Rural Heritage June/July 2026

Donn drives his team past the forecart tongue, which rests on a stand to keep it off the ground, then backs them over the tongue.

When I have help, they can “head” the horses, or in some cases, hold the lines or even hook the far side tugs, but I don’t change how I hook, the steps I take, or the order in which I do things. I do it the same every time whether I am by myself or not. A couple more things before the step-by-step instructions. It is often said “never let the lines out of your hands.” This sounds like a reasonable precaution that everyone could take. But I don’t like to tell someone this is a rule, and then have them turn around and see me not following it. The truth is, in my opinion, the best way to hook a team of horses includes leaving the lines for a short period. Others may have another method, but this is mine. In farming and logging you will find there are times when we will hang the lines on the hames (or put them down) but knowing when, where and how to do this safely could be another article. Nothing about this is to suggest that you should let go of your lines or step off your vehicle while you are giving rides. Whether it is professional rides in public or just giving a friend a ride on the farm, don’t leave a passenger on your vehicle if you are getting off; and always have the lines in your hands if people are on your wagon. As well as being by yourself, this method is also intended to hook to a cart while it is NOT in front of a hitching rail and the team is not tied up. A hitching rail and tying the team is a very effective safety tool for getting horses and teamsters started. A hitching rail and tying the horses up could be a safe standard practice for some folks, but the truth on a farm is

that mowers, rakes and wagons are wherever you left them, and we (and our horses) will need the ability to hook up to them wherever they are. That is what we teach and practice. Author Note: A few words about preparing yourself and your horses before I go further. I sometimes feel people would prefer rules rather than their own judgment when it comes to working with horses. Good judgment is what determines when a team of horses is ready to do this work and be hooked up by yourself in this way. The only problem with me suggesting rules that could be used to determine when or how to hook horses is that excellent judgment will be required as soon as you are hooked anyway. Once you have followed the “rules” for hooking, you will need to determine if these horses are ready for a mower or a manure spreader, and we are right back to the essential use of good judgment, so we might as well start teaching that from the beginning. I expect horses to stand and cooperate while I hook them to an implement or vehicle. I need to train them with this in mind and be able to determine when they are ready for these things. I don’t “trust” horses to work with me as I hook a team. I “predict” that they will. The difference is subtle, but when a horse fails to cooperate while I am trying to hook up to a wagon, it is my “prediction” that was wrong,

June/July 2026

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