Transylvanian horseman

Draught horse shoes

Today I was occupied making draught horses shoes. The ground is muddy now, so I added raised toe pieces and calkins to give extra grip. These are made from sections of 3/8" steel bar welded onto the shoes. I welded borium onto the bottom surfaces of the toe pieces and calkins so that the shoes will last longer, as some local journeys use concrete and stone-surfaced roads. Pictured are four sets that I made, based on standard natural Balance shoes. They will be fitted tomorrow, and will be used for six weeks or so until snow and ice make spiked winter ice shoes a necessity. Some of the welding looks a little lumpy, which is normal for arc-welded borium, and there are lumps of slag that have run down too. The slag will come off when the shoes are used. The horses will stand level on these shoes, as toe pieces and calkins are the same height. When working on soft ground, there will be normal frog pressure, and also on hard surfaces if the foot is filled with packed dirt. Compared to most raised draught horse shoes that one sees around these parts, mine are quite low since I don't want to raise them any more than strictly necessary.

Largest group yet

Yesterday we had our largest group yet, a horse cart excursion for 55 people. This mammoth (by our standards) trip required six horse carts, four of them hired in. The first photo shows the six pairs of horses and their carts and drivers waiting for the crowd of guests to arrive. Heading the first cart, Gelu eats as quickly as possible from a handy pile of hay that we put down, whilst Tudor is more interested in watching the activity. This is quite characteristic of each horse. Gelu, the older, has seen it all before. Tudor is a relative youngster, and still curious. Putting down a pile of hay for waiting horses is normal practice. So is covering waiting horses with rugs, which are often old bedroom blankets that have become worn or threadbare. This is the only time that horses are rugged out here, when they are standing out in the cold after getting hot working.

The carts set off in open order for Castle Dracula, arriving spread out over a period of a few minutes. For the guests, a cart ride made a welcome change after several hours in buses. The weather was warm for the time of year, and the late afternoon light was soft and sensual. I love the way that successive waves of mountains fade away into the distance, the higher peaks dusted with snow. One cart can hold ten to twelve people, a load of up to a ton, comparable to a full load of hay. This kind of hire, with one or more carts or carriages, is a familiar part of our business. They generate useful income at quiet times, as well as enabling non-riders to enjoy the scenery without a motor vehicle.

This evening we are off to the station to collect another ten guests, bringing them here in the dark for a suitably atmospheric arrival. Tomorrow they too will be travelling to Castle Dracula, a very popular destination at this time of year.

More long toes

This morning a neighbour brought his horse for some long-overdue hoof care. The horse is a 2yo gelding, which had (he said) only had its feet trimmed once during its lifetime. Not only that, it lived in a stable, not even getting to run after a cart like most young horses here.

The fact that this horse was not used to hoof care was, in itself, a warning. Fortunately, he proved to be a quiet animal, used to being handled. So we were relieved to find that we had no difficulty lifting his feet. This was a good thing because there was a lot of work to do. Both front feet had considerably overgrown toes and soles. As I trimmed the sole of a front foot, paring away with a hoof knife to find the chalky layer of exfoliation, I found a complete sole still attached below the chalky layer. It simply hadn't worn away because it hadn't had the opportunity. In the end, I must have removed a couple of centimetres (3/4" or so) of old sole and chalky layer before finding the waxy layer of the current functioning sole.

Having cut the old sole material away, I trimmed the considerable excess hoof wall with nippers, then rasped away flares with the foot stood on a hoof jack. Then I lifted the hoof again, established a breakover point roughly a thumb's width in front of the tip of the frog, and added a 15 degree chamfer to the sole in front of this point. This is just about visible in the second photo, across about the first quarter of the length of the sole. Now he can walk more easily, without the leverage of that long toe impeding him so much. I didn't want to remove more toe since I prefer not to reduce the reduce the integrity of the hoof capsule any further than necessary.

This young horse still has a way to go. His toes are still long, and his heels under-run. He needs regular trimming to bring his toes back and allow his heels to develop. The angle of the hoof is not ideal, and needs to come back further to match that of the pastern.

I have no idea why my neighbour hasn't had the feet trimmed in as much as a year. He knew that we have a forge here, and that we are willing to work on horses other than our own. There are two farriers working full-time in the village. Nor is the owner poor or especially ignorant. The most likely cause is that he isn't a traditional horseman, and hasn't until now kept working horses. Though he admits that he is well aware of the need for regular hoof care. This gelding was bought with the idea of working him in the neighbour's fields, and maybe to buy a carriage and a sleigh to try to make some money giving rides to tourists. Well, if his feet aren't taken care of, he won't be useful for any of these things.

Such is life in Romania, that I (who am not a trained farrier, though I have tried to become acquainted with the necessary skills) get to trim the feet of problem horses. My regular farrier whom I employ, Nelu, was away collecting hay. So this one fell to me. I do think that I am working within my competence. Anyway, I we have started off resolving this otherwise rather nice horse's foot problem in the right way. Now I just hope that the owner will continue to bring him for attention.

Autumn colours

I had to drive the 50 miles to the county town, Bistrita, last week. On the way back, having a little time to spare, I stopped to photograph the autumn colours. It seemed to be just the right day, a perfect moment, when the beech trees were at their most golden in the slanting evening light.

The first photo captures the bottom of the valley, some 30 miles from my village. The view shows the progression from withering dry corn stalks through colourful beech trees all the way to distant snowy mountains. I'd have like to place a horse or even some other farm animals in the foreground however, after the harvest, the corn fields are quiet. Incidentally, this valley is also part of the route of the Mongol horde in 1241. Those horsemen seem to be penetrating a lot of posts these days.

The second photo captures some of the loveliest beech foliage, a little higher up the valley. I drove past mile after mile of forest like this, a wonderfully uplifting sight. Autumn shows just how much beech forest there really is, even though it is evergreen  trees that we associate mainly with the deep Carpathian forest. I love the translucent light that penetrates to the clear floor of a beech wood, in summer reminiscent of being underwater in warm tropical water. With such a lack of underbrush, a beech wood is ideal for riding. The smooth trunks of these great trees seem sculpted, smooth and sophisticated alongside the unimaginitive roughness of spruce. Beech is an ideal timber for furniture, and a good warm firewood. I have a Beech desk, and a stock of dry beech in my wood store. Beech gave its name to the Bucovina, the province east of here, Buchenwald in German. I can see why the Habsburgs coveted the Bucovina, why back in the 18th century they annexed that small but richly wooded province.

These scenes make me realise that I still have great tracts of land to explore. The truck and horse trailer need to be pressed into service. Actually, I need to get out and do some leisure riding, relax a bit and switch off from the business from time to time.

Way of the Mongol horsemen, part 2

Sebastian's interesting comment on my 13 October post has set me thinking. So why did the Mongols leave Europe alone after 1241? Wikipedia's entry "Mongol Invasion of Europe" includes the following.

Some western historians attribute European survival to Mongol unwillingness to fight in the more densely populated German principalities, where the wetter weather affected their bows. The territory of Western Europe, with more forests and with many castles along with many opportunities for the heavy cavalry to counter-attack possibly made Western Europe a more formidable opponent. Also, despite the steppe tactics of the Avars and early Hungarians, both were defeated by Western States in the 9th and 10th centuries. A significant number of important castles and towns in Hungary had also resisted the formidable and infamous Mongol siege tactics.

But the probable answer for Batu's stopping after the Mohi River, and the destruction of the Hungarian army, was that he never intended to advance further. He had made the Russian conquest safe for the next ten generations, and when the Great Khan died and he rushed back to Mongolia to put in his claim for power, it ended his westward expansion. Subutai's recall at the same time left the Mongol armies without their spiritual head and primary strategist.

Subsequently, Batu Khan planned to invade Europe as far as the Atlantic Ocean, however Mongol infighting delayed him until 1255. Batu died before having the chance to implement his plan, and his son also died before being able to invade Europe. Afterwards, Mongol ambitions largely were drawn in other directions. However, one further attempt was made against Europe. Again from Wikipedia:

In the mid-1280s Nogai Khan led an invasion of Hungary alongside with Talabuga. Nogai lead an army that ravaged Transylvania with success, where cities like Reghin, Braşov and Bistriţa were plundered and ravaged. However Talabuga, who led an army in Northern Hungary, was stopped by the heavy snow of the Carpathians and the invading force was defeated near Pest by the royal army of Ladislaus IV and ambushed by the Székely in the return. As with later invasions, it was repelled handily, the Mongols losing much of their invading force. The outcome could not have contrasted more sharply with the 1241 invasion, mostly due to the reforms of Béla IV, which included advances in military tactics and, most importantly, the widespread building of stone castles, both in response to the crushing defeat of the Hungarian Kingdom in 1241.

Living in Transylvania, I can testify to the preponderence of post-1241 and post-1280's stone fortifications around ancient towns, villages and even churches. Some of these repelled Tatar invasions into the 1700's, surviving late enough to become bullet-riddled during late medieval sieges. I can well believe how heavy snow could have stopped an army in the Carpathians. The roused Magyars and Szekely would have been fierce opponents, indeed it is still said in Transylvania that "a Szekely's identity card is his pocket knife." It does seem that the Mongols won many victories because of their opponents' mistakes. For example, defenders being drawn out of a fortress by a feigned retreat. Word must have got around about that kind of elementary mistake. The surprise is that it happened so often before the West learnt.

So why did I advance the idea that the Mongols found Europe a poor province to loot? In part, after a week with Tim Cope, the only person within living memory to have ridden the Mongol horde's route, and unusually well read in the history of the Mongols. Tim is, in many ways, a champion of the Mongols, upholding their positive values for a much needed reassessment. Riding their route gave him a unique view of the world as they saw it. I suppose that the Mongol leaders made what, in the modern world, we would call a Cost : Benefit Analysis. There were richer targets located closer. Europe was a costly, time consuming place to raid. The Hungarians had learnt from previous reverses, and that was the final nail in the coffin of a Mongol invasion of Europe. The Mongol Blitzkreig was only really effective against those that failed to grasp Mongol tactics. Once enemy strategy had caught up, Mongol forces were open to defeat. In due course, the Teutonic Knights and the Wehrmacht (to name but two) duly suffered analagous fates. Europe was saved, again and again.

I think that, in our own separate ways, Sebastian and I are both right. We are looking from different angles. Yes, the Mongols must have been well engaged in China. They had campaigns against Bulgaria, Poland, Thrace, etc, too, each seemingly undermanned because of large actions closer to home. However, I think that the relatively small rewards in Central Europe, combined with the risks inherent in fighting a prepared and increasingly efficient enemy, also played their part in Mongol calculations.

How often are even great powers allowed but one roll of the dice?

Harmony and hard work

This morning I was greeted by a novel sight on the cats' feeding platform. This raised structure, made from an old table (waste not, want not), was created specifically so that the dogs could not jump up and eat the cat food. However, a stool had been left too close, and Balanca managed to vault aboard the platform. Finding no cat food, since she was too early, she settled down to wait.

The cats and dogs generally do indeed relate this well. There must be something in it for both parties. The cats receive warmth. The dogs have new friends who they occasionally chase when in the mood. However, without really trying to catch the cats. The cats have a safe yard where they can live unmolested by strange dogs. Our dogs get to pilfer cat food. Though maybe less now than in the past. All of them are petted and rewarded for being "good animals", and we try to share treats equally. It seems like a good deal all round.

The mammoth task of removing the deep litter bed continues. This task is every bit as bad as it looks in the photo. Trying to motivate the others, I helped load a couple of carts. Well-rotted bedding, especially sawdust such as we use, certainly is heavy. Still, we started at the lower end where the bedding is deeper and damper, so the task ought to get easier.

Anne asked what we have under the sawdust. The shelters were built on an old potato field, which was used for turnout for several years afterwards, so the subsurface is well compacted earth. The yard outside is surfaced with compacted shale, which has formed a hard layer, and therefore is easy to clean. The same material is used on some rural roads around here. Eventually, we might remove all the sawdust and a layer of soil, then add a strata of shale to make a firm base that is easy to clean.

Tiger has the right idea

It is damp and drizzly outside, that wet, muddy period of transition between a dusty autumn and the frozen ground of winter. Tiger has the right idea, sleeping where attention is never far away. There is a nice warm radiator just out of view to the left.

Outside, we are clearing the deep litter bed from beneath the shelters. Now my staff can see why I kept on at them at them to stay on top of yard cleaning. They didn't clean as judiciously as I would have liked. Now they have a strata of compacted muck and sawdust up to 70cm (2 feet) deep to remove. Overall, there must be something like 30-40 cubic metres of old bedding to clear out, and maybe 10 cubic metres of dry sawdust to bring. It's a lot of work by hand. There is a good week's work for the four of them, another good reason for that tractor that I mentioned a while back.

Over the next week, we have three groups booked for horse cart day trips. Hopefully, the weather will improve for them, though I am grateful for rain that replenishes the groundwater. Wearing a raincoat is easier than transporting drums of water from miles down the valley.

First snow

This morning I woke up to see the first snow falling on the village. Across the valley, the trees and fields, dimly visible through low clouds, are dusted with white. It's picturesque, and at the same time a portent that the warm, colourful autumn is ending. All day, wet snowflakes have fallen, leaving the garden wet and the field muddy.

Still I hope for a week or two of steady rain. We need that to replenish the groundwater, so that the wells are filled ready for winter. Soon, the ground will be frozen, so that precipitation will not be able to enter the soil and trickle down to the aquifer that fills the wells. The water situation does concern me.

What with the dreary grey weather, I couldn't take a photograph that didn't look, well, grey and dreary. So I'll post one from a little under a year ago. It isn't quite that snowy yet, however it will be soon enough. Even if this snow melts, as it probably will, more snow will come and settle.

Last week's riders, who left today, were grateful that they hadn't booked for the week ahead. It looks and feels bleak out. Last week's trail ride was the last moving on ride of the season. This year, the trail calendar seems to have fitted in well with the prevailing weather.

In the barn, I have two sleighs to get ready. Their long season of idleness will soon needfully be interupted.

Safety on the trail

Red Pony Farm http://redponyfarm.typepad.com/red_pony_farm_a_journey_i/ asked a question about safety on the trail, whether we take out inexperienced riders, and how we plan for safety.

We describe our rides as follows in the information that send out to potential clients. This is the first stage, making sure that each rider understands what the ride entails. These rides are suitable for confident early riders and more experienced riders. Riders generally should be able to control a quiet horse in open spaces at walk, trot and canter. We try to match groups to a similar overall level of riding ability. The rides take place over a variety of terrain, including mountains, and do involve some fairly steep climbs and descents. Whilst the horses are sure-footed and sensible, these rides generally are not suitable for very nervous riders. It is, of course, possible to dismount and lead one’s horse down the steeper descents. If you are in any doubt, do not hesitate to contact us to discuss the suitability of these rides to you.

The minimum requirement is about ten hours of quality one-to-one riding instruction, plus a moderate degree of confidence. However, I would not take these clients on a fast, demanding ride.

Then we send out a booking form, where each rider gives us appreciable detail including their height, weight, experience, how frequently they ride, any medical issues relevant to riding, any medication that the rider is taking, etc. I can email a copy of this to anyone who is interested. At this stage, I decide finally whether to take the booking. I have told some people that they aren't experienced enough, and to go and get lessons if they want to come and ride here.

When a group arrives here, I give them an orientation talk, dealing with the safety and etiquette of riding, techniques for riding up and down hills, and generally the format of the ride. I include what clothes to take, as it can be cold and/or wet on the mountains, also avoiding dehydration in summer. For 2008, we shall have an orientation film to show riders, in part because I want to show the hill riding techniques in more detail.

Out on the trail, there are no more than six clients per guide. For an inexperienced group, or more nervous riders, I might allow fewer clients per guide. Often, the assistant guide is one of my horsemen. This gives me enough guiding resources to deal with problems quickly and efficiently, as well as having a member of staff at the back watching the group. I may have a staff member riding a spare horse too, a useful precaution on a longer trail, and with a larger group.

The guide always carries a first aid kit, for humans and for horses. The human first aid kit is fairly standard. That for horses is also quite standards, and includes a stable bandage (for applying wet to sprained limbs), vet-wrap, and a syringe with fluximin or dexamethazone anti-inflamatory. Out here, I expect to administer injections, as it can be difficult to get a veterinarian to attend. I also carry tools to tighten or remove a loose shoe, and now a selection of Easyboots too in case a shoe is lost.

The guide always has a mobile phone, and know where we have signal coverage. There is always someone at the centre with a mobile phone. All the moving-on trail rides are supported by a baggage vehicle, which is a 4WD pick-up. The driver has a mobile phone, and the vehicle carries a more comprehensive first aid kit and a full set of farriery tools and spare shoes for every horse too. Both guide and driver carry identical topographical maps, marked with the regular ride route, with numbered and named waypoints marked too, also vehicle-accessible access routes. So it is straightforward for the guide to call for vehicle back-up at almost any point en-route. My vehicle, a Mitsubishi L200, has good off-road performance and can reach some quite remote areas if necessary to evacuate an injured person. We know where to find doctors and hospitals in the area where we ride.

There is also a mountain rescue service, who can summon a helicopter in case of severe injury.

We insist that minors are competent riders, and that they are accompanied by a parent or guardian who is also a competent rider. A lower age limit of around 8 years applies, provided that the minor really can ride (for instance, goes out foxhunting) and has a good level of maturity for their age.

We insist that minors and inexperienced riders wear hard hats. Since the law here means that a signed disclaimer (release) form indemnifies the outfitter against liability, we allow experienced riders to choose whether or not to wear hard hats.

We insist that all riders are covered by comprehensive medical insurance, covering any evacuation and treatment that may be necessary. Whilst Europe has good socialised medical care, which will cover emergency treatment for EU nationals, follow-up care may result in a bill, and air ambulances will certainly need to be paid for. Non-EU nationals have to pay for all treatment, however it won't be refused if one doesn't have a credit card ready.

I am fairly cautious in how I conduct each ride. We do trot, canter and gallop where the terrain is appropriate, provided that the riders are sufficiently experienced. However, I do not take unnecessary risks, and I don't allow the horses to enter into headlong races. I provide my horses with plenty of hard feed, up to one third of the total dry feed weight daily, however I feed maize rather than oats. A few horses receive a little barley too, should they need the extra energy. But none of them are "oated-up", ever.

My horses are generally steady, sensible characters, not prone to spooking or bolting. They live out as a group, so going out on a ride doesn't mean liberation from a stall. They are a herd, so they understand the group hierarchy and are used to being around one-another. So kicking and biting are very rare indeed on the trail. Where a combination of two horses has proved mutually antagonistic (it's happened twice in eight years), those horses don't go out together. As a result, it isn't necessary to keep "a horse's length" between animals, though that might be necessary at a centre using horses that don't run freely together.

All my horses are well shod, generally on a 4 week interval in the riding season, reducing the risk of tripping. The shoes have borium added, mainly to reduce wear (which can be severe on stony tracks), however this does also reduce slipping on paved roads.

I try to be assertive on the ride. If I want riders to do something specific, I ask them. (The disclaimer that they all sign in fact allows me to send a rider away if they won't follow instructions.) I like the guide to keep on top of riding etiquette, requesting that (for example) no-one rides off until all riders are mounted and a rider wishing to pass another calls out ("passing on your left", for example). Being assertive is essential for safety.

My guides and I have received first aid training, and we will be updating this during the winter, working with a paramedic from the local mountain rescue group. I am actively considering equipping my vehicle with a collapsible stretcher and inflatable splints in order to enhance our evacuation capabilities.

We take good care of our tack, which is inspected regularly for damage and degradation. I have picked up girths splitting (something that I posted about back in August), stitching coming undone, and straps beginning to break. These kinds of things (the girths excepted, in my opinion) are "normal wear and tear", and will happen when tack is used extensively. Even when one used good quality tack. One needs to pick up these defects, change out damaged tack, and repair or replace it. Generally I do a lot of my own minor repairs, such as replacing frayed stitching.

Finally, we try to analyse the few accidents that do happen. In my experience, the following are some of the main causes of accidents.

1) Riders taking strong medications, such as anti-depressants and opiates, can have their balance seriously compromised. Some of these, especially when combined with assorted medications for other problems, can make a rider unfit to ride. As a guide rather than a doctor, one doesn't always know what combinations may compromise balance, however I am very wary of anti-depressants and opiates in particular.

2) Alcohol is a major risk, and I absolutely prohibit drinking when out riding. However, I have received clients who carry a flask without telling the guide, then drink surreptitiously during the day. I have seen a needless, stupid fall happen from this cause.

3) Riders lying about their ability is another problem area. This may not happen often here, because not many people are foolish enough to book an expensive week-long trail ride based on a falsehood, however I have experienced occasional problems on day rides. Risky behaviours have included riding carelessly so that horses collide and riding under low branches.

4) Riders fooling around has caused a couple of accidents. One time, a lady towards the back of the ride abruptly cantered past her husband, with the result that his horse swerved and he fell. These kinds of accidents can often be avoided by the guide being more assertive, something that I have learned along the way.

I hope that this gives some useful information regarding our approach to safety. I'll be happy to receive comments, and to answer questions.

Eight things you don't know about me

Anne has just tagged me to tell Eight Things You Don't Know About Me. She's already confessed http://lifepundit.typepad.com/smellshorsey/2007/10/eight-things-yo.html so I'd better not be shy to post. I'm not sure how interesting they will be, but anyway here goes:)

1. Back at University, I trained as an aircraft engineer, though I was never employed in that industry. It was in decline when I graduated, so I looked elsewhere for work. A number of my family were aviators, several during WW2, and they had much to do with my interest in aeroplanes.

2. I worked 16 years on the subway in London, mostly occupied with design and construction of new passenger terminals. Some of this involved detailed engineering, other parts were as diverse as selecting and employing artists to create public murals and sculptures.

3. I've written three books (well, written two and edited one). The first was an account of a horseback journey back in 1994 (Travels in an Unknown Country, available on Amazon), the second a textbook on railway station design, and the third (which I edited) is a Romanian-language guide to farriery.

4. I had my first riding lesson in 1991, when I was 27 years old. Before that, I'd done a lot of cycling, covering some 60,000 miles over 10 years. That left my knees in bad shape, so I decided to start riding "as another way to see the countryside".

5. I've never competed with a horse. I escaped the childhood round of shows and competitions because I didn't ride back then. Later, it was trail riding that interested me. People in the livery yard where I kept my horse sometimes were critical that I rode "several hours a day" when I had time, which was "too much" (so they thought) for British horses!

6. My first horse was an Arabian-TB-Welsh Cob cross. Despite two of those three bloodlines, she was generally a kind, useful horse, though sometimes short of brakes. Maybe not an ideal first horse, however more sensible than the troublesome Irish Draught mare that succeeded her. Various mishaps and wrecks with those two made me into a more careful rider with a sense of self-preservation.

7. Back in Britain, I once visited J R R Tolkein's old house (a private residence, not open to the public) where I saw Tolkein's study and even managed to sit at a desk at the very spot where he wrote The Lord of the Rings.

8. Despite moving to Transylvania, I have never been a Goth, nor impersonated one! Personally, I prefer Van Helsing (from the recent film, not the book). The outfit is better, the female sidekick is gutsier than Bram Stoker's characters, and there are no awkward plastic fangs to contend with.