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THIS ARCHIVE CONTAINS PREVIOUS NEWS PAGE ARTICLES THAT HAVE BEEN REMOVED. REMOVAL DATES HAVE BEEN ADDED FOR REFERENCE.
SPRING CLEANING. (removed 10-6-05)
Well, spring is here and everyone's diggin' out their gear to hit the trails. It seems like there's always a glut of orders in the
spring and another in the fall, just before hunting season. Repair shops usually get buried too. Do yourself and your poor
repair shop owner a favor and try to get repairs done in the off season. You'll find the turnaround much quicker and you
won't have to rush to get ready for that next trip.
Don't forget to clean and preserve your leather gear before hitting the bush, if you haven't already. Personally, I prefer to do
this prior to winter storage, but if you ride year 'round, as I do, then you just have to make sure it gets done. It's amazing how
much leather gear is spoiled from lack of care. Caution!! Don't overdo it! You don't want your leather to get wimpy or raggy
from too much oiling.
PICKLE 'EM. (removed 10-6-05)
If you haven't been using those animals all winter, and now that the weather is getting hot, they'll be pretty tender for a while.
It's easy to sore them up with cinches, pads, etc. An old packer's trick is to wash the normal chafing areas (cinch rings,
britchins, withers, etc.) with brine daily for a couple of weeks at least before that first trip. Soak the area thoroughly with brine
and let dry. It'll turn 'em white, but that makes 'em easier to find. Make your brine from cider vinegar and table salt. Make sure
to go heavy on the salt. Add enough so that there's salt that won't dissolve. Needless to say, keep it clean under pads and cinches.
Use that brush on the critters and on the pads before saddling up.
HOW DO YA' HANG ONTA' THEM CRITTERS? Part 1 - TIE ROPES. (removed 1-1-06)
We often get asked about various methods for restraining
animals when in camp or on the trail. We'll discuss a few of the options over the next few issues of the news page and try to
point out both the pros and cons of each. As always your comments or input are invited. Please see the link below.
TIE ROPES. When actually out riding, there's no substitute for the tie rope. It's small enough to be carried with you and can
be used to tie & untie stock fairly rapidly, so the pros would be portability and ease of use. The cons are mostly the results of
the tie rope selected and the methods of their use. First let's look at what's required of a tie rope:
1. It must be strong enough for the job. 'Nuff said!
2. It must retain a knot without slipping. Some ropes are not good tie ropes just for this reason.
3. It must release the knot without a fight. Many ropes that will hold a knot well are the devil's own curse to get loose,
especially when wet or frozen.
4. It must not stretch too much. Ropes that stretch a lot can cause problems, such as slipping down, etc.
5. It must not injure the animal. A rope must be selected that is of the proper material, size, and length to restrain the
animal without choking, cutting, burning, or otherwise causing injury.
6. It must not harm the enviornment. Although the Forest Service is getting pretty nasty about how and where animals
are tied, there is still no substitute for the tie rope for short term tie ups when on the trail. The trick is to tie in such a
manner so as not to cause damage. You'll notice that I used the term SHORT TERM! Tie rope are not suitable for long
term animal restraint for several reasons.
Let's grade some typical rope materials on criteria 1-5 above and see how they stack up. Item 6 above is largely due to sizing and usage, not
material selection.
MANILA (hemp): 1. Good 2. Good 3. Poor 4. Good 5. Poor
COTTON: 1. Good 2. Good 3. Poor 4. Good 5. Good
NYLON: 1. Good 2. Poor 3. Fair 4. Poor 5. Poor
POLY (twisted): 1. Good 2. Poor 3. Poor 4. Fair 5. Poor
POLY (braided): 1. Fair 2. Poor 3. Poor 4. Fair 5. Poor
POLY/DACRON (double braided): 1. Good 2. Good 3. Good 4. Good 5. Good
Are ya' startin' to see the picture? We've found, over the years, that a poly-dacron double braid is about as good as you can get for a tie rope.
Now, how do ya' tie 'em without causin' trouble? Some folks pack a halter and lead and tie as they would in the corral. That's o.k. if you don't
mind walking back to camp and hunting down your stock once in a while. If an animal pulls back hard enough, that halter or snap is gonna break.
We recommend tying once around the neck, and twice around the restraining object (pole, tree, truck, rail, etc.). It goes without saying that the
object you tie to should be strong enough. I don't know how many times I've encountered loose stock in the back country either bare headed
(halter broke), dragging a tie rope (knot slipped), or still tied to a small tree, bush, or branch. We use and furnish 20' long tie ropes made from 5/8"
poly-dacron double braid. Just a rope. No snaps, hardware, fittings, or doodads. Here's the deal:
1. Tie a bowline around the neck snugly enough that it can't be slipped over the head. If their toungue's turnin' blue/gray, loosen it up a bit.
2. Pass the rope through the nose ring on the halter, if you are using one, or through the curb chain on the bridle. The rope should be just
under the jawbone.
3. Pass the rope snugly twice around the object to be tied to and tie with a jerk knot with a lock, or a locking bowline. If you have one of those
Houdini types, you'll want to lock that knot! Be sure to tie eye-high and that the tie won't slip down! Look for twigs and stobs that will help in
this respect. By going twice around, you take the strain off of the knot, prevent fraying of the rope, and prevent chafing of the tree, etc.
Attention!!: Be sure to tie short enough that the animal won't step over the rope!
The photo below shows the tie rope in use.
If you can't tie the above knots, by all means learn how. It can mean the difference between a joy and a fight. The object is to enjoy the experience,
not have a fight on your hands. I'll try to put photos of the knot sequences in the last part of these articles.
HOW DO YA' HANG ONTA' THEM CRITTERS? PART 2 - PICKET ROPES. (removed 2-2-06)
In days of yore, before everyone and his cousin had a better idea about protecting the environment, packers picketed their stock by the front foot with a picket hobble and rope.
In my opinion, this is still the best way to keep stock around,as, if properly done, it's safe and easy on packers, stock, and the enviornment. The trick is, to do it properly.
You'll need a picket hobble with a rope attached for each animal. This getup doesn't have to be cute, just stout! It's gonna be in the mud anyway. I prefer the hobbles to be made
from good harness leather, with good rounded edges. Some are made from nylon, or are lined with fleece, etc. These will generally cause sores and chafing, due to dirt and ice.
A plain leather hobble seems to shed most of the junk and works pretty well. The rope should be spliced into the hobble and be at least 40' in length. Cotton rope is best. Although
it'll wear out quicker than other materials, it's soft enough to prevent cuts, burns, and such, if you have a knothead that gets wrapped up in it for some reason. Manila, nylon, poly, etc.
are bad news here and better left home.
O.K. What's next? Let's go step by step:
1. Clear out your area. Select an area with a minimum of, or no obstacles to cause entanglements. Remove anything, such as limbs on the ground, etc. You don't want to have to be
out gettin' old Smoke unwrapped every hour or two.
2. Picket to a stout object. Make sure that whatever you select is strong enough to handle the job & not be broken, or dragged off. If you use a picket stake, make sure it's up to the job
and that the ground will hold it.
3. Always picket at ground level. You don't want old Bucky steppin' over a rope that's up in the air, 'cause, even if you think he can't get fouled up, he will.
4. If you tie to a tree or snag, always go twice around it, then tie your knot. This prevents chafing of both the tree and the rope.
5. Make sure there's a free zone of travel wherever the rope will reach. 'Nuff said! Never picket two animals where they can get crossed up!
6. Tie a knot that will let go. I use a bowline with the bitter end turned back to make what I call a jerk bowline. I'll go into knots in a later issue.
7. Picket by the FRONT FOOT between the fetlock and the hoof. Never by the neck, or by a halter, or by a hind leg. Make sure the hobble is tight enough not to slip off and that there is
nothing sharp, such as twigs, to cause chafing.
8. Remove that halter! It's possible for old Ugly to get a foot through it, or hang it up on something.
9. Rotate your picket area. Move your pickets often enough to prevent environmental damage and to provide feed. I've often gone for a month or so in the same area without using any hay.
Get your animals used to being on the picket before leaving home, and you'll save yourself some hassles. Most animals soon become accustomed to it and learn
the routine quickly.
The picket rope, if used properly, is generally the preferred method, as it is easy on the stock, as they can move about, feed, and lie down if they choose. Therefore, they don't get bored
and fidget or fight the restraint. It also spreads the environmental impact over a wider area than other methods. One animal on a 40' rope equals an 80' circle, as opposed to several animals
in a portable corral, or on a high line. Advantages: The picket rope is simple, effective, safe, enviornmentally sound, and portable. Disadvantages: Time spent in clearing obstacles.
Remember: Picket 'em by the front foot an' stay outa' trouble!
HOW DO YA' HANG ONTA' THEM CRITTERS? PART 3 - HIGH LINES. (removed 5-10-06)
Current reccommended practice (USFS) for tethering animals in the woods is use of the high line. Of course, this is predicated upon the fact that there will be two
stout trees located within reachable distance of one another and in a suitable spot. This, in itself, may make use of a high line impractical. It's a fact of equine behavior
that, the more you restrict the range of a free roaming animal, the more agitated and restless he becomes. Compound this by putting several animals in close proximity
in a severely restricted area and the potential for havoc and damage multiplies considerably. I have seen high line set ups where several animals have been tethered on a
high line for several days. Invariably, the ground has been dug up considerably due to pawing and restless behavior. I recall one where the animals had obliterated
everything down to a depth of 12 to 14". Let's look at the pro and cons of high lines with respect to the same criteria used for picket ropes. Again, the primary pros would be
portability and ease of use, with both falling into the fair to good range.
Needless to say, a high line must be strong enough for the job. Such things a the length of the high line and the number of animals to be tethered will affect this.
A high line cannot stretch too much or it will cause problems.
A high line can't slip down from its original height at attachment.
A high line must not cause animal injuries. As you can see, any one of the above items not being met has the potential for injuries. From animals fighting or fussing with
each other, to shoddy high line setup, to a complete blowup, the possibilities are numerous.
A high line must not damage the enviornment. A suitable arrangement must be utilized to prevent chafing and scarring the trees the high line is attached to. Either a wide flat
tree saver strap, a length of fire hose, burlap wrapped over the rope ends, or something similar will be required. Add to this the enviormental considerations already mentioned
above and you can see that the potential for environmental damage is high.
In summary, if yer gonna' use a high line, you'd better make sure it's stout enough, rig it right, know your animals, move it frequently, and sleep light.
Be sure to space those critters out and arrange 'em so there won't be any fights or entanglements.
It'd be handy to use methods of attachment that are positive while still allowing for easy release. When ya' get several critters pulling back on a knot, it's gonna get tight! Always keep
an axe or hatchet handy near your high line for emergencies, if ya' know what I mean.
HOW DO YA' HANG ONTA' THEM CRITTERS? PART 4 - PORTABLE CORRALS. (removed 9-1-06)
One of the newer innovations for stock containment is the portable corral, which utilizes either a battery or solar powered electric fence.
Use of these corrals is more or less subject to the same restraints and conditions of other containments. These being; adequate space for the number of animals contained,
proper rotation/movement of the corral to prevent enviornment damage, having a clear, debris free area available for set-up, etc.
Portability of these units is pretty good, as they are comprised of small, light weight components. Set-up time is not too bad, providing you can feed yourself without
assistance. The one big drawback to these units is reliability. Any time you rely on anything too high-tech in the brush, you are taking a certain amount of risk that it'll
fail. This can not only cause extra work and possibly spoil a trip, but may cause some real hardship. While electrical gizmos have come a long way in reliability over the
last few years, they're still not foolproof by any means. My advice would be to carry a back-up containment system into camp in the event of electrical failure.
Bear in mind also, that, if they're boogered, they're goin' thru it!!