Horses:

November 26 2023. I finally combined the sunflowers and part of my rotation is to use the horses to break down the sunflower stalks and break up the crimped rye. There is also good green grass to be had along with some alfalfa just starting. I also tried them on some new rye which they happily ate. Maybe next fall I will over plant more rye as feed for them for the winter months.
November 15 2023. this is late evening as things are starting to get colder. You can see the wagon for the horses and in the distance one of the horses. I hope to keep them on pasture until December. Next year I am going to over plant rye and spelt so they can eat that when it gets frosty so I do not need as much hay.
August 6, 2023 It has been a good year with the horses but in late July it got too hot for the horses but they did cut the hay in early july. It was very impressive with Ginger really putting her heart into the pulling of the sickle mower. The hay was also very tall. They teddered the hay, then raked it but the tractor did the baling. Unfortunately Chief is having problems with his hind end so he vet is treating him with Vitamin E.
In the early spring we had some log to pull.

I first took draft horse lessons with Ken Laing. I really enjoyed the course but the thing I forgot was that his horses were very well trained. I actually took two courses.

In 2015 Dorothee and I purchased a farm and decided to get a horse. One of our amish friends offered to sell us one of his old horses named Major. We learned a lot from him and we decided to get another named Queen, then followed Duke and Jim. Major was sent into retirement. Next I got a young horse from Ken Laing, a Suffolk punch named Flynn. He turned out to be a very fine horse but unfortunately he got colic and had to be put down. This was a very big disappointment for me as he was the best horse I could ever get.

As of April 2021 we have four horses. Jim. Duke Chief and a new Belgium Ginger. I doubt that she had ever had a bit in her mouth or even harnessed. I took about training her and she progressed well. I have even got her plowing and having the honour of being in the furrow. All of my horses are over 15 years old and of no more use to the Amish.

The real trick I have found with my horses is to do something every day with them. Jim is a good example. In 2020 he got spooked and ran away with the other horses with our Sickle mower. Luckily for us there was only slight damage but it could have been a lot worse. I swore he would never be used again but I have spent time with him doing things like brushing him, doing exercises with him and it has paid off. “I have used him successfully in a three horse, and two horse team as well as by himself. I do not work my horses for long periods nor with very heavy loads because of their age and I must also remember I too am 73 years old this year. (2021)

Today was May 1 2021 and it was most successful using Jim and Chief on the tyne weeder. I never really thought that Jim would be very good since the last time he just wanted to go home after a few rounds. Today he and Chief were excellent and completed both fields for the sunflowers. So again just so much to learning how to use draft horses.