Working horses thread

[cousin jack]

I realise this is taking the thread slightly off course, but want to show how horses can work with modern forestry. The wood we are working in is high profile, public access at all times, when thinning operations started Tilhill were getting complaints from the public daily, since bringing in horses, not one complaint, and the operation is now ongoing, we are skidding to rideside, secondary extraction with a Valmet, operated by Big Dave of Chase Timber.

Edited May 8, 2010 by cousin jack
Spelling

[Frankie Lawrence]

Wow wow wow I love that valmet you sound like you have a great place to work.

 

You allways in the woods or do you do tree surgery to?

[Andy Collins]

I've always thought of modern day horse logging as gimmicky, something for the greenies to rave about. This opinion was probably reinforced when EDF had some extraction done with horses for an advertising stunt, then next day pulled the horses off and had big tractors in to get the job done quickly. But saying all this, its good to see the horses working properly alongside more conventional modern kit, keep up the good work:thumbup1:

[cousin jack]

Wow wow wow I love that valmet you sound like you have a great place to work.

 

You allways in the woods or do you do tree surgery to?

 

No tree surgery for me, one thing is all those knots confuse me, and if I can't fell something in three cuts I'm bolloxed, fortunately I have a friend who is an arb.

[cousin jack]

I've always thought of modern day horse logging as gimmicky, something for the greenies to rave about. This opinion was probably reinforced when EDF had some extraction done with horses for an advertising stunt, then next day pulled the horses off and had big tractors in to get the job done quickly. But saying all this, its good to see the horses working properly alongside more conventional modern kit, keep up the good work:thumbup1:

 

Thanks for the support Andy, it is fair to say that some of the horse loggers out there are playing at it, and that, unfortunately tarnishes us all with the same brush. We cannot compete with modern forestry extraction, that much is patently obvious, but neither should we, we are a niche market, better suited for some areas than others, and we can work alongside modern techniques. The other thing is some people are charging silly money to do a days work without any garantee of production, horse loggers should be able to work to a tonnage rate, or a fair day rate if timber is poor or in poorly managed woodland. A lot of people are put off for life by someone quoting £300 a day by someone who dos'nt want to do a hard, long contract in forestry, again those people are ruining it for those of us who are prepared to work hard.

[Frankie Lawrence]

Thanks for the support Andy, it is fair to say that some of the horse loggers out there are playing at it, and that, unfortunately tarnishes us all with the same brush. We cannot compete with modern forestry extraction, that much is patently obvious, but neither should we, we are a niche market, better suited for some areas than others, and we can work alongside modern techniques. The other thing is some people are charging silly money to do a days work without any garantee of production, horse loggers should be able to work to a tonnage rate, or a fair day rate if timber is poor or in poorly managed woodland. A lot of people are put off for life by someone quoting £300 a day by someone who dos'nt want to do a hard, long contract in forestry, again those people are ruining it for those of us who are prepared to work hard.

 

My boss can proudly say that our wood which makes logs is helped by the extration by heavy horse still and the amount of people we have deliverd to and have said the only reason Ive chosen your firm is because of the horse ( we also advertise it on our leaflet/poster type thing).

 

Its something I keep wanting to try with the boss unfortuanaatley theres never been a day there will be sure to get some piccies for all you horsey lot:001_smile:

[cousin jack]

David Roycroft & Karen Kilshaw of Logs on Draught, at Jacksons Bank

[cousin jack]

Hermes and I, I'm at full stretch because I've managed to get both feet under some brash, and I know if I try to go another step, I'll be ass over tit, luckily made it without giving the camera man a good laugh.

[David Humphries]

Fine set of shots, please keep them coming

 

 

 

Ooops, appear to have been a tad too early

 

.

Edited May 23, 2010 by Monkey-D

[cousin jack]

Hermes, on the forwarder