Horse Logging

[eccentrictinkerer]

I am very fortunate to have, as my neighbor, a guy named Layne Kennedy. Layne is professional photographer with credits in the "Smithsonian", "National Geographic", "Sports Illustrated" and a host of others.

Occasionally, Layne will send me a photo from a recent shoot. He said I could share this with you folks. This photo will likely be part of a series he is doing on a fellow who logs with horses. This method is particularly friendly to the forest. By selectively logging the mature trees, it opens the canopy to allow younger trees to grow.

This picture shows a 5-horse team (count the hooves!) hauling a walnut log out of the woods in eastern Iowa. The fellow also brings a portable saw mill and turns the logs into lumber on site.

The horses are Belgians and Percherons weighing in at 2300 lbs each! and the logs can be as much as 3000 lbs. each.



Layne took up bowl turning a couple of years ago on his late father's old Shopsmith. He outgrew the Shopsmith and last fall I helped wire his shop for 240 volts to supply his new Jet lathe. Here's a shot of a recent butternut bowl.



For more of Layne's photos: www.laynekennedy.com

[TheRic]

Nice photo's can see why he has photo's in places others only dream of.

I don't think I have ever seen a 5 horse hitch, 3 front, two behind, interesting arrangement.

[Pappy]

His pictures of Iceland are a lot better than mine!

[eccentrictinkerer]

His pictures of Iceland are a lot better than mine!

Here's a shot that Layne took in Iceland last fall. The wind was blowing so hard that the 200' waterfall fell back on itself. Layne has traveled the world doing nature photography for over 30 years and he said that he'd never seen anything like this before!

[eccentrictinkerer]

Nice photo's can see why he has photo's in places others only dream of.

I don't think I have ever seen a 5 horse hitch, 3 front, two behind, interesting arrangement.

This arrangement provides a better view for the back two horses, IMHO!

[L. D. Jeffries]

Great photo's! I think the main interest is in using horses to log. I can remember (all most) helping my Dad log pulp wood with a team, as well as a single horse. The team had to be driven but the old one horse (name of Chubb) learned pretty fast what it had to do. Dad would hook her up to the log with just a singletree and a chain, send her on her way to the landing and when she got there I would unhitch her and send her back all by herself. Never failed; what a good ole horse. Only thing ever put her in a fit was one time she smelled a bear..that was a sight!! Fond memories, just glad I don't have to work as hard now to make a few bucks.

[Mrs. Wallnut]

Coming from a great grandfather who used to use horses on a small ranch that he used to work. Watching horses work is an amazing thing to watch. Years later my mother used to tell me stories of great grandpa using the horses in "horse pulling" contests and winning and things that she used to do on the ranch with the horses. Makes me wish there were more places like that around and that they still do the horse pulling at our local fair.

[Hoover]

Thanks for the photos of the horses logging. My grandfather and his brother used to pull logs across Lake Pepin to the Minnesota side to Frontenac, Mn. My grandfather was also a farrier, and he had to make special shoes for crossing over on the ice. My Grandfather was originally from Plum City, Wisconsin.

[ejs1097]

Great photos.

Mike Rowe did an episode on Dirty Jobs logging with a team of mules. When asked why, the owner said besides it being easier on the forest, it was cheaper to maintain the mules then machinery.

[ironhat]

Great photos.

Mike Rowe did an episode on Dirty Jobs logging with a team of mules. When asked why, the owner said besides it being easier on the forest, it was cheaper to maintain the mules then machinery.

Ditto the great photos. Thank Layne for allowing you to share with us. Back to the logging. Aren't mules supposed to be less skittish? My sister-in-law's husband has a couple and they certainly are more personable than their horses. They are are also devilish. We were walking through the pasture one visit in mid summer and a bug kept lighting on my ear. I would brush my ear but never felt anything. I turned my head after the third or fourth time only to find that the mule had quietly walked up jst behind me and was twapping my ear with a flick of his upper lip. Tooooo funny.

[OpaDC]

I turned my head after the third or fourth time only to find that the mule had quietly walked up jst behind me and was twapping my ear with a flick of his upper lip. Tooooo funny.

You might want to consider changing your aftershave.

[docrowan]

I know three guys here in north Mississippi that keep mules. A couple of years ago now our neighbor wanted to take down a line of 60 foot pines that were right on our property line. I allowed her to have them felled into my back yard. They couldn't get machinery into the back yard without tearing up my lawn so the logger contracted with one of them to haul the delimbed trees out of my back yard to the truck. My 3 year old daughter had a blast watching them. Heck, we all did. It was worth the aggravation to get to watch a mule team at work.

[ironhat]

You might want to consider changing your aftershave.

DOH!!! I never gave that a thought. I believe I was wearing eau-de-chop. Hmmm, could have been Essence of Oats.

[MilDoc]

An amazingly talented photographer. Sees things that most of us don't. I envy people with skills I wish I had!

[L. D. Jeffries]

Back to horse use: Back in the 30's a tractor salesman came to see an old farmer to get him to use a tractor instead of horses. Farmer tells salesman; when you can put hay in the gas tank and get manure out of the exhaust pipe, I'll buy one. Long live horse power!