Does anyone have any hints, suggested reading material, or personal experience on breaking a team of draft horses for driving, plowing etc? Is their any specifics I should look for if I were to buy a young team, or would you suggest an experienced team? I have been offered a team of 2 year olds(brother and sister) I have dealt with draft horses before but have never broke a horse to drive. Any body got any advice? Thanks! cara cnllewis@email.com

-- cara lewis (cnllewis@email.com), April 20, 2000

Answers

Both Small Farm Today and Rural Heritage magazines do quite a bit on draft horses, mules and oxen. There is also the Draft Horse Journal. Small Farm Today phone is 800-633-2535. Rural Heritage magazine is www.ruralheritage.com. Draft Horse Journal phone is 319-352-4046. One of these magazines, I don't remember which, advertises a book especially for beginners. When I was looking into buying draft horses I remember the advice an Amish man gave me. "If you don't know how to drive horses, buy ones that are already broke. They will teach you."

-- R. (thor610@yahoo.com), April 20, 2000.

R. Thanks so much for the information. I am very tempted to purchase the horses but like you quoted" let a experienced team teach me " especially before I try to teach them. Although, I received a reply earlier about taking them to an Amish farmer, and letting him train them. I'll have to decide, it is just I was given an opportunity, probably (monetary wise) once in a lifetime. Thanks again for the help!!!! Cara Lewis cnllewis@email.com

-- cara lewis (cnllewis@email.com), April 20, 2000.

You might be interested in reading the book, "The Man Who Listens to Horses", by Monty Roberts.

-- John Fritz (aeon30@hotmail.com), April 21, 2000.

John Fritz, I have already read the book"the man who listens to horses" And it never even occurred to me take that book into consideration. Thanks!! cara lewis

-- cara lewis (cnllewis@email.com), April 22, 2000.

Just a thought -- the book mentioned is really great, for gentling horses, but probably isn't going to have much guidance for someone trying to train a draft team.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 22, 2000.

Here we go, I'm going to give you just enough info to drive you crazy. I was looking into this same thing about six months ago and I came across a person on the internet that gives one week training classes on how to use and train draft animals. I want to say the name of his company was Tiller. His training school is very well known among people with draft animals. You go to his farm for a week and the first day or two you are using his experienced animals, they may have been oxen rather than horses, to learn how to work the animals. Then by the end of the week you are training a brand new team that he has. I would highly recommend that you do something like this to help you learn how to do it and to see if it is something you would really like to do. I know he said that you can make mistakes as a beginner that will totally confuse the animals and make it almost impossible to train them. There are also safety things about how you go about it in case the animals spook so that you or the animals don't get hurt. It is dangerous to do even if you know what you are doing and you have to really know your animals. I think it would be a great thing to learn and if I decide I would like to try it, I intend to take his course first. I think he is somewhere in Michigan or Wisconsin. I will try to find him again on the internet.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), April 23, 2000.

Here is tiller's website

http://www.wmich.edu/tillers/

-- Steve Belanger (steveb2win@yahoo.com), April 24, 2000.

Thanks Steve for providing the web address. I knew it was a very helpful site. This is a great place to start and will put you in contact with others who are interested in using draft animals.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), April 25, 2000.

please consider not "breaking" anything. i have been gentling and training horses for 22 years. if you have any experience with horses at all i would suggest buying the 2 year old team, manly because they have not been "broken". working gently with them everyday in a matter of fact way will get you a stronger more reliable team than breaking ever could. the key to this approach is be consistent, if they resist something keep at it in a kind and gentle manner. horses, being manly creatures of habit will learn to depend on you as lead mare or stallion and there by give you the respect that goes along with the position, a much greater asset than fear. at this time i'm working with 11 mustang, some severely abused. if you would like to write please feel free. good luck skieire@aol.com

-- j. k. (skieire@aol.com), April 27, 2000.

j.k., that's very encouraging to me. I too have limited experience with horses, but I believe also enough intelligence and patience to actually train them with some good instruction. Lyons, Parelli, and Monty Roberts have been mentioned in other sections of this forum as being good to excellent sources. Do you agree? Anyone else agree with starting with a youngster and systematically "gentling" and training?

-- Louisa (drlouisa@att.net), December 07, 2000.