March 2014 The Official British Loggers Newsletter

Timber Tongues

The Versatile Dales

In this issue: Chair’s Report 2 Kate Mobbs-Morgan

Upcoming Courses 2 Kate Mobbs-Morgan

2014 BHL AGM and 3 Competitions Steffi Schaffler BHLWoodland 3 Management Award A Wet Job 4 Chris Wadsworth Wales Apprentice: the 5 First Six Months Kevin Taylor

Invitation to Visit 5 Charlie Parker logging with a homebred pure Dales, the 14.2hh Lowkbers Bracken Sweden Kate Mobbs-Morgan (See pages 6 and 7 for more on logging with native breeds of horse and pony.)

A Thank-You 5 Doug Joiner Membership Renewal Reminder — Steffi Schaffler Hello BHL members. Time flies, and it will be soon time again to renew your mem- British Breeds : 6/7 bership for the BHL. Our membership year starts on 1st April, so it would be great Working with a if a good majority would have renewed by then. Punch Jeff Shea Please note: if you are on the BHL insurance scheme you will have to have your membership paid and renewed by then, as it otherwise invalidates your policy. So, Horse Logging with before Julian gets on to you, do it yourself and save him and you the hassle! Native Breeds John Bunce And it's not difficult. Just fill out the form you can find on the membership page of Snigging with British our new website, and send it with a cheque to Julian. You will find all the details at Native www.britishhorseloggers.org. Charlie Parker Diary Dates 2014 7 Forestry Horse Stamp Geoffrey Morton 8 Issued 4th February in the Working M.B.E. (1926−2013) series, the ‘Forestry Horse’ postage stamp Chris Wadsworth pictures Shire gelding Tom, with Ben May. Adapting Harness 9 The Royal Mail website states: “A variety of Doug Joiner ponies and draught horses work in forestry, shielding delicate environments from the RIP, Lisa 10 Steffi Schaffler harm that vehicles would cause, while at the same time protecting the future of their Machinery Pool 10 breeds.” Pa ge 2 Timber Tongues Ma rch 2014

Chair’s Report K ate Mobbs-Morgan

Finally after this challenging wet winter we can begin to come for at least one of the days, but even better if you turn our thoughts to the Spring and all the good things it can bring horses and stay for both days. Again, further can bring. information with dates, location on page 3. Longer daylight hours for a start, to catch up with the Please come! I know it will be a long way for some, but work held up by the weather. I for one currently have we are trying really hard to make events more achieva- three contracts on hold waiting for the sites to dry out a ble to a wider audience. little, currently too wet even for horses. Anyway, I shan't dwell on the weather, as we can't change it and we all At the end of the summer we will be in have to work with whatever the skies throw at us. for the APF. Again, we need you in droves! This promises to be a positive year for the BHL and its All volunteers will be warmly welcomed to help with all members. Membership numbers are creeping up and aspects of the BHL demonstrations and stand at this there are some interesting and exciting opportunities on premier forestry event. It is an opportunity for us (that the horizon. means you!) to showcase how and what we can do in the woodlands with horses. Following on from meeting Morgan Andersson of Os- terby Smedja, a Swedish designer and builder of horse- We will be surrounded by all the mechanical options, drawn forestry equipment, at our last training course, the great and small, at this event so let’s show them we are BHL have been offered a limited number of places to a viable option and why they should consider horse- travel to Sweden this spring. There is a separate piece power. about this on page 5. So passports at the ready because you could also hit Don’t skip straight there, though, give me a couple more Europe for the 10th anniversary AGM meeting of minutes of your time! FECTU in Luxembourg (page 7) and there is Henri Finzi Constantine's Workhorse Summer Camp (page 7) Our Annual Competitions and AGM will be in Scot- for those who fancy Italy in June! land this year. Held at the end of May over two days, it will be wonderful if lots of you can make the time to How’s that for starters?

Upcoming Courses We are pleased to say we that have two courses booked for 2014 with hopefully more to follow: Mensuration/Standing Volume Course We will be running a Mensuration/Standing Volume Course over the weekend of 19th and 20th July. This is essential knowledge when quoting for contracts, so book early to avoid disappointment. The tutor will be Pete Harmer with far too many years experience for me to mention and will be held at a woodland to be confirmed in Herefordshire. The cost to members will be £80, and to non-members £120. Woodland Management Course The second course we have confirmed will also be run by Pete and is a four-day Woodland Management Course. This is a very full and informative course based in several woodlands in and around Herefordshire. This will run from 29th August to 1st September and will cost £200 for members and £250 to non-members. There is the option for an additional £100 to receive an APT Level II accreditation for this course. We need roughly ten people in order to be able to run this course so please let us know as soon as you can if you would like a place. Taster Days Lastly, we have decided to send the BHL “on tour”. Over this year we will be trialling one-day Taster Days run in sev- eral locations around the UK. These will be geared towards members and non-members who don’t have horses of their own but would like to “have a go” with a working horse. £50 for members, £80 for non-members (includes a year’s free membership). Keep an eye on the BHL website for dates and locations. Timber Tongues Ma rch 2014 Pa ge 3

2014 BHL AGM and Competitions 24th and 25th May, Drumwhirn, Corsock, Castle Douglas, DG7 3DX Steffi Schaffler

The BHL competitions and AGM 2014 will be held in Scot- people to have a go, if you want and if there is time at land. For the first time we will hold an event that far north the end without being scored. And if you would like to (even if this is in the very south of Scotland ...). It is a trial come and practice beforehand, the course will be set after long years of a very southwards-orientated schedule. up and ready on the Friday. You can compete with a Now we will have to make this one a success: we will do our single horse or a pair. best to provide the right environment, no midges, lots of The Fell and Extract is a competition only held in that sunshine, dry camping, evening entertainment and so on. We form by the BHL. We compete with the skills we use will run the BHL competition (the obstacle course) and our in our everyday work. The aim is to fell a certain Fell and Extract competition on the Saturday running into amount of trees and extract them by horse in a given Sunday morning. Our AGM will be held on the Sunday time span. There are judges for both chainsaw skills around lunchtime. and horse skills who will watch your every move and Now we need YOU. We can provide the basics, but the one mark down mistakes. This competition can be entered thing we haven't got a say in is who is competing and how by a single person or a team consisting of horse han- many horses are taking part. So, please, put these dates in dler and chainsaw operator. your diary and come. If at all possible with a horse. Especial- As it is a complete unknown to us how many people ly all you people up here (and I know who you are!). And yes, are going to be here I would like to ask you to let us I know, it is a long way from nearly everywhere, but I hope it know if you are coming with a horse. Just for us to get will be worth it. some sort of idea of how we are going to organize the So, here is for those of you who haven't been and don't really days. For the obstacle course we don't need to know know what I am talking about. We will be running the British who wants to compete, but for the Fell and Extract we Horse Loggers Horse and Handler Competition, meaning we ask people to apply as there is a of preparation to will put up an obstacle course that every horse and handler be done. will try to manage in the best time with the fewest mistakes. For any more information or to tell us that you are There are tight turns, gates, a balance, a shunt under a wob- coming please email [email protected] or bly bridge, a test on voice command and so on. It is to find phone 01644 440555 the best horse and handler combination. We encourage new I hope to see you all here.

P.S. — If anyone travelling from the South is interested in a minibus or car share to Drumwhirn, please contact Kate Mobbs-Morgan.

BHL Woodland Management Award 2014 — A Reminder If you want to put a contract forward for this award you only have six months left to send in your presentation!. You must have carried out the work since September 2012 and before September 2014. The application form will shortly be on our new website. To make this a success, we need you! And it is a Peter Coates and Nathan competing at the 2013 BHL Competitions, handsome trophy, prized by all those who have here negotiating the Horse and Handler Competition obstacle course received it so far. Pa ge 4 Timber Tongues Ma rch 2014

A Wet Job Chris Wadsworth

I live ten miles to the south of industrial Teesside, and, back in the days when local authorities had money, I have done a lot of horse work on urban sites. I have also done more than enough snigging wood out of choked water courses, invariably in winter. No surprise then, when just before Christmas, I had a call from a tree surgeon to come and have a job in Normanby, on the edge of Middlesbrough. A fair sized Sycamore in the back garden of a suburban house had blown down through the back fence, into, and partially blocking, the stream that ran along the backs of the houses. The house, and an extended garage, blocked all access from the road. I could see that the only way to get it out was up the beck. “Can’t see any other way. What d’ you think?” Chris Wadsworth and Blue hauling timber along the beck and up the bank My recurring curse of “I can do that Mister” Photographs by Paul Neasham comes back to bite me: “I’ll give it a go.” So it came to pass, just after New Year we With my pickup and trailer, plus the tree surgeons’ found ourselves in the back yard of a furniture truck and chipper, and enough space left for the shop shop, with the tree 50 metres downstream. deliveries, there was little room for timber, so we had Urban becks are not pleasant places, and this to stop every third pull to allow the gang to clear up. one was well down to expectations; a narrow Blue stood with sheet on, not in the least concerned corridor between high panel fences, with the by the noise of saws and chipper in a confined space, usual quota of rubbish, and dirty water, knee and the high level stream of chips flying into the deep or more, flowing fast with the recent truck. rain. With the branches cleared, we were back to the main The tree surgery gang started cutting up the trunk. Because of the position, and the tight space, tree, and I led Blue in. She looked down into this was cut into sections of around a metre long, the murky water for a few moments, then which we dragged sideways up the stream. stepped down the bank, plodded downstream, I had a repeated view of the bow-wave from the log and stood hock deep whilst I chokered the surging forwards past the horse’s front feet as she first load. headed out. I fully expected her to rush out with the load, By eleven o’clock, the job was done, and I hauled but again she walked steadily and twitched the Blue back to a warm stable. I was wet through from load up the bank onto the yard. After another the waist down, and shaking with cold, and headed couple of lead-ins, she walked straight in every home for a cup of tea and dry clothes. time. I was quite disgustingly proud of my wee . Timber Tongues Ma rch 2014 Pa ge 5

Wales Apprentice: The First Six Months — Kevin Taylor

How the first six months have flown by! I have been kept very busy by my two placement providers, Kate Mobbs-Morgan at Rowan Working horses and Barbara Haddrill at Carnog Working Horses. I am very fortunate to have these two providers as they have different sorts of horses, Kate with the “tanks” or Ardennes, and Babs with her nimble cobs. During this time I have also undertaken some chainsaw train- ing and assessments for medium trees and windblown trees. These courses taught me a lot and have greatly improved my chainsaw skills. It has been great to work their experienced horses and this has really improved my confidence working them in the woods and on difficult terrain. I have also had the chance to work Bill, one of my horses, on some easy sites, to give him some experience and help to get him fit for work.

Above: Working with Tyler on a steep, muddy site Below: Parbuckling big oak saw logs with Kipp

Invitation to BHL Members to Visit Sweden Kate Mobbs-Morgan

The BHL has very generously been offered six places to visit Sweden this year, dates still to be confirmed. This has very generously been offered through Osterby Smedja’s Morgan Andersson and we will hosted by the Swedish FNH group. All we have been asked to do is finance our own flights.

This will be a fantastic opportunity to see one of

Sweden’s native breeds, how through the Society they A Thank-You — Doug Joiner keep to a strict breeding programme and also inspire a strong membership both working and their An interpretation of the three logos (BHL, BHLCT, horses. BFotWH), it is a lovely piece and I am delighted with it. In the interest of fairness we would like anyone It catches this landscape, the work we do and is a glori- ous interpretation of the three logos. interested in joining us on this trip to please email the committee by the end of March with a short paragraph My deep thanks to all those who contributed to this on why you should be offered a place and how it would gift, marking my retirement as Chair of the BHL. benefit you. And the willow moon-gazing hare, now in the window It is likely that one place will go to a committee of our bedroom, is wonderful. member, so five places will be available. Pa ge 6 Timber Tongues Ma rch 2014

British Breeds for Horse Logging Three BHL members talk about how native British breeds, large and small, hold their own as working horses alongside the Continental breeds.

Working with a Jeff Shea For me the individual is more important than the breed. I chose the best horse I could find for my needs and circumstances, and I am pleased with him. The fact that I can support a local and rare breed is a very welcome bonus. If many of our native draft horses have had more bias towards the show ring requirements, there are also some that don’t. The picture above shows me and my four-year-old Suffolk, Easton Alex working for Lord Walpole in woods on the Mannington and Wolterton Estate, , last November. I am (gradually) introducing horse power to my woodland, wildlife conservation and general estate work. Charlie Parker and (Photo: Martin Seddon)

Horse Logging with Native Breeds John Bunce Many years ago I wrote an article in this newsletter to try to persuade others to use our three native breeds of heavy horses. The Clydesdale, Shire and Suffolk Punch are all now rare breeds. I realise that they are too tall for some of the loggers of shorter stature but personally I always used Clydesdales and have worked alongside Shires and Suffolk Punches, all of whom were obviously fit for purpose. Most people now use foreign horses such as Ardennes and Brabants, so I would urge anyone buying a new horse to consider using one of our own natives instead. I even worked in Durham once alongside a which surprised everyone with the amount of timber it was able to pull! Jeff Shea with his Suffolk Punch gelding Easton Alex

Rare Breeds Survival Trust Watchlist 2013 CRITICAL: Suffolk Horse; ENDANGERED: Dales Pony; VULNERABLE: ; AT RISK: , , Timber Tongues Ma rch 2014 Pa ge 7

Snigging with British Native Horse Logging Diary Dates 2014 Ponies Charlie Parker MARCH 22nd and 23rd FECTU 10th Anniversary AGM After 20 years in forestry I came to a cross- roads in my career where I wanted to pursue The AGM of the European Draught Horse Federation, this the idea of extracting timber with horses or year held near Clervaux, N. Luxembourg. All BHL members ponies. are welcome to attend FECTU’s meetings. A great opportunity to meet Continental working horse people. See www.fectu.org. So, what breed? I have always been a staunch supporter of our MAY 24th and 25th British native breeds and being a Yorkshireman BHL AGM and Annual Competitions it had to be a Dales. See page 3. I have always felt that most of our na- JUNE 17th to 19th tive breeds are vastly underrated. Over the last 25 years my Dales ponies and Cavallavor Workhorse Summer Camp and Dales cobs have served me well, I have proved Festival, N. Italy that it is viable to make a living using these ver- Hosted by Henry Finzi-Constantine, who uses horses in the satile ponies which are incredibly strong for Castello di Tassarolo vineyards. Courses, lectures, workshops, their size, clever and sure-footed. This breed is demonstrations, a parade, show trials. Camping available. The economical to keep, hardy and sound. forestry element is led by Italian logger Andrea Perotto and the UK’s Mike Paddock. See www.castelloditassarolo.it/english. One of my homebred Dales cobs Gilly (dam, coloured vanner; sire, Dales) who stands at 15 JULY 19th and 20th hands has proved himself again and again over many years, willing and biddable. Mensuration/Standing Volume Course See page 2. They also have the advantage of giving hours of pleasure outside their forestry work, riding AUGUST 29th to SEPTEMBER 1st and driving. Ours have undertaken many other tasks on the farm including harrowing and hay Woodland Management Course timing and have also enjoyed many a day’s See page 2. hunting. They are the ultimate all-rounder. SEPTEMBER 18th to 20th Though in the early days of the BHL many members were sceptical of George Read and 2014 APF, Ragley Estate, Warwickshire myself using these smaller native breeds, I see nowadays some members are now using similar We will have a BHL stand at the APF with horses, types, which goes to show perhaps our loyalty chainsaw operatives, working demonstrations, etc. to natives wasn’t unfounded after all. We hope that lots of you would like to join us as We have an endless supply in this country of ‘front of house’, answering questions and queries of excellent British native breeds, from our heav- many kinds from the public. ies to the traditional cobs and vanners, and our larger native pony breeds, any of which with As you know, it is a major opportunity to push the correct training and opportunity can prove horse power as a viable forestry management themselves invaluable. option, so we need all the help we can get! These breeds are part of this country’s heritage We can offer a small financial contribution to your and should be respected and treasured. travel expenses. Let us know as soon as you can so I would urge members both present and future we can begin to get an idea of who is coming and to choose wisely and be patriotic to our British when. native breeds, you won’t go far wrong. Pa ge 8 Timber Tongues Ma rch 2014

Geoffrey Morton M.B.E. (1926−2013) By Chris Wadsworth

The cause of the modern working horse lost a used with tractor implements, including a ground- great advocate with the death of Geoffrey Morton drive sprayer, and a fertilizer spreader fitted with a on December 13th, 2013. small petrol engine to power the spinner. Geoff was born in 1926 on a farm near Whitby in the Geoff’s advocacy of horse traction was never limited North York Moors. In common with many Whitby to a single breed. To quote one of his pithy sayings: lads, he went to sea, joining the Merchant Navy in the “There’s no good breeds, only Good Horses.” midst of the Second World War. Shortly before his Shires predominated in his farm operations, but with 17th birthday, he was one of a handful of survivors Shire of working type becoming ever harder when his ship was bombed and sunk in the invasion of to find, he was one of the first (along with Charlie Sicily in 1943. Pinney) to bring in Ardennes horses for farm work. He continued in the Merchant Navy until the early He later moved to , having membership of 1950’s, when he returned to farming, buying Waterside Shire, Clydesdale and breed societies. He Farm near Holme-Upon-Spalding-Moor in the flat- attended Percheron events in France over many years, lands of the East Riding of . He later moved and at one point, spoke (in French) at the Interna- a few miles away to the 137 acre Hasholme Carr Farm. tional Percheron Conference. Throughout his farming career, and in the face of the Geoff was always generous with no-nonsense advice, overwhelming movement towards the tractor, Geoff help and support for anyone using or aspiring to use remained convinced of the economic use of horse working horses. Throughout, he was wise, and drily traction on the land. humorous: His was no sentimental clinging to things past, but a “If you see a man driving a horse, there’s always an careful and passionate examination of how draught idiot at one end of the lines!” horses could work in a rapidly evolving farming econ- omy. “When you set out to make your living with a horse, you have much in common with a prostitute. You will Always a man of broad vision, with a thirst for always be undercut by enthusiastic amateurs!” knowledge, he examined horse farming systems in North America, Europe and elsewhere, and acquired a In common with a great many more, I have a great huge range of contacts worldwide. debt of gratitude to Geoff for setting me on the path to working with draught horses. He was one of the first in this country look at Ameri- can big team systems, importing a John Deere two- His was one of the great voices in the cause. He will furrow riding plough which he used with a six-horse not be replaced. team. He was also an early adopter of the hitch cart, Timber Tongues Ma rch 2014 Pa ge 9

Adapting Harness Doug Joiner

I have been using Canadian harness from Aaron Martin for some years, coupled with a Tarnsjo harness to take Scandinavian shafts. With the need to work a horse in shafts as well as traces, I ended up with two sets of harness for the cobs. And my big forwarder with double shafts needed Scandinavian style harness attach- ments. I did attach an adapter kit to the Aaron Martin harness but using the traces as well proved problematic; if both were in the tug hooks they could become jammed and the solution was to move them so that whichever system was being used was in the bottom of the tug hook. Clunky. So, I dreamt up some key changes. Several key points must be got right, and others are very desira- Picture 1. The harness on Salva. ble, increasing efficiency and welfare: The tugs are chain and, therefore, adjustable. One pair of the (1) The collar and sweat pad must fit properly. holdbacks or britching attaches to the pulling ring and the second pair of hold backs go under the belly to the D ring on the mar- (2) The tugs must be adjustable to ensure the pulling ring is cor- tingale for working as a pair with a pole. rectly positioned under traction. The traces are permanently attached. The harness is always ready for work whether with pairs, sin- (3) The horse needs a good angle of draught from the collar to gles, a pole and shafts, single or double, without any alterations. the load and effective britching to be able to use its force to max- imum effect with comfort. (4) It is ideal if the traces are attached to the pulling ring rather than direct to the collar to avoid jamming the tug hook and to allow the belly band rather than the horse's windpipe to take any upward force on extreme slopes. (5) It is really useful to be able to switch from singles to pairs and from shafts to traces without changing the harness. I ordered my new ‘Granite’ pairs harness, with Coblenz collars. Granite is leather-look biothane wrapping strong webbing. Co- blenz collars are renowned for their efficiency and build. All re- freshingly affordable compared to Scandinavian and leather har- ness. I ordered two extra 'hold backs', what we call britching, for each horse. I cut and shortened the traces and reattached them directly to the pulling ring. I dispensed with my usual tug hooks and attached my adjustable tugs to the posts on the hames. Picture 2. Detail of how the two hold backs are attached to the We have now thoroughly tested the harness and it works like a britching. dream. Note the extra padding with a britching pad and the trace carrier. The traces clip up to a hook on the harness and are out of the way.

Picture 3. Detail of the pulling ring. Tug, back band, belly band and britching attached as usual. Traces fixed above pulling bar and chain tugs going forward to the collar. The traces are above the pulling bar so that when in use the pulling bar can hang freely. When the shafts are used the pulling bar sits where the traces are now, fitting comfortably with the traces. RIP, Lisa — Steffi Schaffler

Just before Christmas I lost my horse Lisa. It was a tragic accident and I don’t want to dwell on it any more. To think how I could have prevented it, or what if ... no use. It was one of the freaky things that one couldn’t have foreseen or even imagined. But I will never forget this horse, as she really has been my first ever working horse. And what a worker she has been. She has taught me what logging is all about. She did the things that I thought weren’t possible without even blinking an eyelid. She worked on a single line, or just on voice. She was a big horse, and I remember a good number of people raising an eyebrow watching her squeeze out my rather little horse trailer. She was only 15hh, but if peo- ple talked about the big horse it was usually her. Chris Wadsworth always called her the giant Shetland pony She had the perfect shape for logging and the brain for and my vet thought driving past a field I had a New it. I had to learn that she usually found the better route Forest. out of the wood on her own. She convinced a few people that Ardennes are not as bad as prejudice has it. She worked on really difficult sites, with our without company, could turn on a stump like a cat on a fence post and did not accept that any log was too big for her. She wasn’t a pet, as Jim Johnstone told me again and again before I bought her off him. She liked her work, not much else. Only my little , only two when Lisa came to us, found a place in her heart. She wasn’t always cheerful (as a matter of fact I only called her grumpy in the last year ...) and the steep sites in Scotland weren’t for her any more. But she kept her working spirit and excellence. I will be looking for her qualities in all the working horses I will work from now on, and believe me, that will be a hard act to follow.

Machinery Pool Don’t forget that we have the BHL Machinery Pool with equipment available to hire. The list, with prices, can be found on the BHLCT website. We are hoping for an exciting addition to the list very soon!

The next edition of Timber Tongues will be out in The next issue of Timber Tongues will be in June, and The BHL Newsletter Editor June. Cathy Vaughan contributions are welcome. How about sharing your experiences, opinions and Bryn Tawel, 12 Llynfa Road If you would like to contribute, please email your Penclawdd expertise with fellow BHL members. Have you been article in by Mid May 2011 to the newsletter editor. Swansea SA4 3XD working on an interesting project, for example? 01792-850902 Please email copy to Cathy Vaughan Email: [email protected] by mid-May.