Rural Heritage June/July 2026

The neck yoke Donn uses is called a plug yoke, unique to the D-ring harness Donn prefers. The bolt slides into a hole at the end of the tongue.

Step 2. Attach the Neck Yoke First. We always hook up the neck yoke first, all harness types, all vehicle types, every time. Here is where I ask all the beginning teamsters why we always hook up the yoke first. (I ask this almost every day for three months). The correct answer is because they are the brakes (through connection to the britchen), and it only makes sense to hook up the brakes before the gas. It is a common safety practice to have your yoke chained or secured to the end of the tongue and not a bad idea. Just remember the main reason the yoke comes off the end of the tongue is because

What to do with the lines? Once the horses are standing on either side of the pole, take a breath and relax. As I walk to the head of the horses to start step 2, I like to hang the lines on the hames, careful to make sure all the loops are well off the ground. To do this effectively, you need to remind yourself that you are still in control of the team by being at their heads. Some folks won’t like this practice of hanging the lines up as you go to the head of the horses, seeing it as unsafe. Remember, I have been practicing this with my horses from the time I started leading them with a rope.

After connecting the yoke straps to the neck yoke, Donn takes the lines from the hames and walks them back to the forecart where he loops them around the rail.

June/July 2026

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