Being taken for a ride!

This post is mainly about Shire horses from the point of view of a complete novice:

I had no idea of the complexities of their characters and am discovering that these animas are far more intelligent than I’d ever imagined. Getting to know them is very much a two way process in which they are sussing me out as much as anything. In fact they work out my weaknesses amazingly quickly and exploit them well before I realize what’s going on! It is a steep learning curve for me, and Ben my host, is very keen that the horses and I establish who is the boss as quickly as possible before they decide I can be pushed around. I can see how right he is about this & I’m having to work hard and learn fast.

Meet Tom (the black one). He’s an absolute beauty & stands well over 7ft tall (in “hands” that is 18.2), probably weighing somewhere around a ton. He’s a reliable worker in experienced hands but is well on the ball & when I take the reigns he will push the boundaries to establish where he and I sit relative to each other in the hierarchy of dominance – I have learned that it is never assumed that the human is at the top! Ben says that this is true of any working horse worth his salt. Tom is impeccably behaved with Ben and it is apparent that they have a very clear understanding between them.

Joey (brown one of the pair) is younger and less experienced but is very capable. He is not quite Tom’s size (but still a massive horse). He will often nosey over for a stroke when I enter the field & rest his chin on my shoulder (or head), unlike Tom who is a little more aloof and usually content just to wander over and nibble grass near-by. Joey is a cheeky fellow though and tries to push the boundaries even with Ben, but Ben will not let him get away with it for one moment.

Here the pair of them are tasked with extracting haylage bags on a sledge from the areas of the hay meadow that were too wet to bale with the tractor.

There are 3 others horses to look after: Jem, who is currently pregnant;  Sonny her 6-month old foal, and a black and white mare named Gypsy. I'll post photos later.

So what have I learned so far about working with these magnificent creatures so far? In the grand scheme of things not a lot! It is going to be a long process, however I feel totally absorbed in getting to know them & am hooked already. My routine duties on horse days now include catching Tom & fitting his halter in the paddock; leading him to the stables; cleaning out his hoofs & giving him a brush down in preparation to being fitted up with his tack; and hosing him down after the day’s work. I’m getting the hang of fitting the tack too & hope to be allowed make this a routine task as soon as I can remember where the hell all those clips & bits of leather go! As for the working aspect, it is still early days and I’m just getting used to the commands for simple manoeuvres like “walk-on”, “whoa”, “steady”, “stand”, and simple reign control. I’ll let you know how I get on…

...while the sun shines

2 weeks into my WWOOFing now & it feels like I’ve been at this farm half my life! I arrived just after lunchtime last Saturday and was shown straight to the field where the hay was being baled. September is very late for bringing in a hay crop but it was the first 5 days of sufficiently dry weather & there was a mad rush on to get it all in and under cover before the forecast rain set in. After a lightening fast round of introductions I took my place behind the antiquated baling machine pulled by an old Fordson Major tractor to hand delivered each bale to a spot where it wouldn’t be in the way on the next pass through the field. There were regular stops to untangle birds-nests of baler twine after the machine had decided to keep hold of it and pass out loose hay instead.

I’m beginning to learn that Ben, my host, is a bit of a collector of ancient bits of kit & it is fascinating to see what appear to be rusty & apparently abandoned pieces of machinery tugged out of hedges & put to work, sometimes enhanced by a replacement component from an equally forgotten looking item near-by. I’ve always been a fan of low-tech machinery on the basis that it requires low-tech solutions to mend and keep running, which in turn means its lifespan is limited only by the skill, imagination and creativity of the operator – attributes that are enjoyable in themselves and discourage any separation of the worker from the work.

Despite the pressures of time there was a great atmosphere of people pulling together. The hay is of course the winter feed for the animals and highly prone to rotting when wet, so it was of vital importance that the job was completed before the rain came in – and it was forecast for Sunday. Normally this would have been a job for two shire horses but the critical need for speed tipped the balance in favour of the tractor and 4x4. 700 bales were transported off the field & stacked in the barn in the near pitch darkness. Plus another 500ish on Sunday, with the first spots of rain landing on the front of the tractor as we reversed the last trailer into the barn. The sense of relief was enormous. Levels of tiredness maxed out all-round, but at the evening meal conversation & jovialities flowed as freely as the cider…

There is much cross-over between my nature conservation career & work on the farm, and my tractor, chainsaw & general practical skills are in high demand. It also looks as though I will be writing a management plan for 20ha of woodland next door & advising on sources of funding for carrying out management work. Ha! – pretty much what I was getting paid for a few weeks ago! I thought that woodland and habitat management consultancy might be one of my income streams in the future so I’ll be using this as a practice run since the practicalities of doing it freelance will be very different to writing for, and from within a professional organisation. Also this woodland will need to produce usable timber for craft, saw milling and sale and be viable without an army of volunteer labour. Managed correctly this commercial aspect is entirely compatible with the enhancement of wildlife habitats, & combining these two elements is something that I find massively exciting since it promotes the value of our native woodlands in a way that is more likely to be recognised by the powers-that-be than their ecological value alone.

I am happy that I can provide a specialist service, and in return I am grateful to receive training in working with horses – which is equally specialist, and hopefully will be a skill of great value to me in the future.

More on horses in the next post…