it to Abby’s bottom hame ring and then to Hank’s halter. The purpose of the stick was to keep him n his place and to keep him from reaching out to her exhibiting stallion behavior. In other words it kept him minding his P’s and Q’s.
If you look close you will see that there is no stick being used. He has learned that he must behave when in harness. I kept a rope from her hame ring to his halter as a sort of safety rope in the event he rubbed his bridle off. He isn’t going to run off with my big anchor Abby standing where I say whoa. He never tightened the rope and he kept in his place like a true gentleman.
We have a long way to go to make him a trusted workhorse but he is well on his way. He turned three years old in April. I can now use him for meaningful work. Those sessions will be kept short and the loads still a bit light, but he will be contributing to the farm and his upkeep.
My voice and time together coupled with some sweat, makes for good, well broke, trained animals. Nothing beats daily use to keep draft animals working and working well.
Our newest filly Maggee has become a friendly little gal. All of us pet her and make her welcome. My wife Connie greets all the babies and makes them feel at home. Her soft voice lets them know that no danger will befall them in our presence. This same direction is used when training our youngsters. We want them comfortable, safe and secure. They will be asked to work and expected to do their share, but kindness prevails at all times.
Filed under: May 2022 | Tags: draft horses, Horse minerals, Suffolk Horse foals, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch horses
May 27, 2022
We are getting a few things done, but the wet weather continues. Earlier this week, we made videos for Rural Heritage on RFD-TV. We spent two days filming. The videos will appear on RFD-TV in to coming months. Hank, who is enjoying the mineral tub in the photo above, worked with Abby hitched to our training tire in one of the films.
The mineral tub is like a candy bar to the horses. They lick and eat the molasses covered minerals free choice. This year we are trying a tub that includes garlic. The hope is that the garlic helps with fly control. We are only a few weeks into using it, so we will see how well it works. All of the horses like the lick, even our filly Maggee.
After getting their fill from the mineral tub, Amee, followed closely by Maggee, head out to the big pasture to graze. Amee is starting to do light work with Maggee tied beside her. Amee’s maternity leave is almost over. She will still nurse Magge for a few more months, but she will work in the hay fields. Amee is getting extra feed and the best pasture grasses we have to keep her in good condition. Maggee too is getting grain, grass and mama’s milk. She is growing very well. The minerals help all the horses keep in good condition.
We got chased out of this years corn field yet again by rain. We are making progress and hope to be planted by the end of next week weather permitting. We just keep taking care of business and looking ahead.
Filed under: May 2022 | Tags: draft horses, family, Small Farming, Stallion behavior, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch horses
May 23, 2022
Hank, quietly grazing with his small herd. The baby filly pays him no mind as she slumbers nearby.
Hank has a wonderful demeanor. He is always on the lookout for danger and also for flirty girls, but responds well to my voice. He brings the herd to the barn and is social with the farm’s visitors.
Our newest filly Maggee gets the run of the barn during the day. She visits Hank, who softly grooms the youngster.
Magee pays him back as she learns to also groom just the right spot.
This amazed me the first time that I saw it happen. Most studs may not think so kindly of a bothersome youngster, but Hank takes it all in stride. I think this action is just one more example of the Suffolk breed. I can say for sure that I am looking forward to seeing this level headed behavior in Hank’s offspring.
Filed under: May 2022 | Tags: field preparation, Pasture Breeding, spring planting, Suffolk Horses
May 14, 2022
Yesterday, I planted this field to oats and pasture grasses. I don’t really care how well the oats do, the goal is to get this paddock back to grass. If we get a good crop of oats that will be a bonus.
Necessity is the mother of invention. After a very wet cold spring, this field finally dried out enough to work the soil. I used a new idea, opting for the tractor over the horses for this job. I lightly rototilled the corn stubble. I worked it just enough to chop the stubble and smooth ruts in just one pass.
This new to me technique, allows for minimal fuel use and sped the process up to beat the rain. After it was tilled, I used the cone seeder and spun on the oats and grass mixture with a little pelleted lime mixed in to keep the flow even. Once the field was covered, I rolled it all flat with a field roller. The roller smoothed things out even better, but also ensured for good “seed to soil” contact.
I had been fretting some over getting this field planted timely and between rains. It is a poorly drained paddock and is much better suited to grass than any other crop. We need the pastures to rotate our livestock through. This one will most likely remain in permanent pasture. We will mow, renovate and fertilize as needed, but for other row crops it will only be used as a last resort.
The other “seeding” we have been doing, is the job of our stallion Hank, breeding our mares. This causes a little disruption around here, as we keep the honeymooning couple mostly by themselves for a couple days. All is back to normal now, so real farm work can continue.
The plan is to plow our corn ground and get it planted in the next week. We will push hard to get it done. This will allow for training of our young horses on several pieces of equipment. Even our newest baby will get exposure as she walks alongside of her working mother.
We have planted a few garden vegetables, but are going slow. Frost is still a factor in our zone 5 climate. Lake Erie sometimes messes with Mother Nature, so we will be cautious. Spring is a wonderful time of year on the farm and I love it!
Filed under: May 2022 | Tags: Compost, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch draft horse
May 12, 2022
Miss Maggee, giving me her over the shoulder “model” look. This little girl has ATTITUDE. She is very independent. Her mom was out in the pasture, while Maggee came to see what else might be going on. She makes me chuckle.
She is six weeks old. She halters, ties and loads in a trailer very well. She is learning to lead, but as expected, she wants to control the whole training session. I am persistent. I am kind and I am calm. She yields after a little resistance. She is going to be a gem, a very valuable asset to our breeding program.
The mud is drying fast. We were able to spread manure yesterday. The job of applying compost will take awhile. We are trying to get the fields we need to plow, done first. We made good progress yesterday and will continue for a while today…we just have to push hard and keep a good attitude!
Filed under: May 2022 | Tags: family, Small Farming, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch horses
May 9, 2022
Yesterday, on Mother’s Day, we spent the day touching base with family and enjoying a little horse time. My wife Connie spent a little bonding time with our 5 week old filly Maggee.
We put most of the horse herd together. Our two year old and our yearling fillies are in in a different pasture. The rest of the herd, including little Maggee, is all together with the stallion Hank. He inspected all the ladies, chased a couple around for a minute or two, but then all was quiet.
The pastures are rich and the grass is fresh. The horses are enjoying it. The sunshine is wonderful after a dreary rainy month. The pastures are a bit wet, but we needed to get the horses out. Hay is running low. Plus Amee and Maggee need the added nutrition the growing grass provides. The sunshine too is good for all.
It was a wonderful day. Many successes, including the herd dynamics all working out. By this time next year, we hope for 4 new mamas here at Riceland Meadows, as we work to preserve this critically endangered breed.
Filed under: May 2022 | Tags: draft horses, memories, plowing with horses, Small Farming, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch horses
May 1, 2022
We enjoyed a couple of sunny days…in a row! We set up and sawed out some lumber for a couple of projects that we hope to complete soon. This young man in the photo helps me out from time to time. He owns this small sawmill. It did a nice job as we made logs into lumber. The logs were from a few white pine trees we recently harvested here on the farm.
The day we sawed was sunny and bright. The north wind had a bite to it, but it dried up some mud for us. We spent the day sawing and dreaming of field days to come. It is time to be plowing and working in the fields, but we are staying busy in spite of the wet weather.
We spent yesterday at the 2nd annual Baldwin Percheron Plow Day, just outside of Ashtabula, Ohio. Amee stayed home with her new foal. Abby was teamed up with our son Jake’s horse Belle. The horses and I pulled a people mover giving rides much of the day.
The event was well attended with teamsters and 20 horses of all sizes, but mostly draft horses. Percherons, Belgians, Shires, Suffolks and a team of mini paints were all represented. The weather was perfect. The grounds were dry and plowed nicely. The field has a gravel base, lays nice and is of very mellow ground.
My girls were looking at the other horses. There are just a couple other teams in the picture, but much action was happening behind us. This was Belle’s second time out in the public, but she took it all in stride. Abby kept her calm and her mind on her work. It was a fun day for us as we hauled folks of all ages, especially the children. Kids love horses and those kids are our future. We were glad to be there and make a few memories for them.
Today, the sun and clouds are having an argument. The sun peeps out for small parts of the day, but then the clouds gather and dump rain on us. The grass is growing and everything is green. This makes for a pleasing view as we wait for the fields to dry out so spring work can commence.
RicelandMeadows 