Sustainable Logging with Draft Animals

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Oxen of any breed are less expensive to purchase than either horses or mules—a pair of young oxen cost about as much as one good horse or mule of similar age, and don't require an expensive and complex set of harness and driving lines (reins). Where horses and mules are harnessed and operated by lines, in combination with voice commands, oxen require only a wooden yoke (rudimentary collar) to attach the load to and a goad (stick) to occasionally tap the animal and thus reinforce a voice command.

Oxen are similar to mules in having a strong sense of self-preservation, being resistant to disease, and being able to handle rough terrain. But they are unlike mules in becoming somewhat lethargic in hot weather. While horses and mules are designed for speed, oxen can be counted on for steadiness and patience. Drew Conroy has trained all three—horses, mules, and oxen—and feels that mules are smartest and oxen are least likely to run away in an uncontrolled fit due to fright or frustration.

AUTOMATIC PILOT:
A well-trained team can travel between the cutting area and deck on its own.

On level ground a horse, mule, or ox can consistently pull a load of its own weight (although in contests or "pulls," winners may pull two or three times their weight for short distances). In cool weather, a well-conditioned team of two can skid up to 3,000 board feet, or one loggingtruck load, in a day. A well-trained team can learn to travel between the cutting area and the deck (landing or staging site) on its own. Chains or cables are usually used for skidding lighter logs. Heavier logs can be made more manageable by resting one end on a logging cart or sled.

Whether your preference is for horse logging, mule skinning, or bull whacking, editor of "Horse Logger's International Newsletter" Gregg Caudell suggests that you'll have to work at developing the necessary disposition for logging with draft animals, which operate at a much slower pace than we modern humans are accustomed to. The upside of this slower pace, besides giving you a whole new philosophical outlook, is that you're less likely to get hurt in the woods than you would be working around noisy, high-speed equipment.

If you're thinking of logging with draft animals, start out by reading everything you can get your hands on, including Caudell's newsletter, the membership newsletter put out by The North American Horse and Mule Loggers Association, and Rural Heritage (formerly The Evener), a bi-monthly magazine devoted to horse, mule, and ox power.

In addition, join a local organization that promotes the use of draft animals and arrange to spend a few days working with an experienced logger. You might also sign up for a course on handling draft animals. Clinics are sponsored by, among others, the Draft Horse & Mule Association of America and Tillers International, both of which supply the necessary animals and equipment to let you get a good feel for how things work.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print