Sleighing/Thanks
This message is from: sandra minih...@hotmail.com Hello from frigid VA- Thank you to the folks who replied to my request for info on sleighing on this list privately. It looks like Steve I put the cart before the horse...or rather put the sleigh before the horse. Steve surprised me with this sleigh 3 years ago it was a complete surprise since he's not into horses. Between the lack of good sleighing weather my lack of knowledge concerning sleighing Loki's lack of preparation (training) for pulling a sleigh, I've given up any hope of sleighing with Loki. Plus it's taking up valuable space in the garage. Steve had even bought a gadget to go under the sleigh so we could easily move it...I don't know the name of the gadget but I think it's actually made for motorcycles (?). Anyone up north need a black piano box antique sleigh? Please contact me if you do. And Kim in Md., your boys are on my mind. I pray that they both recover fully and come home soon! Please keep us updated. Sandra in VA where it was 11 degrees this morning Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
RE: Sleighing
This message is from: Cindy B Giovanetti cin...@ipi.org When we ride in the woods, one behind the other, the first person grabs a branch full of snow and lets it go in the face of the person behind! You northerners have quite a sense of humor! Cindy Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
RE: Sleighing
This message is from: Mary Ofjord ma...@boreal.org I believe he just needs to be desensitized to the falling snow. :-) When we ride in the woods, one behind the other, the first person grabs a branch full of snow and lets it go in the face of the person behind! My friend who rides with me has sewn a piece of cloth to the back of her helmet cozy to keep the snow from falling down her neck, however, she could ride in the lead and do the same thing to me! Maybe Loki is fearful because he is out in front all by himself, although you say he does fine with his cart. He just needs to get used to snow balls falling from the trees. Mary Ofjord North Coast Services, LLC 218-387-1879 . Once hitched, Loki became very frightened because the heavy snow was falling off branches along with falling limbs at times. I'd never given much thought to how to accustom a horse to this situation because he lives in a pasture with lots of trees and I assumed that falling snow/branches wouldn't bother him but in the interest of staying safe, I unhitched him. Do you simply not go sleighing when snow branches are falling? Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
Re: Sleighing...hi Mary!
This message is from: Kay Van Natta jadeb...@aol.com And it IS difficult to do a lot of sleighing if you're not in a position to find or create groomed trails. Like Phil, I've certainly got enough winter, but the public roads are my driving venue and the county isn't interested in making them sleigh-friendly. Heck...they're not all THAT interested in making them motor vehicle friendly! And, from Loki's point of view, maybe pulling a carriage and pulling a sleigh aren't as similar as they seem to us. I know we're always trying to understand how things look to our ponies but it's often hard to be sure. Good luck! Kay in MI Sent from my iPad On Jan 19, 2014, at 11:18 AM, Mary Ofjord ma...@boreal.org wrote: This message is from: Mary Ofjord ma...@boreal.org I believe he just needs to be desensitized to the falling snow. :-) When we ride in the woods, one behind the other, the first person grabs a branch full of snow and lets it go in the face of the person behind! My friend who rides with me has sewn a piece of cloth to the back of her helmet cozy to keep the snow from falling down her neck, however, she could ride in the lead and do the same thing to me! Maybe Loki is fearful because he is out in front all by himself, although you say he does fine with his cart. He just needs to get used to snow balls falling from the trees. Mary Ofjord North Coast Services, LLC 218-387-1879 . Once hitched, Loki became very frightened because the heavy snow was falling off branches along with falling limbs at times. I'd never given much thought to how to accustom a horse to this situation because he lives in a pasture with lots of trees and I assumed that falling snow/branches wouldn't bother him but in the interest of staying safe, I unhitched him. Do you simply not go sleighing when snow branches are falling? Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
Re: Sleighing...Oops - hi Sandra.
This message is from: Kay Van Natta jadeb...@aol.com See the hi Mary post! This senility thing is getting to be a real pain in the neck! Kay, still in MI Sent from my iPad On Jan 19, 2014, at 11:18 AM, Mary Ofjord ma...@boreal.org wrote: This message is from: Mary Ofjord ma...@boreal.org I believe he just needs to be desensitized to the falling snow. :-) When we ride in the woods, one behind the other, the first person grabs a branch full of snow and lets it go in the face of the person behind! My friend who rides with me has sewn a piece of cloth to the back of her helmet cozy to keep the snow from falling down her neck, however, she could ride in the lead and do the same thing to me! Maybe Loki is fearful because he is out in front all by himself, although you say he does fine with his cart. He just needs to get used to snow balls falling from the trees. Mary Ofjord North Coast Services, LLC 218-387-1879 . Once hitched, Loki became very frightened because the heavy snow was falling off branches along with falling limbs at times. I'd never given much thought to how to accustom a horse to this situation because he lives in a pasture with lots of trees and I assumed that falling snow/branches wouldn't bother him but in the interest of staying safe, I unhitched him. Do you simply not go sleighing when snow branches are falling? Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
Sleighing
This message is from: sandra minih...@hotmail.com Phil, thank you for sharing your unique adventure with your pair of Fjords. I have a question for you or anyone who can give some sleighing advice. I've had an antique sleigh for 3 winters only to realize that my location in VA is just not going to allow much sleighing. Last winter I thought we had the perfect snow (for maybe half a day) to hitch up my Loki who is a perfect gentleman under harness with his cart. Once hitched, Loki became very frightened because the heavy snow was falling off branches along with falling limbs at times. I'd never given much thought to how to accustom a horse to this situation because he lives in a pasture with lots of trees and I assumed that falling snow/branches wouldn't bother him but in the interest of staying safe, I unhitched him. Do you simply not go sleighing when snow branches are falling? Common sense tells me the answer is no sleighing during that situation plus the snow was melting quickly. The sleigh is taking up much needed space in the garage so maybe we should advertise it perhaps someone further north could use it. A friend explained that an icy base is needed with plenty of snow on top for good sleighing. I've learned the hard way that open land would be safer to sleigh on instead of wooded areas. Gee, what did the folks in the old days do...or were their horses used enough to not be bothered by heavy snow or branches falling near them? I would be interested in hearing from experienced sleighing folks about the ideal conditions for sleighing and any special training for the horses to pull a sleigh. Thanks! Sandra Loki in VA Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw FH_L Shirts: http://tinyurl.com/8yky94l
A Christmas sleighing story
This message is from: Norsk Wood Works [EMAIL PROTECTED] This message is from Phillip Odden in Northwestern Wisconsin. Yesterday Grandma and Grandpa Johnson arrived at our farm for a sleigh ride. Grandma Johnson attended our annual carving class last September. She and her husband have had horses together for their entire married life. It sounds like their interest has been quarter horses for the most part but they have had several other breeds as well. While at the carving class I took them on an early evening hay ride behind a couple of my fjords. Grandma Johnson wondered if I would take her daughter and family for a sleigh ride around Christmas. Since our son Ole has grown to around 6' 3 he no longer rides the plastic sleds hitched behind the sleigh. Most kids think the sleds pulled side by side behind the bob sled are more fun than the sleigh itself. Adults tend to think the soft hay bales wrapped in blankets nestled in the ten foot bob sled bed offers more comfort. Grandma and Grandpa wonder how they will manage to climb into the bob sled but aren't willing to ride the sleds either. Generational differences are more understandable after one gets few years of age on the body. Everyone seemed to think a sleigh ride looked like fun especially as the winter temps had become milder and the snow had softened to perfect packing consistency. Ole would never have passed up the opportunity to pack and throw snow balls. The four children were preacher's kids and almost a little too well behaved. Never saw a single snowball lofted toward anther kid or even the sleigh. Had Ole and his buddies been in the sleds there would have been a constant running battle. Snowballs flying toward each other and then toward me and even poor Rocco the dog. On second thought, maybe civilized children are a better deal for the sleigh master. I recall the sudden and unwelcome water laden snowballs that went a little high and splattered on the back of my head only to fall down my neck. Often the snowballs went wide of their mark ( my head ) and landed on the horses. The only way to avoid the snowballs was to use evasive driving tactics at extended trot pace, turning tight circles sometimes referred to as crack the whip in an effort to roll the kids off the sleds. Then Rocco the dog could get his licks in on their rosy faces since he too had been a target. Once they were off the sleds, the momentum of the game was with me and the pair. A kid can catch up to a walking horse if they run, but if the horses begin to trot just as the little troll is about to settle into the sled, the sleds, the sleigh and the sleigh master may soon be well down the trail. Running in soft snow with snow suits and heavy boots isn't like sprinting in tennis shoes on the gym floor. Most often troll kids have more energy and will last longer than horses and sleigh masters at this game. But these were preacher's kids not yet old enough to be ready to rebel, so everyone sat fairly quiet. But they sure could yell and make noise. With the team at a walk the conversation was soft. As the pair started a slow trot and the sleigh bells began to ring the noise from the sleds rose and climbed with the tempo of the trot. Trotting has always been the favorite gate of the fjords and these tall geldings, Odden's Bjarne and Herger, move well together. With Herger on the right and Bjarne on the left they turn well to both sides with the outside horse stepping up to make the swing in unison. Even above all the racket they respond to softly spoken commands of walk, trot, easy, right, left, whoa and stand. These are steady horses and one reason for that is because they get this type of experience. Even though the kids loved the speed of the trot I could feel the adults grabbing for something to hold onto as the unfamiliar movement of the sled runners over the fields was a bit unsettling. My rule always is that if you are going to ride with me on my sleighs or wagons you must be able to save yourself. That makes it simple. Nobody bailed out this time. After a good deal of transitions from walk to trot across the fields and through the woods the horses were sweating pretty good. Clouds of steam rose from their bodies and their sides were moving in and out kind of fast as lather ran down betwee the hind legs onto their hocks. Horse smell filled the air. I let them rest on top of the hill and then one of the children, who had been riding fjords back in her home state of Washington, came to sit beside me on the box seat. When I offered her the lines to drive them home she was ready and willing. For me the greatest pleasure I receive from working with my fjords is to give others a sense of joy through the horses. The rosy cheeked smile and confidence of this little girl driving my big fjord geldings home yesterday together with the pleasure the rest of the family felt, made my day. My Christmas wish is that you all continue to receive joy from your fjords on what ever level
Re: Sleighing with Sue......
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 1/20/2002 6:21:31 PM Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: TYPICAL MAN! (laughing and ducking!) My thoughts, exactly, Jean :):):) Linda in MN
Re: Sleighing with Sue......
This message is from: Jean Ernest [EMAIL PROTECTED] .Now what is so funny about all this is SUE is the horse person, not Joe, but JOE felt he knew more then Sue about it. I asked if he'd loosened anything else we should know about before we went in the next class LOL Maybe it was funnier if you were actually there, but I thought it was funny, how his TRYING to be helpful, WASN'T :) TYPICAL MAN! (laughing and ducking!) Jean in alaska, where it's still snowing, Hooray! I think we got 3 inches, the most snowfall in WEEKS! Jean Ernest Fairbanks, Alaska mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sleighing with Sue......
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hi Everyone, Just spent a wonderful day with Sue and Joe Connolly, at a sleigh rally, here in Maine. I'm sure Sue will write and tell you of her and YoYo's wins, but I wanted to share a funny thing that happened today. It actually made the day for me, as I kept chuckling about it, if not to Sue, then to myself :) During a break, Sue and I had gone for a potty break and asked Sue's husband Joe to head the horse for us. When we got back we climbed inwith our Long fur coats, fur hats, lap robe, and foot warmer.the whole works :) We took a lap around the area while waiting for the judge to finish judging a JR. class. As we sat there waiting for our next class, Sue's husband wandered over and says to Sue did you notice his bridle fits better? Sue says No, what did you do? He says that he loosened it up a little. She askes him HOW he did that and he says that the bit was touching the corners of his mouth. That the poor horse didn't need or want that bit pulled up into his mouth like that all day..that's why he'd been fighting her (WHICH HE HADN'T BEEN) Sue gets out of the sleigh and looks and sure enough the bit is hanging in his mouthno contact in the corner of his lips at all :-) He stood there and went on and on as Sue put the bit back where it should be.Now what is so funny about all this is SUE is the horse person, not Joe, but JOE felt he knew more then Sue about it. I asked if he'd loosened anything else we should know about before we went in the next class LOL Maybe it was funnier if you were actually there, but I thought it was funny, how his TRYING to be helpful, WASN'T :) Aimee Day
Sleighing
This message is from: Denise Delgado [EMAIL PROTECTED] listers, after reading all these sleighing stories i am a little envious here in calif. my two yaks have started shedding already and the ground out in their paddock is white with fur instead of snow!denise in way-to-mild-for-this-time-of-year, northern california.
Camera's and Sleighing
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hello List Mink Hollow here. We have a Sony Mavica also and the resolution on the JPEG photo;s are very good! Our web page we did not use digital. I have a nice scanner, those are Photos, copied into the computer by the scanner at a high resolution. The Sony also takes small film clips. Nice feature for Horsey people. I like the floppy disc. No wires, no fuss, simple. Sounds like most of you guys are way ahead of me on the technology end! Saves a lot of money on developing photos and video's. I think one could go broke on all the videos you send out that are never returned! Carol, That weed you spoke of, got any pictures, native weed to Canada? Like to see what it looks like. Cheryl, have been enjoying your sleighing escapades. I Worried for you traveling over rocks. Try and find a safe place that is flat and has nothing to catch runners on especially till you learn. When I began I went up in the hills for Christmas bows and all went well, had a ball but a runner caught on a bramble you could not see under the powder and I tipped over in slow motion. I had a seasoned safe pony and thankgod she did not run. She went a few feet, I landed on 2 feet, but she did scratch up the new red sleigh and I lost and antique bell. It can happen so fast. Also have someone on the ground with you while teaching Soliela. Carry around Jingle bells in the barn with you. Never drive the sleigh without being inside it! Don't let the horse back up always forward motion. watch snow that is exceptionally deep. You can get the sleigh stuck on one side and tip. If a snowmobile goes by keep the horse moving forward, keep the same contact, and soothing talk. Don;t raise your voice stay monotone. Little tricks that may help in the beginning. Last of all, no sharp turns, Plan your turns and Bob sleds with 2 runners I find the safest. We sleigh on trails, road and ring. I do not take green horses into the trails as their is little room for mistakes when sleighing. You can also try dragging the sleigh next to your mare so she hears and sees it before you hitch her. Ps this is great work for their top line. Renee so sorry about the little ones, I am sure there is nothing you could have done, little solace I know, twins are not always detected even with all the fancy technology of today. If I read this right you still have your mare, that is something to be thankful for. Laura of the Hollow
sleighing!
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hi all! Laura mentioned sleighing so I thought I'd tell you about last weekend. Saturday, our family went to the Sleigh and Cutter Parade in Cannon Falls, MN, about an hour from here. It was the first time we had gone to this one. What a friendly group of people (as always with a driving group!). We had a great time sleighing around a groomed track in the park in front of many people who were also there for the dog sled races. It was a partly sunny day and warm by MN standards! Sunday, we went out again to sleigh -- this time to the St. Paul Winter Carnival Sleigh and Cutter Drive at Phalen Park in St. Paul, MN. This was our second year going to this one. The track was wonderful in that they made it so we could pass if need be. There were at least 60 turn-outs in my estimation!!! Every pony and horse type you could imagine!! You would have been proud that there were at least 10 Fjords there, 3 turn-outs being pairs! I heard one participant exclaim, What is this -- a Fjord convention!!?? It was so much fun to see all the variety in sleighs, bobsleds and cutters. The whole affair was followed by a potluck lunch with ribbons awarded for every category imagineable. The sun was shining all day. We couldn't have asked for better snow and weather conditions for sleighing! Only 2 mishaps that day -- one, a pony got loose and was found trotting down Larpentuer Ave., a busy thoroughfare, and two, a Shire accident. I have to tell you about it since it happened 4 feet from us. Major (our Fjord) and our sleigh were passing a gorgeous Shire whom we'd passed several times that day. This time, we passed -- at a walk--- by some green electrical boxes that were well marked in the snow with three painted boards. Right as we passed, the Shire spooked and kicked his sleigh further spooking himself. We turned around to watch the whole horrible incident, helplessly. The Shire obviously wanted to get rid of the thing he had kicked and leaped and bucked and kicked forever it seemed! We are talking about a tall huge horse!! The driver kept the reins in hand but the action by the horse was so violent that it was sending the sleigh up in the air several feet a few times until the driver was literally heaved from the sleigh and into the snow! At that point, all straps had snapped between the horse and the sleigh, and the horse, relieved that he had freed himself from the awful thing behind him, just stood there in the snow looking at his driver as if to say, What happened? The sleigh was a wreck. The guy said he had driven this Shire for many years and he had never spooked before. He wondered if the horse had gotten a charge from the electrical box as he went by??? We went by it several more times that day and had no reaction?? Thank God he had a soft landing in the snow and was not hurt, nor was the horse. I sure felt lucky to have my sweet Fjord, Major, that day!! He was so in his element out in the snow trotting around that afternoon. Makes me wish we lived somewhere where we didn't have to trailer to go sleighing because I know we would go out more often that way. Hope all of you get to enjoy a wonderful wintery day behind your Fjord this winter! Susan in balmy MN
Re: First time Sleighing and Bucking Straps
This message is from: Cheryl Beillard [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hello everyone .. after reading the posts about sleighing and the question about bucking straps, I thought I would open up and tell you about my first short but educational sleigh drive .. no rally, to be sure, although I did (rally, that is), after almost losing it as we careened over a few boulders (at a brisk trot) under our less than 8 of fluffy new snow, and almost tipping over on a turn going down hill (not my idea). Today was the first day we had enough snow, temperatures just around freezing (and not 30 below, with wind chill) and SUN to make conditions right, I thought, for trying out my new sleigh (an antique Vermont cutter, in original condition, but still pretty sturdy with reasonably wide runners).I also had a husband and a guest from Washington who were there to catch me (or the horse) if there was serious fallout from this, my first test drive. It took me about a half an hour to adjust the harness from my road cart to fit the sleigh, oil the few screws and things that seemed to need it and .. I'm still not sure if I got it right .. the tugs had a LOT of slack in them, going down hills, and I had to drop the loops for the shafts to their last hole to get them fairly level along Soleia's very rounded (read pregnant) sides .. Soleia hasn't been hitched since November, and some of you may recall, I was having the beginnings of a potentially serious problem with bucking .. the last being a good 300 ft of crowhopping, in which she persisted in a sort of half hearted way (ie. she never connected with the cart, or really got her heels up) .. HOWEVER, as a prudent reader of the list, I immediately sought advice and subsequently purchased a very supple and easy to attach strap designed by Dave McWethy (Camptown Harness) .. Dave has used snaps instead of buckles to make it easy to attach or detach .. and it worked superbly, because Soleia did, of course, give a few little bucks (no doubt remembering her modest success last time out!) but had to go sideways, rather than up, I think and she was easily brought under control (no, that's an exaggeration, I am not sure she was EVER completely uner control in this new contraption!). I was a little apprehensive and only drove her in the fields and out along a lane we have, for about 20 minutes .. Thought it best to end on a positive note for both of us. There were a few dicey moments, as at one point, she got sort of sandwiched between a tree, a culvert (looming very large in my view!) and a rock. Of course, as I quickly discovered, you can't back these things up .. so it was forward, over the culvert, through the tree or over the rock .. I chose the rock. And then some. Found it very difficult to know where they are, of course, and in Renfrew County, Ontario , we have a LOT of rock. I also noticed that turning on a hill is not advisable, and that maybe a trail blazed by snowmobiles with packed snow on a flat surface might be the ideal conditions. The other complication was my new filly, Tunica, who raced up and down the fence line, calling desperately for us to come back.. Didn't help my nerves or Soleia's state of mind .. There were definitely some tense moments, but I learned a few basics, including what to avoid, but I 'm sure there are many more lessons to be learned and I only hope I can learn them without serious misadventure. My visitor from Washington, got as far as his helmet, and opted to watch with my husband, from a safe distance. Gorgeous day, great potential but a little sobering as an inexperienced driver. Boy, when these things hit a bump, you know it! And the noise, on gravel is deafening .. I first led Soleia up the lane, rather than driving , to see how she would react to the noise, but other than a little ear twitching, she was fine. Mostly, it was that she didn't really want to leave her new stablemate -- and it was her first time out in a long time .. been too cold and I've been giving her feet a rest from shoes, and ice made working with her out of the question.
