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[Joan Deutsch]

Realtime, We've gotten caught in the dark several times on the trail. It's amazing how calm the horses seem. They also don't seem to have any trouble seeing. But that must have been nice that you guys had moonlight. Looks like we're in for a fairly wet weekend. Is anyone planning to ride?

[Joan Deutsch]

by kriss10 on 28 Nov 2012, 18:35

@Joan - Yes, there is something to be said for a finished horse... I'm just glad I can get her to do the dirty work for me

After we finish paying off the house, I hope that we are able to build an indoor arena. Just a small one, but if I could ride more consistently I could do the finish work myself. It's not my favorite, and it takes me longer than most to get to that point, but I don't think I will be able to convince her to finish Lucy, Bug and Scooter for me as well. And if she takes Lucy home with her, I may not get her back.

Kriss, Wow -- a covered arena would be heaven. Have you got far enough with that plan to know how you would build it or what it would cost? I wish we could figure out a way.

[Joan Deutsch]

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by drafthand on 28 Nov 2012, 22:00

Joan,
We will have two teams out in the dark at Snoqualmie. Roughly, we will be there 4ish till 7(?). We put lots of lights on the wagons and stay off of the main roads. We may be crazy, but we are not out of our minds. Had a nasty bunch of wind today that ripped off a wagon top and broke two bows. More things to fix.

Drafthand, Will you be at the Snoqualmie event if it rains? If so, do your leather harnesses take a beating from the rain?

[horsepeople2001]

draft hand do you use leather or bio-thane harness? I have heard many good things about the bio-thane harness being easy to clean and that it doesn't stretch out or cause problems that leather can/does.

[drafthand]

I use leather harness and I bought it to be used. A little rain just adds moisture to the leather. (We won't be using the parade harness) True, it is a pain to keep clean but it "looks" and fits right. Some of the bio stuff looks like the plastic that it is. We were at a tack sale some time back and noticed on some used bio harness that it had been modified with "chafing gear", it was evident that there were sharp edges that had done some damage to the animal wearing it. Leather can be edged easily to remove this irritant. The animal's comfort is paramount! Comfortable animals will be ready to go back to work. I have helped with outfits that used bio, and the stuff dosen't have "memory". Ever try to pick up a coil of nylon rope after it has been dropped? Bio is probably stronger than leather. I have yet to break something on a harness. High use parts wear out but one keeps a watch on that stuff. This is just my opinion mind you, If the bio works for you, great--get out and work your critter--whatever clothes they wear.

[drafthand]

The wagon rides went very well last Saturday! We really lucked out on the weather--it didn't start raining until we were on our way home. Looks like the Bellevue merchants backed out for the carriage rides--guess there is next year. Spent most of Sunday putting stuff away and cleaning up a bit. Some friends delivered a wagon that we agreed to store/use. This is a "training" vehicle, but I can use it when it is time to fix the fences, perfect for lugging the tools. We have to use the horses this time of year due to deep mud. Would have to put a buoy on the truck to find it next summer. Need to skid out some blow-downs after the holiday season.

[Joan Deutsch]

Drafthand, Do you have any more holiday appearances or is the next project for the team to remove the blowdowns? Hope you didn't have further damage with the latest winds.

[drafthand]

Joan,
We have a private party job in Madison Park comming up, then the holidaze stuff is done. Trying to prioritize the winter catch-ups. I have to check another pasture for fence integrity. Once had a small tree on the fence and the stinkers went exploring! They were always back at feeding time. Probably will skid the logs when the ground gets frozen--it is easier to walk on the mud instead of through it.

[kriss10]

I took Killer out for a short ride today - it was 11 degrees out. He seemed very cheerful and wanted to jog the whole way (he usually prefers the slow stroll).

On another note, we wandered down to check on the neighbors horses, since they have an absentee owner and don't get cared for as well as they should (the people I bought Ricky from). They are in good shape under the circumstances. We took them a couple bales of hay yesterday and found out there are some big round bales down there, so we'll take the tractor down tomorrow and push one out to the pasture for them. With 12" of snow on the ground it is a bit of a challenge for them to scrape enough snow to keep their bellies full.

[Joan Deutsch]

It felt weird to have a day without rain, even saw the sun briefly. But it was good to see a lot of horse riders in the park today. We met these women who rode about 12 miles. The big horse is 16.3 and a TB/Arab.