A Step Back In Time
Today on my way home from work, which takes over an hour, I noticed a pair of big work horses in a field. I pulled to the side of the road to watch them for a few minutes because you don't see many of these horses today. The are majestic creatures, huge animals, with big feet, yet very graceful. I have never seen them before today and I have been driving there for over 3 years.
Well it brought me back in time to when I was about 15 years old. A friend of mine who was about 5-6 years older than myself asked me if I wanted a summer job cutting pulp with him and his dad. Well, it sounded good at the time, so I said sure, I would take it. I asked about wages and he said it depended on how much wood we cut and piled, but it should be pretty good money.
I had cut lots of wood with my dad, but never worked in the woods making pulp before, so it didn't sound too bad. The first day of work I found out the dad would cut the trees, my friend would pull the trees with a work horse to me, and I would cut it in 100 inch lengths and pile it up to 4 feet high along a road so the truck could pick it up.
Well it was very hard work, I used their chain saw, they picked me up each day before it got light, and dropped me off after it was dark. All I could do each day was eat and go to bed exhausted.
I learned to pull wood with the horses, just for a change of labor once in a while. I learned that you developed a relationship with the horse to get him to do exactly what you wanted. When he was harnessed he was all work. He would back up when commanded, stop and would take off when the reins were dropped, and pull the wood right to my work area and I would lead him to where I wanted him to stop. He would wait for me to unhook the chokers and then go when asked to go. You had to make sure you were clear of the hooked wood when you dropped the reins, or risk breaking a leg or two when the horse lurched forward because he knew there was a load behind him.
Even at their size they were gentle animals and more than a little playful. When my friend and his dad went away for a few days I was instructed to drive out each day and feed and water the two horses. At each logging job they built a small corral for them out of small diameter trees. Well as told, I went out to do the chores in their car, I dropped the top cross piece of the corral door and damn, one of them slid past me and jumped the other two small logs. It ran a hundred yards or so and stopped. I swore under my breath, and started toward it, talking gently. It let me get about 10 feet away and bolted again. Well this was repeated about 50 times, and a half mile away, before it let me catch him. I swear that horse would laugh at me and shake it's head every time it eluded me. Well, I got the horse back and was putting it in the pen when the other horse took off, and after an hour or so let me catch it. This time I tied one to the tree while putting the other in. Well I learned a valuable lesson, don't let the logs down! Each day I would climb over the log fense to feed and water. I would talk to them, pet them, and they would nuzzle me.
While working with them, once in a while they got playful too, like if walking close to them, they would whack you with their head knocking you over, and again they would whinney and bounce their head up and down, I still think their version of laughing their butts off, heh, heh.
It was a wonderful experience, and would have been even better if I made a little money at it, but thats a different story.
Well it brought me back in time to when I was about 15 years old. A friend of mine who was about 5-6 years older than myself asked me if I wanted a summer job cutting pulp with him and his dad. Well, it sounded good at the time, so I said sure, I would take it. I asked about wages and he said it depended on how much wood we cut and piled, but it should be pretty good money.
I had cut lots of wood with my dad, but never worked in the woods making pulp before, so it didn't sound too bad. The first day of work I found out the dad would cut the trees, my friend would pull the trees with a work horse to me, and I would cut it in 100 inch lengths and pile it up to 4 feet high along a road so the truck could pick it up.
Well it was very hard work, I used their chain saw, they picked me up each day before it got light, and dropped me off after it was dark. All I could do each day was eat and go to bed exhausted.
I learned to pull wood with the horses, just for a change of labor once in a while. I learned that you developed a relationship with the horse to get him to do exactly what you wanted. When he was harnessed he was all work. He would back up when commanded, stop and would take off when the reins were dropped, and pull the wood right to my work area and I would lead him to where I wanted him to stop. He would wait for me to unhook the chokers and then go when asked to go. You had to make sure you were clear of the hooked wood when you dropped the reins, or risk breaking a leg or two when the horse lurched forward because he knew there was a load behind him.
Even at their size they were gentle animals and more than a little playful. When my friend and his dad went away for a few days I was instructed to drive out each day and feed and water the two horses. At each logging job they built a small corral for them out of small diameter trees. Well as told, I went out to do the chores in their car, I dropped the top cross piece of the corral door and damn, one of them slid past me and jumped the other two small logs. It ran a hundred yards or so and stopped. I swore under my breath, and started toward it, talking gently. It let me get about 10 feet away and bolted again. Well this was repeated about 50 times, and a half mile away, before it let me catch him. I swear that horse would laugh at me and shake it's head every time it eluded me. Well, I got the horse back and was putting it in the pen when the other horse took off, and after an hour or so let me catch it. This time I tied one to the tree while putting the other in. Well I learned a valuable lesson, don't let the logs down! Each day I would climb over the log fense to feed and water. I would talk to them, pet them, and they would nuzzle me.
While working with them, once in a while they got playful too, like if walking close to them, they would whack you with their head knocking you over, and again they would whinney and bounce their head up and down, I still think their version of laughing their butts off, heh, heh.
It was a wonderful experience, and would have been even better if I made a little money at it, but thats a different story.
posted by Reflections at 7:01 PM
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