I Found this article very interesting!
As if raising your own Sunday bacon weren’t enough, allow us to outline even more reasons for keeping pigs. The ultimate recyclers, hogs can take kitchen and garden scraps — or just about any edible “waste” — and convert them into healthful, delicious meat, plus nutrient-rich fertilizer. Evolved to root and dig, pigs enthusiastically unearth tasty treasures, plowing and composting as they go about their piggish pleasures. For firsthand experience with a system in which nothing is wasted, try raising pigs.
Until the industrialization of agriculture, pigs were a welcome addition to virtually every farm. Keeping pigs was a way to store essential protein until it was needed. After slaughter, the pork could be preserved without refrigeration when made into ham, bacon and sausage.
In addition to being sources of delicious meat and precious lard, the pigs our ancestors raised were versatile beasts with a multitude of functions. Pig farms near cities were an important way to recycle garbage, and there were systems in place to pick up kitchen waste directly from urban households and move it out to the pig farms. By keeping pigs, modern homesteads can still take advantage of this sustainable porcine power.
Raising Pigs for Pastured Pork
Have you noticed how the “moist and tender” pork from the supermarket these days doesn’t have much actual flavor? Flavor is a function of genetics, diet and time. One of the results of industrialized agriculture has been lean but flavorless pork. Pigs have been bred to grow as fast as possible and to be leaner in response to concerns that fat isn’t good for us. Industrial pigs are fed a “complete” ration that contains no fresh greens or roots of any kind. These rigidly confined pigs are given no room to move around and sometimes not even enough space to lie down.
The result is a highly consistent but bland “other white meat” that is easily overcooked, and is short on pork flavor and texture. In fact, industrial pork is so dry and flavorless that much of it is injected with up to 12 percent salt water to make it “moist and tender” (and to sell consumers 12 percent salt water instead of 100 percent pork!).
Pigs that provide delicious pork can still be found — heritage pig breeds such as those illustrated here, as well as “old-line” strains. These breeds are being maintained by farmers who’ve declined to buy into the industrialized system that keeps fast-growing “new-line” pigs indoors in tiny pens. Raise an old-line or heritage pig breed, and you’ll enjoy low-cost, great-tasting, hormone-free meat, along with a good supply of lard. You can make ham, bacon and sausage, confident they came from animals that were fed well and treated humanely — plus, with your lard, you can whip up the most flavorful baked goods you’ve ever tasted.
Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/raising-pigs-zm0z12djzcom.aspx#ixzz2blrcnNB9
There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. — Winston Churchill
Have you been watching your neighbors’ horses grazing in pastures, dreaming of someday owning your own steed? Maybe you rode as a kid, and recent thoughts creep through your mind of grabbing hold of the mane of a mare, swinging up onto her back, bareback, and cutting the throttle loose. For many folks with horse experience, there’s something about the smell of a horse as you bury your face in its fur that conjures up the same earthy and soul-renewing feelings as the smell of freshly mown grass.
But before you succumb to your horse hankerings and start searching for animals on the bulletin board at your local feed store, make sure you’re completely ready for horse ownership.
Choosing a horse
First things first, before you purchase a horse, know what you would like to do with it once you find the perfect mount and get her home. Do you dream of lazy trail rides, or would you rather chase foxhounds through fields and over streams and fallen logs? Do you want a workhorse to help with field and timber chores? Do you want to work cattle or learn to rope calves? Do you fancy the top hats and tails of dressage riding? Or do you simply want a pasture pet with which you can feed and share your innermost thoughts and feelings?
Horseback activities and uses can be as diverse as the breeds themselves. If you simply want to keep a horse as a pet, or rescue an equine that has fallen victim to the economic times, breed won’t matter as much. But for other uses, working (Belgian, Clydesdale, Percheron and Shire), riding (American Quarter Horse, Missouri Fox Trotter, Morgan, Tennessee Walker), racing (Thoroughbred, though this depends on distance and type of race), and on down in size to a pony (Hackney, Shetland, Welsh) and the tiny miniature horse, the choice is yours. Do a little research and see which horse will fit your needs best. You can find the Grit guide to 16 noteworthy breeds in the article Horses of Different Colors.
Finding a horse buddy
Before you start, I highly recommend making friends with an experienced horse person who can give you advice. There’s a lot more to owning a horse than just shutting the pasture gate behind it, and a simple question, answered by someone in the know, can save you a ton of heartache and vet bills.
You’ll also need a way to get your horse from its former home to your place, and if you don’t already have a horse trailer (or don’t plan to get one), it’s nice to have a friend who either has one and can haul your new horse home, or maybe just knows someone who can. Besides, it’s just plain fun to have someone to share your new pastime with!
Beginning the search
Many avenues exist to buy a horse. Craigslist, your local feed store, and newspapers are good sources. There are also plenty of auctions, but beware, as oftentimes they’re the disposal route for horses with health and behavioral problems. The horse industry is not in great shape right now, so it’s a good time to buy, but be extremely cautious and always try to purchase through an acquaintance first; here’s where that horse buddy or your rural neighbors can help.
As you browse ads, consider the age, size, sex and training of the horse being sold. For someone new to horse ownership, I suggest finding a horse that’s in the neighborhood of 8 to 15 years old. Since a horse reaches full adult development by age 5 and has an average lifespan of 25 to 30 years, a horse 8 to 15 is mature, yet young enough to give you many years of enjoyment and use.
Horses are measured in hands, with each hand being 4 inches. They are measured from the highest point of the withers — the ridge between the shoulder bones, where the neck meets the back — to the ground. Light riding horses average 14 to 16 hands, larger riding horses generally stand 15.2 to 17 hands, and draft horses typically range from 16 to 18 hands. You’ll want to take your height and build into consideration when selecting a horse, so you get a size that works well for you and your body frame.
Generally speaking, geldings, or castrated males, are good-natured, while mares, females that are 4 years and older, can be slightly temperamental. Stallions, or intact males 4 years and older, are oftentimes unpredictable and are extremely dominant and high-spirited. While expert horsemen may be able to handle stallions, people new to equines should stick with geldings or mares.
Look for a gentle horse that’s been well-trained and handled frequently. Talk to the owner to learn how long they’ve owned the horse, what her history is, who trained her, and what they’ve used her for. Ask if she’s easy to catch, what she’s accustomed to eating, if she stands well for grooming, and if she loads into a trailer easily. And don’t be afraid to ask if she has any behavior quirks you should know about.
If an ad says a horse is “spirited” or “needs an experienced rider,” it could very well mean the horse is half wild. These are large and powerful animals, and you want one you can handle with ease and pleasure. If you have children or grandchildren, you especially want to be sure you select a safe mount. It pays to shop around and select carefully, so take your time and find a gentle horse, and the rest will follow.
Once you’ve narrowed down your selection, make an appointment to go look at her — or better yet, look at several. Ask the owner to pick up the horse’s feet to see if she’s at all touchy, and to rub her from head to tail. As they do so, watch her ears; if at any point they lay flat back against her head — a sign that she’s not happy — cross her off your list and move on to the next possibility. If she seems good-natured, you may want to repeat the handling process yourself to get a feel for her and to build your confidence. Making a second, unscheduled visit on another day is also a good idea. We’d all like to believe that sellers are honest, but, unfortunately, that’s not the case. By showing up unannounced, you’ll be able to see how things are on any given day, and not when a seller knows that a potential buyer is coming.
Getting professional help
When you’ve found the one horse that fits all your criteria, find a veterinarian and schedule a pre-purchase exam on the animal. Your vet won’t tell you whether you should buy the horse or not, but he will tell you whether the horse has any medical conditions that could affect her use for your intended purpose. It will then be up to you to determine whether those flaws, if any, are things you can live with.
Somewhere in the purchase process, you’ll also need to find a farrier who can replace your horse’s shoes every eight weeks. Or, if you use your horse only lightly, merely trim and file her feet about that often. Shoeing and trimming vary widely according to geographic location, so call around to get some estimates. This is another area your horse buddy might be able to help.
Taking a trial run
When you’ve decided on a horse, had the vet examine her, and you’ve got the logistics figured out, ask the horse’s current owner if he’d be willing to let you take the horse home for a week or two and give her a trial run. This is a great way for you to get to know the animal in your surroundings and, if you’re a newbie, to get a hands-on taste for what horse ownership is all about.
If a seller believes you’re seriously interested in buying the horse, he’ll more than likely agree to a trial run. If he doesn’t want you to take her to your place for some reason, ask if you can schedule times to visit and ride on his property so you can get to know her before you buy her. That’s not too much to ask.
Finalizing the sale
If at this point you love everything about the horse, grab your halter and lead rope, head outside and hook up your horse trailer — or call a friend and arrange a ride for your new equine resident — and go get her.
When you pay the seller, always obtain a bill of sale. If your horse is registered with a breed association, also ask for the horse’s transfer of ownership papers, and I recommend checking the description of the horse on the registration papers against the horse in front of you, just to be sure no mix-ups have occurred. Then load up your new horse and take her home. Saddle up and explore those routes you’ve longed to ride.
Basic horse supplies
• Some type of shelter for him to get in out of the weather. This can be a shed, a barn or some other structure. This could also double as your feed storage facility, but make sure your feed isn’t accessible to your horse. An accidental pig-out session can cause many problems for a horse. • A light source, as you’ll be feeding and watering your horse twice a day, morning and evening. In winter, that may be before or after dark.
• A fenced area for exercise that could also double as a food source — a pen or pasture with sturdy fencing. Because horses are basically flight animals, horses and barbed wire are a dangerous combination. Board or pipe fencing are best, but there are many commercial livestock fencing products that will work as well.
• A manger and grain bucket to feed hay and grain in so it will stay fresh and off the ground. If you use a bucket, secure it to a fence post or stall wall so you can remove it easily for cleaning. Dog-leash-type clips work well when attached to a sturdy eye bolt on the wall end and the bucket on the other end. Avoid leaving exposed nails anywhere a horse has access.
• A bucket or water trough that will hold at least part of the 10 to 25 gallons of water your horse will drink each day, depending on weather and exercise levels. If you’re using a bucket for water, follow the attachment procedure for the grain bucket. Also, if you live in a cold climate, you may want to use a heater during the winter months to keep the water from freezing.
• A source for that water — preferably not your kitchen sink or bathtub. Water weighs 8.34 pounds per gallon, so a 5-gallon bucket will weigh more than 40 pounds when full. A water hydrant in close proximity to the trough is a great investment.
• Grooming supplies, including a soft brush for your horse’s face, a stiffer brush for his body, a rubber and/or metal currycomb to remove dried mud from his coat, and a hoof pick to clean out the soles of his feet.
• Tack, including a halter and lead rope to get your horse from one place to another or to tie him up for grooming, tacking up — saddling and bridling — shoeing and veterinary care.
• A saddle, blanket and bridle. These come in several styles, including Western, English and dressage. Be sure to find a saddle and bridle that fits the horse comfortably and is a comfortable fit for you as well.
• Expendables, including hay and grain, and a salt/mineral block for free-choice licking. The average horse will eat a bale of hay, not to be confused with straw, every two to five days, depending on his size, exercise level, the weather, and whether or not he’s an easy keeper. It’s most economical to buy from a farmer in large quantities, if possible. Grain may be optional, but if you use your horse a lot and find he’s losing weight and condition, oats or a sweet feed mix will provide supplemental calories and nutrients. It’s a good idea to keep grain in a rodent-proof bin of some sort, such as a garbage can or an old chest freezer. • Clean-up tools, including a manure fork or rake, a scoop shovel for bedding and stall cleaning, a wheelbarrow for transporting manure from the stable to the compost pile, and a broom for sweeping up.
Former editor of Appaloosa Journal magazine, Diane Rice now lives in Lewiston, Idaho, where she gardens, raises rabbits and tends a small flock of laying hens in her less-than-500-square-foot in-town yard.
Tips for the New Horse Owner
There was a time not so awfully long ago when a traveler’s outfit consisted of a horse, rigging, and saddle — today’s outfit is more likely a 4-wheel drive pickup with full climate controlled cab! And though we’ve not relegated the horse to total retirement yet, we’ve certainly reduced its working numbers by a stretch and elevated it to even higher mythical status than ever before.
Among many decisions a new horse owner will need to make, choosing a horse breed can be every bit as important as selecting an individual for its temperament. You can familiarize yourself with various breed characteristics by reading, contacting specific breed organizations such as the American Quarter Horse Association, and attending local events.
Once you’ve decided on a breed, you’ll do well to search out a good farrier to look over any potential purchases ahead of time — in addition to asking an expert handler to evaluate the animal. These folks take how you intend to enjoy your future animal into account and make their evaluation based on that.
As you get closer to pulling the trigger, you will want to find an equine veterinarian if you don’t already have a relationship with one. Know who to call in an emergency before it happens. So, you can see that it takes a variety of experts to help get you started on the right trail with your mount.
For folks who grow up working with horses this is all second nature. For folks looking to get into some aspect of horse handling, finding the experts may be the most daunting part of the process — but it doesn’t need to be so. One of the easiest ways to get connected locally is by reaching out to the equine experts at your local feed store — those folks have a vested interested in steering you right and they are usually practicing horse enthusiasts themselves. And you’ll also likely find all kinds of local contacts for riding clinics, horse training and boarding facilities, farrier services and more right at the store.
Like virtually any pet, a happy and well prepared owner is every bit as important to the success of an equine relationship as is the quality of the horse. Take some time to do your homework thoroughly, and ahead of ownership and you’ll likely wind up with a working, playing or commiserating companion for life!
Watch the full episode! Hank shares hits like these in each episode of Tough Grit. Visit Tough Grit online to view this episode and many more. The new horse owner tips above appeared in Episode 9, “Back in the Saddle Again.”
This buyers guide tells you what you need to know about stock trailers, flatbed trailers and utility trailers.
Humans have been using wheeled vehicles for transport since at least 400 BC, and they have been arguing about how to back them up ever since.
Initially, people pulled or pushed those carts and wagons, but they soon discovered that beasts could relieve their burden. Today, automobiles and trucks have replaced the buggies and drays once used for travel and freighting, but our need for towing is as keen as it has ever been. Take a glance at any American highway and you will see road tractors pulling freight-laden semi-trailers, families with their earthly possessions packed in moving trucks with cars in tow, pickup trucks attached to stock trailers taking live loads to market, and more.
For farmers, trailers are a matter of economy and efficiency because we all need to move machines, animals and bulk materials. Trailers add value and possibilities to any tow vehicle, but they also add liabilities and responsibilities. Towing isn’t quite as simple as latching a trailer to your truck and heading down the road, but it isn’t neurosurgery either. With a little forethought and consideration anyone who is comfortable behind the wheel of a motor vehicle can master the ancient art of towing.
Choosing the Right Stock Trailers, Flatbed Trailers and Utility Trailers
For hauling livestock, you can choose a general-purpose stock trailer to haul everything from draft horses to pygmy goats, but there are also highly specialized models designed for one animal species. Ranchers often choose a general purpose pipe-and-panel stock trailer with at least one fore-aft partition to haul everything from calves to the whole remuda. Those trailers can easily handle a small tractor with implements and also move the teenager off to college (you might want to clean it first, depending on your teen). Specialized hog and sheep haulers are more tightly enclosed with a lower overall height, while some completely enclosed, specialized horse haulers offer fully equipped stalls and an air-conditioned tack/dressing room.
The open-deck flatbed trailer is perfect for moving machinery or various types of bulk freight like lumber and can be loaded from virtually any angle. These handy haulers come with plenty of load-securing attachment points for chains and binder straps, and regularly spaced stake pockets, which can be used for attaching removable side panels for added versatility. Some flatbed owners build removable compartments for livestock or dry freight and use the stake pockets to keep them in place.
Hydraulic-dump trailers are useful for hauling bulk materials such as feed, grain, manure, gravel, mulch and sand, but they are useful for much more than that. Many dump trailers can also accommodate a small tractor or utility vehicle and can certainly be used to haul anything that you might think of tossing into the bed of your pickup — like firewood or a water tank. Probably not the teen on his way to college, however. Utility trailers are generally lighter duty vehicles, but they can be used on the farm. Smaller models are suitable for hauling lawn and garden tractors or other light materials such as bagged mulch. Larger models may accommodate larger-sized payloads, however, the relatively inexpensive utility trailer ought never be substituted when a heavier-duty flatbed is needed, regardless of the utility trailer’s size.
Calculate Your Trailer's Capacity
The inexperienced often assume that size is all that matters in choosing a trailer, when in actuality weight is more important. Consider an economy 16-foot tagalong (the kind with the hitch at the rear of the tow vehicle) livestock trailer with a 5,000-pound gross towed weight rating (GTWR). While it might have room inside for four 1,500-pound bulls, simple math lets you know that you can’t haul 6,000 pounds of bull at once. So how much bull can you really haul?
The stock trailer’s 5,000-pound GTWR includes the combined weight of the trailer and the cargo. The trailer weighs 2,500 pounds clean and empty, so its payload capacity is 2,500 pounds. Or is it? The trailer’s GTWR is based on the capacity of its axles, and to some extent, its framework, but what about wheels and tires? Our test-case trailer has a pair of axles under it, each with a 2,500-pound gross axle weight rating (GAWR). But a quick glance at the tire sidewalls show that they are rated for 1,000 pounds each.
Four 1,000-pound rated tires brings the trailer’s actual GTWR down to 4,000 pounds, which leaves enough capacity to haul one of the 1,500-pound bulls after deducting the 2,500-pound weight of the trailer. If the trailer is full of manure or caked with snow or ice, there isn’t enough capacity to haul even one bull.
These calculations change some with weight transfer hitches since the tow vehicle carries part of the trailer’s GTWR. For example a 14,000-pound GTWR flatbed trailer with a gooseneck hitch might have a pair of 6,400-pound GAWR axles under it. This trailer is designed to transfer 1,200 pounds or more to the tow vehicle so the 12,800 pounds of axle capacity is plenty adequate. But when fully loaded, at least 1,200 pounds of the trailer’s gross weight is borne by the tow rig to avoid overloading the trailer’s axles. You will need to be certain the truck can handle the additional 1,200 pounds of effective payload without being overloaded.
How do you know whether your tow vehicle is suited to a specific trailer? Small cars rated for towing might be able to pull 1,000 pounds or less, while dually pickups might handle over 12,000 pounds. Motor vehicle manufacturers provide a gross combination vehicle weight rating (GCVWR) for their tow-approved cars and trucks, which is defined as the combined weight of the loaded trailer and truck when hitched together. The GCVWR is often less than the truck’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) added to the trailer’s GTWR. A pickup with a 9,600-pound GVWR (be sure to check tire capacities, too) hitched to a trailer with a 12,000-pound GTWR probably won’t have a 21,600-pound GCVWR – more like 18,000 pounds depending on the truck and its equipment. The truck is still a good match for the trailer, but the GCVWR sets the upper weight limit for total payload. If the truck isn’t loaded to 9,600 pounds, then more weight can be placed on the trailer.
Getting Your Trailer Hitched
Trailer attaching systems include a hitch and mount for the tow vehicle, and a matching coupler on the trailer’s tongue. If you tow with a pickup, frame-attached hitch mounts are typically located ahead of the rear axle (gooseneck and fifth-wheel) or behind it (tagalong). In many cases, the pickup’s rear bumper is rated as a hitch mount, and many farm trailers are coupled to balls bolted to the bumper’s center. Most vans and larger SUVs can be equipped with hitch mounts attached to the frame behind the rear axle; some also have rear bumpers with rated towing capacity.
The hitch receiver is an ideal mount when the same tow vehicle is used with several different hitch sizes and styles. The receiver consists of superstructure mounted to the vehicle’s frame, which locates a 2-inch square steel socket centered beneath the rear bumper. The socket is designed to receive different hitches, which are pinned into the socket and can be quickly swapped or removed when not towing.
The most commonly encountered hitch systems utilize a ball on the tow vehicle matched to a socket coupler on the trailer’s tongue and all have a specific weight rating (Table 1). Lighter-duty tagalong hitches are generally rated for trailer tongue weights of less than 500 pounds, which many tow vehicles’ rear GAWR can readily bear. Weight distribution attachments, required for towing tagalong Class IV and heavier unclassified trailers (check tow vehicle specs), apply leverage across the hitch and place some of the trailer’s load on the tow vehicle’s front axle to keep tongue weights within specification. Other heavy-duty tagalong trailers might be equipped with a ring-shaped coupler (lunette eye) — a pintle hook on the truck is required to make that hitch. (See automotive table in the image gallery.)
When routinely towing heavier or longer loads, gooseneck or fifth-wheel systems are ideal. These heavy-duty hitches are often rated for 25,000 pounds GTWR or more (most pickups can’t legally or safely tow that weight), and when located ahead of the truck’s rear axle, they proportion the load to the front axle. The gooseneck system consists of a 25/16-inch diameter ball located in the truck’s bed, but attached to its frame through a heavy-duty mount, and a large socket coupler built into the trailer. The hitch ball supports the gooseneck’s tongue, while the socket coupler retains it.
The fifth-wheel system consists of a slotted plate (fifth wheel) with retaining latch located in the pickup’s bed (solidly attached to the truck’s frame) and a kingpin coupler on the trailer. The fifth-wheel’s latch retains the kingpin, while the trailer’s tongue weight is supported by the fifth wheel itself. This hitching system is found on every semi-trailer tractor combination on the highways today, except auto transports and mobile-home toters. Once the truck and trailer are physically connected, they need also to share an electrical system so that, at the very least, all required lights on both vehicles operate together. This coupling is accomplished with any number of standard plug and socket combinations; use an adapter when plug and socket don’t match.
Higher GTWR trailers are often equipped with electric brakes, or electrically actuated hydraulic brakes. Power for these braking systems comes from the tow vehicle’s electrical socket via an inertia-sensing brake controller that keeps them in sync with the tow vehicle’s brakes. Hit the brake pedal hard, and the trailer brakes will be applied rapidly and with more force than when tapping the brake pedal lightly. Most controllers also allow manual trailer brake activation and power adjustment to accommodate different loads.
Trailer Load Control
Each trailer’s GTWR is based on an evenly distributed, idealized, maximal payload, which is easy to achieve with grain in a dump trailer, but not so easy with sheep in a livestock trailer. Bear this in mind as you load any trailer, and do your best to distribute the weight as evenly as possible. Static loads are more predictable and therefore generally safer, so if at all possible confine livestock or liquids so that their movement is limited and has minimal affect on the trailer’s tongue weight or attitude. Loading dry goods into an enclosed trailer can be accomplished with careful packing, but it is prudent to strap portions of that load to the trailer’s floor or walls to avoid shifting.
Securing freight on a flatbed is an absolute must – even if it is just a load of hay. If you intend to haul your 6,000-pound tractor you should have at least four 3/8-inch Grade 43 chains and appropriately rated tighteners (load-binders) securing it to the trailer to comply with Federal Department of Transportation rules. Grade 70 chain and binders would be better, but they are more expensive. If the tractor has a loader on it, the loader must also be chained or strapped to the trailer. Substitute weight-rated straps for chains and binders when there is no danger that they will be cut by abrasive vibration. State and Federal DOT load-binding rules continuously evolve – check your state DOT’s regulations at least once a year. Exceeding the binding system’s weight rating is a sure way to earn an expensive ticket or huge liability damages if they fail – even in an accident that isn’t your fault.
Trailer tongue weight should be approximately 10 percent of a trailer’s loaded weight. This is particularly critical for tagalong trailers since goosenecks and fifth-wheels are designed with an unladen tongue weight approaching 10 percent of the GTWR. Moving freight forward increases the tongue weight, while moving it behind the rear trailer axle can cause a negative tongue weight and overload the axle. Negative tongue weight causes tow vehicle instability. Too much tongue weight can overload the truck’s rear axle and lighten its front end enough to make steering difficult. Oscar "Hank" Will has pulled a variety of trailers over thousands of road and farm-lane miles carrying hay, cattle, grain, lumber, machinery, water, firewood and even his children’s household goods. He installs his own hitches, maintains his own trailers, secures his own loads and takes towing safety seriously. Contact him at willo @ gettysburg.edu.
Imagine for a moment picking a feral dog out of a pack of 10 or so, and trying to teach that wild animal to abandon its instincts and trust you. Name any animal, for that matter: the task is daunting. Now imagine facing a wild horse weighing more than 1,000 pounds, and having just a few hours to earn its trust well enough for the horse to be rideable and willing to perform a presentation and navigate an obstacle course in front of a packed arena. The annual Road to the Horse Competition measures horsemanship by doing just that.
The event was so named by Tootie Bland and late husband Steven (it was originally El Camino de Caballo, only people didn’t pronounce it correctly) and refers to the movement to get back to our roots of taming and training horses in a natural way, to listen and work with the horse as the horse does within the herd, and shed the predator role that humans have adopted in the past. Three of the world’s top horse trainers and clinicians gather in the same arena, pick geldings out of a remuda of 10 horses, then in a little over three hours they rope, train and display them, all the while wearing headpiece microphones so the crowd can hear their every word.
Craig Cameron, Bluff Dale, Texas, took top honors at the 2010 Road to the Horse, leaving the Tennessee Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, with the distinction of being the 2010 World Champion of Colt-Starting.
“Really, it is a man working through the power of understanding. Those circumstances change moment to moment when you’re in there with a horse that’s really a wild horse,” Cameron says. “You’ve got to keep remembering that the horse is a prey animal, and if you push too hard – heck, if you push too fast or present things in a way he can’t understand – you’re going to get nothing but instinct from the horse, the instinct to survive. When a horse starts working like that, he bites or kicks or bucks or paws, he does whatever he has to do. Your main job is to show him that you’re not going to hurt him.”
In the beginning though, when Cameron and fellow horsemen Richard Winters and Ken McNabb gathered to pick which horse they’d work with, the power of understanding escaped many in the arena as Cameron selected a small 2007 AQHA Palomino gelding, WR Shining Alamo.
“He was probably the least likely horse anybody was going to choose,” Cameron says. “I knew I might be going out on a limb picking the horse that I picked because he was wild-looking, he was ragged-looking, and he didn’t have much polish on him at all, but what I did like, and the reason I chose him, is he acted brave.”
Cameron could tell Shining Alamo’s bravery by how he acted within the remuda. He would move away from the rest of the pack of horses, he’d slip away, put his head down and look around at his surroundings. “I thought to myself, ‘You know, that horse there, he’s got some bravery to him,’” Cameron says.
Initially, it seemed like a mistake. When Cameron first went into the pen to work him during the first training session, Shining Alamo didn’t want anything to do with him.
“Honestly, I had to use all of my skills to get the halter on that horse. He was head-shy and really on guard, but when I got him haltered and got to work, he started coming through and was the brave horse that I thought he might be.”
After the first short training session on Day 1 where each horse made slow progress, it was on to Day 2 with the competition wide open. As horse and rider got to know one another and trust was gained, the three horsemen showcased their horses adeptly through the required rail work and obstacle course. Adding a twist, the Road to the Horse obstacle course included a person sitting in a chair wearing a gorilla costume. All three colts breezed by the unusual obstacle without drama.
Each year, the final stage of the competition features a short freestyle presentation where horsemen select a performance to showcase their colt’s strong points and accomplishments over the two days. Cameron – who’d nicknamed his horse Troubadour after his favorite George Strait song – chose to ride to his colt’s namesake song, at one point dropping the reins and dramatically outstretching his arms while at a canter.
In the end, it was Cameron who rose above the other two horsemen to claim the title of World Champion. It was his third attempt at the title, and that made it all the sweeter for him.
“Every time I’ve competed at Road to the Horse, I’ve left a piece of my heart in the arena. Now I’m getting a little bit of that back. I truly believe winning Road to the Horse is going to change my life. I’m 61 years old, and now I am a world champion and no one can ever take that away from me. This may be the best day of my life.”
Here’s guessing three hours of natural horsemanship – think of roping a wild horse in the morning and working cattle with him in the evening – was probably a life-changing experience for more than just Cameron.
In The Joy of Hobby Farming see how to farm for fun, not for a living. Authors Michael and Audrey Levatino show how you can grow your own vegetables and live sustainably while also working a full-time job. In this excerpt taken from chapter 8, "General Animal Care Basics," learn about the ethics of eating meat and the basics of raising animals on a farm.
You can purchase this book from the GRIT store: The Joy of Hobby Farming.
Our philosophy of raising animals
We’d already been practicing vegetarians when we made the decision to begin farming.
Coming from the beautiful mountains of Colorado where we met, we have always been concerned with the impact that eating meat has on our natural world. It takes approximately twenty pounds of grain (which is how most of the world’s animals are fed for meat production) to produce one pound of beef. That is not a sustainable ratio for the environment if we eat meat every day. In addition, most people are completely divorced from the source of the meat they consume. Even the grass-fed farmer at your local farmer’s market has his animals slaughtered and butchered by someone else (due to USDA regulations). And forget about trying to rationalize the commercial meat industry; as soon as an industrial production model is attached to any living sentient being, it’s inevitable that injustice will be done. Our philosophy is that if you can’t kill and dress your own meat (not every single bit you eat, of course), then you aren’t honoring that animal and you aren’t honoring yourself. But after moving to a farm and raising animals, we quickly realized that achieving a level of ethical purity was close to impossible. So while we still don’t consume meat, we understand that many people want to raise and consume meat in the healthiest and most ecologically sound way possible. Hobby farming allows for you to come the closest to that ideal.
We do eat fish. We’ve fished ponds for catfish, green rivers in Texas for bass, marshes in the Keys for red fish, mountain streams of Colorado for trout, and the Chesapeake Bay for rock fish. We’ve even ventured into the Pacific on a salmon fishing boat off the coast of Oregon that fishes with lines, not nets. We’ve caught, cleaned, cooked, and eaten our fish (but certainly not a majority of it) and feel a connection to it. Fish also live in the wild (we do not eat commercially farmed fish) where they aren’t crowded together and fed antibiotics to keep their tight living situations from spreading disease. We follow the sustainable fisheries guidelines and stay away from species that are overfished. And fish is healthy.
Milk and cheese are another issue. You can’t get milk without a cow, sheep, or goat that has been pregnant. And cows don’t only give birth to female cows. They also produce bulls. And those bulls don’t produce milk, so they are sold as meat. You can’t get cheese without milk. So if you’re eating milk and cheese, then you are also contributing to the meat culture. We get that. But we’re also not completely dogmatic in our approach to food and meat, and we do eat milk and cheese sparingly. There are the same ethical issues with eggs. You can have a small flock of hens for yourself and get eggs for many years and that’s both good for you and the environment. But hens come from somewhere and that’s usually a factory breeding operation. And the ratio of male to female chickens that hatch is usually 50/50, so if you have hens, then you contributed to the creation of an equal amount of cockerels that were then used for meat production. As with most green endeavors, there’s really no way to reach a state of environmental purity unless you foreswear keeping any animals at all on your farm. But that’s no fun.
We’re not so strict in our diets or ethics that we would turn away our grandma’s homemade meatballs once a year or our friend’s grass-fed beef once in a while. And we do understand that you can’t go from a meat culture to a vegetarian culture, with the masses of people that need to be fed, overnight. We welcome our neighbors that raise their own meat for their own consumption and even those that sell at the farmer’s market. Hobby farmers are an integral part of moving our society away from industrial meat. We will even give you the basics of keeping cows for grass-fed beef in this book.
There are many ethical questions everyone should explore when deciding to raise animals. Whether you make the decision to eat animals that you raise or not, you’ll still want to make sure that you aren’t creating an imbalance in your farm system. We practice an adoption and no-breeding policy. After all, does the world really need any more farm or domesticated animals? All our four dogs and five cats have been adopted locally from rescue organizations or they’ve just showed up as strays (live in the country long enough and animals find their way to you); they are all spayed or neutered. We have chickens, but we do not allow them to hatch eggs and breed. Our latest batch of chickens has come from another farmer friend who’d given up on farming and was selling his entire chicken outfit. We eat their eggs to prevent them from multiplying. And our donkeys and llamas are males. Males are always the least desirable animals for breeders (besides prized breeding stock) and we give the unwanted males a good home. We’ve stayed away from livestock markets because of the poor treatment and health of the animals. And we certainly support any organization that rescues animals from livestock markets.
This philosophy of not raising farm animals for meat also simplifies our life as hobby farmers. After all, time is tight when you’re trying to balance an off-farm job with on-farm duties, and one of the easiest mistakes to make when getting into farming is to obtain too many animals. Animals take time and money. They begin to breed and before you know it, you’re overwhelmed. If you’re a hobby farmer and have a job outside of the farm, then low-maintenance animals are the way to go. The idea of homemade goat’s milk cheese is divine, but just consider the time it will take to milk goats every day (you can’t miss even one) and sometimes twice a day. That’s why we chose donkeys, llamas, and chickens. They are all very self-sufficient and require little in the way of feed, if you have healthy pasture, and daily care. But everyone feels differently and this is just our approach and our advice on raising animals and can be applied to raising them for meat as well. We’d recommend that you think long and hard before raising any animals at all. Resist the idea that you can only call yourself a farmer if you have farm animals. Farm animals live much closer to the natural world than humans, dogs, or cats. Many times they die in painful and tragic ways. And sometimes that death is not quick and it will be up to you to help the process along. You can’t fully prepare for this, but certainly it should be a consideration.
Why have animals at all on a farm if you’re not going to eat them? There are several reasons:
• Companionship—We enjoy being around animals, more so much of the time than humans. We consider our animals some of our closest friends. There are so many abandoned animals that need a home that it would be heartless to have all this room and not share it.
• Eggs—Eating eggs from your own chickens that you don’t allow to breed is the most humane way to consume animal protein.
• Natural fertilizer—Our donkeys’ and llamas’ sole purpose outside of enjoying their lives is to convert our fields of grass to manure, which we in turn use as our primary source of soil enrichment for our vegetable and flower gardens. Our chickens serve this purpose too.
• Protection—Our dogs are a much better deterrent to intruders, both human and animal, than a gun. Long before we’d have time to get a gun out and confront someone or something, the dogs would have alerted us to danger and most likely have deterred any intruder from coming near our property. Our donkeys and llamas guard the fields from approaching predators.
• Pest control—If you live in the country, you will have rodents, including rats. Cats and dogs are the best natural form of pest control. And chickens eat loads of harmful insects, like ticks and Japanese beetles.
• Work—We don’t work our animals, but we do know that our donkeys and llamas would be very happy to be included if we asked them to help pull logs out of the woods or carry a load on a packing trip.
• Sustainable by-products—In our climate, llamas need to be sheared once a year so they can endure the summer heat. Their fleeces are valuable and renewable each year. Similarly, sheep and certain goats provide fleeces that are also a sustainable way to use your animals without killing them. And if you truly care to milk an animal every day, then a single cow pregnancy can turn into a couple of year’s worth of milk. Our beehive provides both honey and good pollination for our flowers and vegetables.
Animal care basics
There are loads of really terrific books out there that offer detailed information about raising and keeping farm animals. Our book will give you some general considerations and our own experience, but there are many people out there with much more experience than us. The other books in the Joy of . . . series are terrific companions to this one and there are others that are worthy, which are listed in the recommended reading section. We suggest you buy all the books you can find on the animals you will be raising because they all have something to offer. You can never get too many perspectives on raising animals.
Where to find animals
We recommend buying animals locally. If you’re buying them as pets or as fertilizer producers, then there’s really no reason to look for the pick of the litter. It’s much easier and cheaper to find the gelded males that for-profit farmers don’t care to spend money feeding. Ask around at your farmer’s market. Ask the folks selling beef, chicken, eggs, llama wool, or sheep and goat’s milk cheese if they have any animals they’d like to sell or know of someone who does. Don’t be impatient; you may have to wait until the next round of birthing. Just start putting the word out and the animals will come. We found many of our animals through the local rural classified newspapers that are available at most country stores.
Buying tips for first-time animal hobby farmers:
• Buy locally and befriend the sellers so you might be able to call them for answers to questions you may have later.
• Read up on the specific animals you’re buying and the traits to watch out for, like founder rings on the hooves of horses. But unless you plan to show or breed the animals, there’s no need to be too picky outside of general health.
• Always buy two to begin with as farm animals do not do well living alone.
• Begin by buying gelded males. They are cheaper and you can learn to care for them and give yourself time to decide if you want to breed animals in the future. Buying a breeding pair instantly commits you to more than your original purchase.
• Visit the farm you’re buying from at least once without actually buying. Don’t buy on the spot. Take a look around, ask lots of questions, then go sleep on it for a few days.
• Stay away from livestock markets. They can smell a greenhorn coming from miles away and you’ll never leave there with what you truly want or need.
• While we do advocate adopting from rescue organizations, don’t do it initially. Rescue farm animals can have very serious physical and mental problems that may be beyond the expertise (or financial means) of a first-time farm animal owner.
• Start with the lowest-maintenance animals you can find, like llamas, donkeys, longhorn cattle, or chickens. It’s much more fun and rewarding to grow into a menagerie at your own pace than to have them take over your life.
• Remember that even chickens can live twenty years or more. Horses, llamas, and other large grazing animals can live well into their thirties. Keeping animals you aren’t going to eat is a big commitment.
What do all animals need?
Shelter—Most of the animals we recommend in this book need just a three-sided shelter with a roof to be happy. They’ll only use it to get dry or stay out of the harshest weather. If you live in a very cold, wet, or hot climate or you’re raising show animals, then you will need a barn to keep them during the coldest and hottest days of the year. (Chickens need a fully enclosed shelter to keep them safe from predators; more on chicken coops and tractors to follow.)
Food and water—The animals we recommend for the hobby farmer need very little in the way of extra food, as long as you give them enough pasture to graze. Animals are not healthy when they are overweight and you should not feed your farm animals in the same way you feed your dogs and cats. They should be left to forage mostly for themselves, except when that forage is not available. We only buy hay for the harshest months of the winter when there’s not any green grass left on the ground. If you live somewhere that is very dry and has very little grass for much of the year, you should really think twice about having animals at all. Raising animals where they can’t naturally forage for themselves is not sustainable. But animals can be made to create healthy pastures if you employ proper rotation techniques.
The books of farmer Joel Salatin describe a sustainable grass-fed animal rotation system. Even in areas that do have good grass, we know of times when drought conditions have required farmers to travel several states away to find hay. The amount of on-farm grass and feed you can produce is a big factor in the cost of keeping animals.
Access to clean, fresh water at all times is very important. Some animals can share water sources. For instance, our donkeys and llamas share a tank and our house chickens, dogs, and cats all drink out of the same water bowls scattered around the yard. Make sure that the water doesn’t freeze in the winter time. We usually carry buckets of hot water from the house to pour into the frozen bowls and tank to break up the ice in the winter. But electric water heaters are inexpensive and convenient too.
Basic veterinary care—Most large animals should be seen by a veterinarian once a year. For hardy animals like donkeys and longhorn cattle, you might get away with never needing a vet unless they have a problem. At a minimum, you should have your animal seen once by a vet to establish the relationship and to get their professional advice. Then you can decide for yourself how often you’d like your animals to be seen and evaluated. There’s some debate as to how many vaccinations are needed for all the various farm animals. We tend to believe that most farm animals are over-vaccinated. The recommendations of your local agricultural extension agent are very much in line with their conventional recommendations for raising plants; they rely heavily on chemicals. But this will have to be a judgment call on your part. Some people suggest a West Nile vaccine for donkeys and llamas, but a few vets we’ve talked to have explained that donkeys seem to be less susceptible to this virus than horses. They suggest that the animal would have to have another pre-existing condition that weakened their immunity before it could be a problem. Tetanus shots are another issue. There’s no clear evidence that indicates how often farm animals need to be vaccinated against tetanus. We’ve only had our donkeys vaccinated twice in the 8 years we’ve owned them. But we do have our llamas vaccinated every year with whatever the vet recommends.
Companionship—The more attention you give your animals, the better. They like it. They become more tame and easier to handle. You can spot any problems early. And animals provide good, old-fashioned entertainment.
Preparing for animals
Keeping in mind the basic needs of farm animals, you’ll need to prepare for their arrival. If you have animals already, you’ll want to make sure you have a separate area for the new animals to go until they get settled. It’s best to have a small pen next to the field where other animals are so that everyone can get acquainted over a fence for a day or two before intermingling. We use our dog pen (without the dogs in it, of course). A temporary fence of posts and ropes is okay, if that’s all you have.
Even if you stick with the low-maintenance animals as we suggest and you have good grass, it’s best to have some feed for the first few days. It’s a good way to break the ice and to let the animals know that you are the provider. They can usually use a little more high-calorie and protein food if they’re stressed from being moved to new place. Buy some good grain or sweet feed, but don’t completely spoil them.
Walk your fields and fences before they arrive and replace any fencing that might be dangerous. If you’ve got barbed wire from having cows previously, you should really replace that if you are introducing horses, donkeys, or llamas. We spent a whole day gathering up old rusty barbed wire that had been left around our fields before we brought in our llamas. We then put them in our dog pen for the first night. But we didn’t fully check the dog pen. There were some wires sticking out that were used to attach the woven wire to the posts. Within the first four hours, one of the llamas was spooked and caught his lip on the wire. It ripped it wide open and we had to call the vet out at 9 p.m. on a Sunday to stitch him up—on his very first day!
You should also make sure you have proper halters and leads for the animals before they arrive.
Reprinted with permission from The Joy of Hobby Farming by Michael and Audrey Levatino and published by Skyhorse Publishing, 2011. Buy this book from our store: The Joy of Hobby Farming.
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