Filed under: July 2022 | Tags: draft horses, education, learning, Small Farming, speltz, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch horses, teaching
July 20, 2022
Two years ago this past April, this little filly was born. We have worked with her and welcomed her into our daily routine. She is a sweetie. Today was her first time being driven. She walked off like a professional. She has a long way to go, but we overcame leaving the barn by herself, starting, stopping and turning on command. We kept her lesson short and positive.
Her training begins to get serious now. She will be driven like this a few more times. The next step is for her to pull a light but noisy weight of some kind. We switch the weight up often. Sometimes the weight is just a log chain dragging behind, sometimes a small wooden sled, perhaps a tarp or child’s plastic sled. Then a tire will be dragged around. Finally, she will be worked alongside one of our broke horses and used on the wagon or other light implement. She is a big girl now and by next summer will be a valuable part of our horsepower here at the farm.
Today, Abby and Amee and I clipped a small piece of second cutting hay. The area we mowed is an odd shaped field, that needs some attention. We will take this little bit of hay off, then plow this area. We will use this little field as a “playground” for a couple of months.
The young horses being trained (except Bree above) will learn to use all sorts of equipment here. We will plow, disc, harrow, use cultivators, spread manure etc. Then in mid-September, this small field will be planted to speltz and reseeded to hay. There will be much education here for both teams and teamsters. We will also be introducing a few interns to draft horse field work. This area will teach and build confidence in both the horse and the person.
Having a training ground should work out very well. If our youngsters learn to be as good as Abby and Amee, I will be one very pleased farmer! These two are my main team. They get better every time I drive them. I enjoy this small farming life. Working and driving such calm, smart animals increases my pleasure. So, yes, I’ll put the time into our “new drivers” and smile big as I walk and work behind them.
Filed under: March 2021 | Tags: maple sap, maple syrup, maple syrup season, Suffolk Punch horses, teaching
March 15, 2021
We have been busy in the sugarhouse making maple syrup. It is a sweet time of year, but very busy too. The maple takes up many days, but the rest of the farm work must be done too. Our weather has been unseasonably dry for us. The temperature has been above average many days, but thankfully the nights have been cold, so the sap keeps running.
We also hosted the 2021 A-Tech senior class Horticulture students for a sap gathering farm field day last week. The horses were ambassadors who worked very hard. The kids all had a great time and I think they may have even learned a little.
We benefited from some willing workers as the class learned about forestry, small farming and all things maple!
So March Madness isn’t just found on basketball courts…it can be found in most any maple woods in spring. Here on this farm the “sap” runs… He also does animal chores, farm planning and other jobs around the farm!
Spring plowing will be underway soon, but first the maple madness continues…oh yeah…a baby horse should make the blog soon (about 30 days)…mama is starting to waddle a little when she walks.
Filed under: April 2019, Uncategorized | Tags: draft horses, mentoring, Small Farming, spring plowing, teaching
April 24, 2019
Almost like a soap opera, we continue to plow our old pasture. We will be planting our 2019 field corn here. The corn is used for animal feed. I am taking my time. The going is a bit slow because the horses are soft from a long winter break of not much work. I have also been delayed by our rainy weather. No matter, we will finish in time.
Today, my youngest son visited with me for a bit. He climbed on the seat for a couple of lessons. He made a few rounds. I think he realized that there is a little more going on than it looks like. He did well. The horses have been driven by him often, but not on the plow. Once he sorted things out, it went good. I’m sure a little more time in the seat is needed, before he will be confident. I just hope that I can continue to help him learn.
There is not much of a better feeling, than when you are passing along knowledge. I am pleased that he wants to learn some of these old ways. I have taught butchering, woodland management, hunting, gun safety, gardening, animal husbandry and a host of other things to my children and friends. I am always thankful that I can pass what I know along to others. These things that I know are gifts from God and a whole lot of folks who could tolerate the questions from an inquisitive mind.
I encourage you dear reader, to teach a skill that you possess to another. It can be a small child, a neighbor or a dear friend, but it is a gift that keeps giving! So, the next time you want to give someone a piece of your mind, smile and give without drama, without agenda and without wondering if you’ll ever get paid back. The feeling is wonderful.
Filed under: January 2019 | Tags: Blacksmithing, forge, learning, memories, teaching, Tiller's International
January 2, 2019
I want to thank the folks at “Tiller’s International” in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Those guys teach classes on all sorts of old skills from blacksmithing to barrel making, timber framing and tin smithing. The instructors give a very good foundation for learning. I took classes there for blacksmithing and knife making. I am enjoying my new hobbies very much.
Over the Christmas holiday, I was able to give a few demonstrations to friends and family. I feel it is our duty to teach others. I enjoy watching my “students” learn. I am not a master smith, although I do get a little better almost daily. I am able to show and teach others. Some people want to learn the skill, other folks just like watching. I understand it all, because as a much younger man, I watched a guy doing blacksmithing….I have been “hooked” ever since!
I make all sorts of useful things for the farm. The only limitation is my imagination. I encourage you, dear reader, to teach something that you know to someone else. That someone else could be a friend or stranger, a child or grandchild, but the good you will feel is wonderful.
I learned a lot from my grandparents. Much of what they taught me, I use daily. The best part for me is, that those early days of learning are some of my most treasured memories!
RicelandMeadows 