Tractor Pull

Last Sunday was one of the most fun days I've had with my team all year.  We had just barely gotten home from scout camp, so we were a bit worn out, but the events that unfolded that day are the kind of thing that just make a teamster smile.

The  North Texas Antique Tractor and Engine Club was hosting a big event on Saturday and Sunday.  Due to scout camp, I could not make it Saturday, but they wanted me to come down on Sunday.  I got contacted by them thanks to my good friend Bev McGowan of the Double M Warhorse Ranch in Terrell, TX.  The club was looking for a team of horses to do some pulling, and Bev referred them to me.

I was under the impression that I was going to be pulling some type of antique farm equipment, similar to what I did at the Paris TX Antique Tractor Show.  Little did I know the fun that waited.

I arrived at 10:45.  Tractor Supply had provided a round pen, and Bev was there with 2 of her Clydesdale mares.  People were coming over and petting them and the kids especially were in heaven.  I got Rachael and Pam unloaded, brushed and prettied up, and they soon had a stall up front.  People started coming by, and I loved watching the reaction people had when they realized how gentle and kind these huge horses are.  One older gentleman kept coming back and was really enjoying Rachael.  I took pictures for him with him and Rachael nose to nose.

Rachael and Pam enjoyed a nice shady pen with hay and water.

The tractor club president came over, thanked me for coming, and said that I'd be pulling a sled at 1PM.  I was thinking a sled like my training sled I use.  I then found out that there were going to be quite a few people there to watch me.  At the time I didn't understand why people would be lining up to watch me pull a sled, but I came here for the club, so I was going to do what they wanted.

Rachael and Pam, getting fly spray.  Bev's Clydes are in the background.

At noon I started harnessing the girls up.  They looked gorgeous.  Soon after we started driving to where the sled was located.  It was on the far side of the event, and I hadn't seen it  yet.  While driving the girls over there, I actually let my son take a turn at the lines.  He ground drove the girls really well.  I really enjoy sharing this hobby of mine with him.  He seems to enjoy it too.


When I turned the corner, I couldn't believe my eyes.  There in front of me, was someone hosing down a long dirt path.  At the end of it, was a big tractor pull sled.  I'd only ever seen them on TV.  It was the kind with wheels on the back, and as the wheels turn, weight slides forward, putting more weight on the nose of the sled and thus making it a harder pull.  THIS was the sled I was going to pull.  I drove the girls over, and tied them, and began talking with the man in charge.

I can't say enough about that  "hook the tugs together" trick.  :)  Thanks Pat!!!

Apparently the tractors had all pulled the day before, and on this day, they wanted to see what a team of draft horses could do.  He asked me how much weight my girls could pull, and I told him that I honestly did not know.  I'd never done anything to test them like this.  I was grinning ear to ear.  This was going to be a new adventure, and I was loving it.  There were bleachers set up, and I estimate that around 100 people were there.  We started working out how we were going to hook the horses up to the sled.  Luckily I brought my double tree, and the tractor club had a clevis big enough to hook up to it.  While the tree was getting attached, an announcer started talking, and he came over and had me talk about my team.  I gave the crowd a brief run-down on their breed, age, weight, and how long I'd been working them.  They were very curious and asked me lots of good questions.  Soon though, the double tree was secure, and we were ready for the horses.

This is the sled we pulled.  Very cool!

Setting up the double tree and figure out how to hook it up.

At this point the guys in charge came over and were discussing what gear to put the sled in.  At first, they wanted to put it in first gear (the easiest) and then if we did that well, we'd move up to the 2nd gear.  Another guy had an opinion that he just wanted to start in 2nd gear, and so that's what we ended up doing.

Talking with the guys in charge about how to do things.

This is where I brag on my horses.  :)  I grabbed the lines, and drove the girls up into position.  They were stepping perfectly.  I backed them up to the tree, and they were so light on their feet and easy.  If I asked for one more step, they gave it and only the one step.  They were calm, relaxed, and no excited at all.  When I said to stand, they did, and it was awesome!  When you have a team like that, it makes them look fabulous, and makes the teamster look pretty good too.

Walking up into position

Hitching up

Stepping forward to get the slack out of the cables

Once hooked up, I eased them a few steps forward to get the slack out of the cables hooking us to the tractor pull sled.  Then I threw the lines over my shoulder, and asked the girls to step up.  And step up they did.  We were off!  The girls were pulling real nice ... until!!!  Remember how I said someone was hosing down the track?  Well ... hosing a track down does not work well for horses.  The girls hit that spot, and lost their footing.  Since only the first inch or so of ground was wet, their feet were sliding all over.  I stopped the girls, and they stood perfectly.  Calm and quietly.  Such good horses!

Here they are stepping out.  A few steps more and they hit the mud.

Stopped after losing footing in the mud.

At this point the main tractor pull guy proposed a new idea to me.  He said that he would move the sled 5 feet to the side, so that it was on the grass.  This way the horses would have traction the entire length of the pull.  So they pulled the sled back into position, and I drove the girls back around to hook up for our second attempt.  Once again, as the pictures prove ... the girls were perfect!

Hitching up for our second attempt

Once again, we stepped off.  This time we were in 1st gear, and the horses had no problems with 1st gear.  They pulled the sled the entire length of the track, and we stopped.  At this point, the coolest thing happened.  I heard the roar of the crowd.  They cheered loud.  I've never heard that before and it was actually pretty cool.  I turned and looked, and the crowd was smiling and clapping.  It was great.

Stopped after pulling the full length of the track.

Since we aced the 1st gear, we reset, and attempted our third pull.  This would be in the sled's 2nd gear.  We got hitched up, and off we went.  It was awesome to watch the girls pull for me.  The load got heavier and heavier, and the girls were doing awesome at working together to bear it.  They gave it their all, and they eventually slowed and slowed until they were done.  Once done, they stood perfectly and waited for further instruction from me.

Hitching up for our 3rd and final attempt

The crowd cheered loud for them, and I get the feeling they kind of knew they'd impressed some people.  The judge came up and told me that we pulled 104 feet.  He then informed me that we out pulled a number of tractors from the previous day.  I was grinning ear to ear.  My team had out pulled some of the very tractors that were created to replace them.  I was content and very satisfied.

After this, I let my son ground drive the girls back to the pens, and they stood wonderfully while snacking on some delicious alfalfa cubes.  People started walking over again and telling the girls how good they did.

It was a wonderful day!  I had a great time.  It was a nice relaxing day with the horses.  Much needed after the previous 3 days of pulling a wagon all day long.

I should also brag on my pal Bev.  She made me some business cards.  I was so flattered.  They have the picture of me with her black and white Clydesdale.  They call me "The Green Teamster - Training Hitch Horses"  They had all my contact info and the address to this blog.  It was kind of cool.  They came in handy too, because people were asking how to get in touch with me, and it was very convenient to hand them a card.  I wouldn't call myself a hitch horse trainer, but I am very flattered that Bev thinks so highly of me.  Thanks BEV!!!!

Teaching the Boy Scouts

I had an awesome opportunity last week.  I went camping with Boy Scouts from wednesday till saturday.  This was not just any scout camp, this was a "High Adventure" camp.  What this means, is that it's only for boys age 14-18 and they get to do lots of really fun stuff that is more dangerous then just earning a merit badge.  They had shotgun shooting, mountain biking, canoeing/kayaking, matchless firestarting, orienteering, and horses.  Typically the horse group would just be horse riding, but not when my good friend Chuck Whitlock is in charge.  The camp took place on an actual working ranch, and the horse area was located at the calf working area.  We happily made use of the shade the big pole barn type enclosure gave, and all the traps around it came in handy for keeping the horses and the calves happy as can be.

Rachael and Pam hooked to my forecart.

Chuck is as good a man as they come.  He has taught me a lot about being a teamster in the short time I've been doing it.  He contacted me six months back, and asked if I would be willing to take part in this scout camp.  He decided that he wanted to do things that these boys will probably never do again.  What he came up with, was to have 2 mini-events.  The first, was me, teaching the boys how to drive, and then using my horses and actually letting the boys drive horses.  The second event was roping, with the finale of the fun being that the boys would get to try roping a real calf.

The roping area.  Roping dummies, and a simulator too.

I decided that I was going to bring my 3 belgians down on the trip, and that I was going to use my wagon and just load up all the boys, and swap them out every so often once on the trail.  I got some great insight into this from a great yahoo group I belong to.  I was going to use Pam and Rachael for the boys to drive, and then use Nellie as a model of the Belgian breed.

Nellie tied in the round pen getting attention from a boy scout.

We were set up very nice.  We had a nice round pen that I kept the horses tied in when they were on break from the wagon.  The place had running water and power.  We were very comfortable.

So here's how my agenda for each group went.

1. The Belgian Horse.  I gave the boys the history of the horse and how the breed came to be.  I also used Nellie as a model to point out the characteristics of a Belgian.
2. Harness.  I used Pam or Rachael as a model for this part.  I introduced the boys to all the major components in a harness, and explained what the various parts did.  I applied the KISS (keep it simple stupid!) theory, and so mostly I just taught them about gas(collar/hame/tugs), brake(breast strap/quarter straps/breeching), and steering(bridle/lines).
3. Steering - bit pressure and line pressure.  To introduce the boys to how a horse is driven and controlled, I played a game with them.  I had extra bits, and rope tied to both sides.  I made the boys pair up, and one boy held the bit in front of him in his hands, while the other was behind him, essentially driving him.  I gave the boys with the bits strict instruction not to move if they didn't feel the proper communication throught he bit.  It was cool to watch the boys figure out how steering a horse worked.  I also taught them driving commands during this.  The boys learned "Step Up, Woah, Back, Gee, and Haw".
4. Wagon Driving.  The entire group loaded up on my wagon, and I drove them out to an empty pasture.  I then let them take turns driving in the pasture.  I gave them directions as to where I wanted them to go so that they really had to make the horses listen.  The last boy would drive most the way back, then I would take over and bring us back in.

The boy in front holds the bit, the boy behind practices his line tension.

Rachael and Pam waiting for the next wagon ride.

We did 6 groups a day, for 3 days.  I estimate the girls were under wagon about 40 minutes every hour and a half.  They got worked well.  It was hot as could be, so I was giving them electrolytes with their grain.

A beautiful open field for driving.  One of the scouts is driving here.

A happy bunch of guys!

It went so well, and I got to see the seeds being planted in a few future teamsters.  Most of the kids thought it was cool, and had a good time.  But there were a handful that just got it.  They caught the fire, and loved it.  It also happened that the boys that got it, were the ones that did the best when driving the horses.  They had the touch ... that instinct to communicate well with the horses through the lines.  It was a great thing to be a part of.

Working Rosie: feeling a bit defeated

Tonight I had the evening in front of me with plenty of daylight left.  It was 95 degrees, but cooling down.  Sounds perfect for another training session with Rosie.  That is about the most upbeat I may sound about the night.  I'm feeling a bit defeated.

She was easy to halter, and walked willingly out with me.  Then we did some ground work.  Disengage the rear end, check; flex the neck, no problem; lunge either way, you got it.  She did everything with ease for me.  I was getting pretty excited, thinking that we'd maybe come to an understanding.

I had her harnessed without a problem.  Things were going great.

Looking good in the harness

The plan for tonight was simple.  I was going to just ground drive her alone.  If things progressed well, I figured I might try hooking up a single tree and dragging a tire, but overall, I wanted to see her ground drive and acknowledge my commands.  I replaced her bit with one of my liverpool bits, and I put my lines in the furthest hole away from the bit.  If she decided to do her own thing tonight, it was not going to be easy.

We started off okay.  She stepped off just fine.  But when she felt the bit tension in her mouth, she immediately started getting nervous.  I told her woah, and she stopped really well.  I was praising her and letting her know how well she was doing.  Also, tonight I was pretty mild spoken with her.  I was purposely talking with a firm but calm voice to try and help her succeed.

That first drive away from the house was the best driving she did.  After that, she refused to do it again.  She would not step forward, and instead kept trying to spin her butt around to look at me or the other horses.  The liverpool bit did great at helping me keep her head where I wanted it, but she would still throw her body all the way around.  I've never seen a horse do this.  She nearly fell over 2 times from her twisting her body without moving her head.  When she would stop, I would make sure to emphasize the woah command, and then praise her for standing still.

How I have taught to step forward for all 4 of my horses in the past was to give the command, and constantly put pressure on the butt, until they step forward, then I stop the pressure.  Rosie would not learn this.  I was smacking her on the but and instead of going forward away from it, she would twist and keep backing.  There were a few times where she did step forward, just a step.  I quickly let off the pressure, and praised her.  She could not make the connection though.  Sooo frustrating.  She finally refused to move at all.  I sat there tapping her butt constantly for 10 minutes and she refused to budge, even when I got harsher and harsher. 

At this point, I decided that if she wasn't going to even try to drive for me, that she was getting a work out a different way.  I wrapped the lines around the hame balls, and led her with the lead line.  We did tight circles both left and right for 30+ minutes straight with no breaks.  round and round and round we went.  After 30 minutes she was almost walking drunk, so I decided it was break time.  I tied her to the telephone pole at this point, and she was soaked.

A tired sweaty mess

At this point, I gave her a 15 minute break.  I wasn't sure what to do.  Either she is completely stubborn and masks it well (I did not get the vibe from her tonight that she was being head strong, I got the clueless vibe from her), or she is all beauty and no brains.  I called a friend and rattled off the events to see what she thought.  One idea she had was to give her a break, and then try again.  Now that she'd really worked hard, give her the chance to do what I wanted.  I decided that was a good idea.  I first offered her some water, but she declined the offer.

I led her away from the other horses, facing away from them, and stood behind her.  "Rosie, Step Up" I said, and followed it with clicks.  She instantly tried to turn and face me.  I held her head and tapped her butt, but she would not stop backing and turning.  Round and round and round and down she went.  I could not let her back, because my feed shed was nearby, so I tried to keep her head facing the way I wanted.  She kept twisting her rear end around till she fell down.  I was in awe.  I have never ever seen this happen before.  I have never had a horse that could not make the connection that when they step forward, the pressure stops and the praising starts.  She then laid there, not moving.  She looked defeated, and made me feel like I'm abusing her or something.  I pulled out my phone and snapped this picture.

And down she went

At this point, I kind of gave up.  The only thing I can think to help teach her how to step off, is to have me with the lines behind her, and someone else leading her at the same time.  She leads perfect, she lunges perfect, yet she cannot make the connection that the same command I use in lunging and leading means to step off here.  Like I said, either she is really dumb, or she is a stubborn horse that masks it well.

At this point I pulled on the lead line, and she stood up.  I then did 5 minutes of easy leading and tied her.  (wanted to end on some kind of a good note).  I unhitched her, and spend a good 15 minutes brushing her, grooming her, and just loving on her.  She stood perfectly, and seemed to enjoy the attention.

All done, and looking pretty

So here I am.  I don't know what to do now.  I'm feeling very defeated, and am scared that somehow, unbeknown to me, I'm ruining this horse.  I talked to her owners last night, and 2 years ago she was at a TDHMA event and Bob Lewis was praising this horse and her sister as great hitch horses.  2 years later, and I'm seeing this.  I'm really feeling like this horse needs more than I can offer.  I'm really at a loss.  I guess it's just time to talk to others I know and trust and see what more I can do.  I really hate this feeling.

Working Rosie: My first run-away

Last night I decided to work Rosie alone.  I decided that I was going to do some ground work with her, and go from there.

I started with just some basic desensitizing stuff (whipping the end of the long lead line all over her lightly).  She did perfect with this.  Then I flexed her neck a bit and she gave to me very easily.  I worked with her on disengaging her rear end, and she did well with that.  Then I lunged her.  She didn't know what I was doing, but she picked up quick on what I wanted.  I should note that I don't have a round pen, so when I lunge, it's out in the open.  I'm really REALLY going to appreciate a round pen when I get one.  ;)  But she did wonderful and I was impressed by how smart she was at figuring out what I wanted of her.  She moved well and I had her trotting around me in no time.  She also stopped very well for this too.  I did this for about 30 minutes (seemed like forever), and she did so well I figured that we'd do some harness work.

When I started leading Rosie to the spot where I tie them, I could feel her resisting.  She would stop, but give in to pressure on the lead line within a second.  I tied her, then I went and got Rachael, my best trained mare and brought her up.

I harnessed the horses, and Rosie actually stood very well for it.  I was impressed.  She wasn't trying to get away or anything.  Things were looking good.  I hooked them together with a yoke, and hooked their butts together, and had the lines on them.  All was going perfect.

We started ground driving next.  Going forward was great.  The first time I said whoa and stopped, Rosie threw it into reverse.  Rachael stayed put, and so Rosie couldn't get far.  It took me a good minute to get her to stand still though.  Once I got her to stop, I sat there, praising her, making sure she knew what Woah meant.  Then we stepped off again and she did perfectly.  We stopped again 100 feet later, and the same thing, but this time she only tried to go backwards for a few seconds before she stopped.  Progress!

We drove out 1/2 mile away from the house in the pasture, and by the time we got 1/2 mile away, she was stopping really well with Rachael.  I was grinning, and all was well.  This is what it's supposed to be like.

THEN ... we turned around to head back.  Rosie knows the pasture, and when we turned around, she knew we were headed back.  She decided that she wanted to trot.  I kept the lines tight, and successfully got her to walk with Rachael.  Then we tried to stop again.  Nope, not happening.  She would not stand still.  It seemed that she had 2 gears, forward and reverse.  When I said woah, reverse kicked in.  This kept me busy on my feet keeping behind the horses who were turning circles because Rosie would not stop walking backwards.  And I have to praise Rachael here for doing what I asked.  She stood her ground as best she could.

I was in a vicious cycle, because I would smack her on the butt to stop her from going backwards, and then she'd start to trot forward.  Then she'd feel the bit tighten up and I'd say woah, and she'd hit reverse again.  I finally decided I just needed to walk them back to the house.  Walk would have been what I wanted, but Rosie was too amped to get back to the house.  She was trying her best to trot.  I kept pressure on the lines, and Rachael was walking for me, but it was a struggle.  Then we turned the corner and the other horses were in sight.

At this point, Rosie started prancing and pulling for all she was worth.  I was hanging on tight and trying to get them to stop, but it was not going to happen.  Even with my heels dug in the ground and pulling back for all I was worth, she started galloping, and would not listen to any of my commands.  I could feel the lines slipping through my grip, and before I knew it, the end of the lines slipped through my gloves and they were off.  They ran in a full gallop towards the other horses with the lines dragging behind them.

I have never felt so helpless in my life.  I sat there watching and praying that they would not injure themselves.  They ran a good 1/4 mile, right up to the corner of the fence and stopped, wedged in the corner of the pasture.  Luckily they stayed right there (Thanks to Rita walking up and bumping noses with Rosie).  I got to them, and unhooked Rosie from everything.  I then led Rosie to a nearby telephone pole, and I tied her to it.  She was a sweaty mess.

Then I went back to my Rachael.  She was standing there, and didn't move a muscle.  She honestly looked a little scared, and she perked right up when I grabbed the lines and drove her back to the house.  I unhitched her and turned her back out.  Meanwhile Rosie was having a fit.  She was rearing back, and trying for all she was worth to get untied.  So ... I kept her tied.  I did walk out and take her bridle off, because I didn't want her snagging the bit and hurting herself.

At this point, I had a cold drink.  I was sweating profusely, and my skin felt a little chilly.  I recognized these as the signs that heat stroke was near.  It was only 90 degrees out.  ;)  I guess getting drug behind a horse that doesn't want to walk for 1/4 mile has a way of really taking it out of you.  I took a short break and caught my breath.

Rosie was a stressed out mess when I went back out to her.  She was dripping with sweat.  However, she wasn't fighting the lead rope anymore.  She seemed happy to see me, and walked with no problem back to be tied and unharnessed. 

So now, I'm trying to restrategize how I'm going to do this.  I'm not sure I'll have these girls ready in a month.  At this point, I'm not sure what to think.  My experience thus far has been that drafts listen well, and try their best to follow instructions (as best they understand them).  I've never had a horse flat out try and run away from me while in harness.  It's a bit alarming to me.  Now, I think if she was out away from home, she wouldn't do that due to her not knowing where home is.  However, she shouldn't be doing that anyway.  At this poing I'm feeling a little defeated.  What she needs is someone who can work her every day, and break her of her bullheadedness.  I can't put that kind of time into her.  I also can't decide if she ran back because of being barn sour, or if it was separation anxieties from being away from her sister Rita.

Anyone have any advice?  I am now reluctant to hitch her to Rachael again, because I do not want anything to happen to Rachael.  Basically, I'm looking at a horse that lunges well, and does everything I ask in ground work, but then under harness, she doesn't listen and does what she wants.  How do you handle a horse like that?  How do you break that?  Looks like I need to hit the books.  As always ... feedback is welcome and appreciated.  If you don't want to respond via the blog, feel free to email with thoughts.  I'm really scratching my head on this one.