December 2013 The Official British Horse Loggers Newsletter Timber Tongues In this issue: Chair’s Report 2 Kate Mobbs-Morgan Using a Two-Horse 2 Forwarder John Bunce Tribute to Kyle 3 Colette Kyle BHL AGM and Annual 3 Competitions 2014 Letters in Response to 4/5 Forestry Journal’s “Wrong Priorities” Pete Harmer, Chris Wadsworth and Kate Mobbs-Morgan Working Horse 6 Harness and Fitting Demonstration Weekend Timber extraction demonstration during the Confor Woodland Show on the Rebecca Corrie-Close Longleat Estate — Kate Mobbs-Morgan with Kipp The New BHL Website 6 — Going Live! Confor Woodland Show — Kate Mobbs-Morgan Matt Waller Horse loggers were a popular sight at the Confor Woodland Show on 12th and 13th The Harness Maker’s 7 September at Longleat, Wiltshire, demonstrating the low-impact option for working Story in woodlands. Peter Coates There was much interest in the demonstrations and it was an excellent opportunity for visitors to ask questions and learn about the possibilities of using horses in for- Becoming a Horse 8 estry. Logger The three teams were Richard Branscombe from Swainsford Heavy Horses with his Chris Wadsworth grey Percheron mare Annabel; Kate Mobbs-Morgan from Rowan Working Horses APF 2014 9 with her roan Ardennes gelding Kipp; and Richard Eames from Richard Eames Pete Harmer Horse Logging with his piebald Traditional Cob mare Elizabeth. The Longleat estate had kindly felled a quantity of softwoods allowing the horses to Horse Logging in 9/10 demonstrate two working systems, showing how fast the horses can extract on a Japan good site, and how the timber can be lifted on an arch to minimise damage and re- Doug Joiner duce the impact on the ground. Pa ge 2 Timber Tongues December 2013 Chair’s Report K ate Mobbs-Morgan Autumn has passed in a flash and here we are compiling now find it a great way of keeping in touch and a valuable the Winter newsletter already. free resource for promoting my business. Before I write of BHL business, though, I thought it We also have new BHL leaflets available − please contact me was important to let you know that Doug Joiner, who for supplies. has been in poor health for a while (but covered it well) Sadly we had to postpone the Woodland Management course has been and still is in hospital undergoing major heart due to a lack of uptake but we had a strong crowd for the surgery. At the time of writing he has a long haul to Harness and Equipment weekend. It was a great couple of make back to good health and we would like to send all days, with a good attendance of new members and also the good wishes to both Doug and Gudrun at this difficult valued addition of Morgan Andersson and his wife Lotta time. from Sweden, whose business is Osterby Smedja, builders of The Committee have all been busy on your behalf up- fine forestry equipment. Fun and informative. dating and upgrading our lines of communication. We Courses for next year are still at the planning stage but be sure expect the new website to finally go live in the next few to visit the website as the dates, venues and course content weeks. We would appreciate your feedback on this but will be published there first. bear in mind it is a work in progress and there are some excellent additions to come that will improve, we hope, Enough from me for now but I will just say all the Commit- your membership benefits. tee and some of our members are working hard on your be- half to continue to showcase horses as a viable option in for- We now have a ‘Twitter’ account and will also have a estry and woodland management. Facebook page, details will be on the Home Page of the new website. The website will be regularly updated with Please show your support by rocking up to some of our news from all to try and encourage regular visitors. I events next year. We will be trying to hold events and courses know that a few of you may be baffled by some of these in different parts of the country to help those who always initially but we want to try and reach out to a wider seem to live such a long way away. We will also have a stand membership and maybe encourage new members. I with working demonstrations at the APF next September. don’t ‘twitter’ but having shunned Facebook at first Please come, its always worth making the effort. Using a Two-Horse Forwarder suade her that with two forwarders we could extract over 60 tons a day. John Bunce Fortunately she got a grant to buy a new two-horse forward- Those of you who have been in the logging world for er, when it eventually arrived we did a contract for Sir Chris- some time will know that I was a horse logger for over topher Waite on his estate in his private woodland which 20 years. was very successful. To start with I was the Southern Representative whilst Some years before this I had been working for the Wood- we were still combined with the FCA (Forestry Contract- land Trust on a variety of sites and while working at Pen ing Association). When the BHL decided to part compa- Wood (the Trust’s largest woodland) the powers that be de- ny with them, which I thought was the right thing to do, cided I was ‘too expensive’. They decided to get quotes from I became one of the first professional contractors. machine operators, which would have upset the locals, and damaged the woodland floor and the flora and fauna in it. I was lucky enough to buy a lot of horse logging equip- However they asked me to put in a quote as well, which beat ment from Geoff Cook, this included a pole arch, an the others substantially on price! Ulvins arch, a single-horse forwarder and an Orsabjorn two-horse forwarder with a donkey engine and grab. The reasons why Frankie and I were able to do the jobs so much cheaper was because we lived on site and so had no I believe that to make a reasonable living in horse logging travelling expenses and the donkey engine on the forwarder a two-horse forwarder is the best way. Using two Clydes- used less than 5 gallons of fuel a week. dales I could extract 20−30 tons per day. I modified the crane so it would lift just over a ton. So I repeat that to make a good living from forestry one needs a two-horse forwarder. I worked a lot with Frankie Woodgate, and her Ardennes Jeton would pull the single-horse forwarder and using my All the best to all of you BHL members. I am happy to give grab she could pull alongside and I could load her for- any advice on horse logging to anyone who cares to call me warder as well. After a few discussions I managed to per- on 07975-893068. Timber Tongues December 2013 Pa ge 3 Tribute to Kyle — Colette Kyle My man mountain of a husband, Kyle, sadly lost his hard-fought battle with cancer two weeks ago. He loved grubbing about in the woods with the horse loggers, which was always a laugh. Kyle often lent a hand on contracts, stacking timber with the strength and efficiency of any machine. He was always ready to lend a hand at BHL do’s and was frequently prodded into timekeeping etc at our annual competitions. Jökulsárlón, glacier lake, Iceland If he has taught me anything – it’s to grab life by the balls. He coaxed me totally out of my comfort zone, doing things I would have never tried on my own. In the nine years we were together he took great delight in scaring the crap out of me, often with his unique driving style in very quirky cars that loved to throw us a curve ball, usually in the fast lane! He coaxed me down caves, up in a hot air balloon, down lava tubes and up volcanos. The BHL helped him get to Iceland, this and our subsequent trip to Norway and the Arctic Circle, were totally mind blowing. My men in the woods He loved every minute and spent most of his time in a T-shirt despite the heavy snow. I will treasure those experiences forever. Kyle was the very best husband, always wholly supportive of my work and hobbies. Although, it has to be said that he often despaired at my cunning plans for making money but was always there to pick up the pieces anyway. I have never felt so loved, so safe and so alive. He was my best mate, my lover, my rock. Camp bed — roughing it BHL AGM and Annual Competitions, 24th and 25th May 2014 Important dates for your diary! The British Horse Loggers AGM and Annual Competitions will move north for 2014, and will be held near Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway, located at postcode DG7 3DX. We look forward to welcoming BHL members − competitors, volunteers and spectators − to the yearly gathering of horse loggers and supporters. The event will be hosted by Dave Roycroft and Steffi Schaffler. If you would like to enter the competitions, or volunteer to help out, please contact Chris Wadsworth, Dave or Steffi. Pa ge 4 Timber Tongues December 2013 Letters in Response to Forestry Journal ’s ‘Wrong Priorities’ Pete Harmer, Chris Wadsworth and Kate Mobbs-Morgan David Taylor’s article “Wrong Priorities” maintained that Countryfile gives the general public a “crackpot” and wrong idea of forestry management by showing horses working in forests, and taking a negative view of machinery use Pete Harmer their guides and start to show them what really happens in the woods.