Versatile horse power.

One of the many things I like about my logging horses are their versatility. There are few things that desensitize a horse like logging . A horse that is worked every day in the woods gets to hear some things that would put most horses on the run, trees being fell , chains saws , the sounds of pounding wedges, and  wild animals of all sorts. They have to do all of this and still keep their heads the whole time.
  You can work your horse single and get into some very tight spots , spots that a tractor or skidder would never fit into.  This horse will have to be used to standing on uneven ground with brush tangling his feet at times . This horse will also have to be comfortable wile working very close with you, it will have to be used to getting it’s adrenalin way up to pull a heavy load and in the next few minutes stand quite to let you hook or  unhook.  At times I lead a single horse in and out of tight spots wile working by the halter at other times I put the lines around the hams and let them go on there own. I love working a single horse and do it when ever circumstance allows . A horse that you work single like this will bond with you in a deep way and the deeper that bond and the more you understand your horse the more you can do with him .  
 Having a horse like this around the house or farm is very useful even if you do not necessarily farm with him .  You can make a simple stone boat to move things around the place , anything from hauling wood , moving dirt, to cleaning up after your horse. I have moved so much fire wood and so many round bales with a home made stone boat and a single that you would not believe. I think any thing a four wheeler can do a single horse can do better. You  can ride it to check fence or scout hunting ground , you can pack bait or seed back to a food plot ( not to minchin if you have the equipment you can work up your own food plot ) . With a small cart you can really up the load and work and versatility of your horse. A horse can pull a cart , stone boat,  or sled  loaded threw mud that would get an ATV stuck buy itself .  You would have to have a fairly good size tractor to compare to  a horse as far as the amount of actual work one can do especially if you are talking day in and day out use . A horse always starts and I have never had one break down yet.
  There are a lot of companies out there that make fore-carts that are equipped with shafts to run single. A fore-cart is nice in a lot of ways but you do not have to have one to make very good use of your horse around the house or farm.
   Now when you are using a team that is broke well to the goings on of logging you really have a tool that can get a lot done. But like I said I will always love working a single horse or mule. If you are thinking of getting a team of animals to use look at what you are really wanting to do with that animal. You might be able to get by with just a single horse or mule. When I have a student that wants to learn to drive a team I fist put them on a single . If you have a good singe that you run enough to get comfortable with it will build your confidence  plus you get a really good feel for the lines in your hands . Go a head and by a team if that is what you want , I would not discourage anyone from doing so . I am just saying don't rule out getting a good single horse to use around the farm or homestead . One good horse is one heck of a tool. . Taylor Johnson  .