Current Enewsletter

Vol 15, Number 4, April 2025

 

Welcome to the Newsletter!

Dear Newsletter readers,
My introduction to draft animals, as a kid who spent more time in the library than near any animal at all, was Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books.  She wrote 7 books that tell a fictionalized account of her childhood on the 1870-1880’s American frontier.  She also wrote one book, Farmer Boy, about her husband’s childhood growing up on a farm in Malone, New York.
 
I remember reading about Pet and Patty, the black ponies who bring the Ingalls family to Kansas (and of course, the baby mule, Bunny) in Little House on the Prairie when Laura is a small child.  By the time she is a teenager, the family has moved to what would become South Dakota.  Laura meets Almanzo Wilder, her future husband, when Pa breaks a mower section while making hay with his horses and Laura has to go to town and buy a new one.  During their courtship in These Happy Golden Years, Almanzo has a number of horses.  But the team that see him and Laura through it all are Prince and Lady.  Laura decides she loves the horses as much as she loves the man.    
 
Oxen get a bit of a bad rap in the books written from Laura’s perspective.   A team of oxen run away with Ma and baby Carrie in the wagon and Pa almost can’t stop them before they go over a steep bank.  Another time one of the oxen gets loose and falls through the roof of their sod house.  Laura bumps into Almanzo in town one day while he is hauling lumber and is shocked at how he has to speak to his oxen.  (The text in the book is “Haw! Haw!  Well … gee then if you’ve a mind to.” But the language was possibly stronger in real life.)  Fortunately, in Farmer Boy, the book written from young Almanzo’s point of view, the big farm oxen and Almanzo’s own team of young steers, Star and Bright, are more charming.  Almanzo begs to be allowed to stay home from school so he can train them and feed them carrots.
 
These books whet my appetite for a future working with many wonderful draft animals of my own.  Even now as I am living a life working with horses and oxen, I try to remember to be calm, patient, observant, and brave like the characters in these books who lived 150 years ago.  When I revisit these stories, I’m reminded that the connections between humans and draft animals stretch across decades and centuries, but Almanzo’s signature line “They’re not running away.  They’re just running” never gets old.   

Wishing you all a good start to your Spring,

Sincerely,
Ivy Pagliari,
DAPNet Secretary

Have you had a chance to listen to the Draft Animal Power Podcast? Last year, we have published six different episodes with interviews of people working with draft animals in the USA and Germany! Find us on any podcast listening platform and subscribe to be the first to know of a new episode!

Draft Animal Power in Higher Education

Text and photos courtesy of Sara Dougherty

Sara Dougherty, one of Draft Animal-Power Network’s old board members and lifetime member, has been back to her old ways again! As some of you may know, Sara is no stranger to teaching on live traction power in collegiate settings and she most recently was commissioned by professors at Colgate University and Syracuse University to chat with students about draft animal applications. Last semester, Agroecology students at Syracuse University spent a lecture period with Sara learning all about the benefits of utilizing draft animal power in sustainable forest and farm management. Sara reviewed the historic use of draft animal systems and showcased the various ways in which our traditional methods of draft animal farming and forestry can be applied as a regenerative tactic in modern-day lands management. Many of the students left thinking about how draft animals could be utilized in agroecological systems, sustainable food production, and in the maintenance of our country’s wildlands. Students remarked on the rediscovering of this historic pastime, draft animals' low-impact on our environment, and their overall versatility. Some students even decided to become a part of Draft Animal-Power Network, after learning about the organization’s role in the preservation of this craft and knowledge base!

More recently, Sara worked closely with a psychology and brain science professor at Colgate University to deliver a draft dog workshop that focused on, “Happiness, Labors of Love, and Interspecies Relationships.” Sara, with her handy side-kick, Maggie the Bernese Mountain dog, delivered a workshop to students where they discussed the history of canine and human relationships, training and use of draft dogs, and how laboring alongside of animals can impact our happiness and wellbeing. The students were engaged and asked lots of questions about training draft dogs, caring for canine companions, and how to cultivate healthy relationships with working animals. Students later filled out a survey and left some fantastic remarks about their experience of getting to work alongside a draft dog, for the very first time!

“I really enjoyed meeting and learning from you and Maggie. I was fascinated by your relationships with animals and impressed by your care, consideration, and dedication to them. I loved learning about how dogs can bring happiness to humans, by providing something other than companionship. For example, it was interesting to learn how happy you feel when you accomplish different types of work with Maggie. You and Maggie seem like a very powerful team, and I am excited to see both of you around campus more!” - Julia Smith ‘28

“I had so much fun learning about draft dogs in class the other day and meeting and walking Maggie. I thought seeing the mutual bond and trust between you and Maggie, was very interesting. She followed your directions to a tee, while you treated her gently with respect, rewarding her and not asking her to do anything unreasonable. I did not know anything about draft dogs or draft animals before this
class and upon learning about them, I think drafting is an amazing lifestyle for both animals and humans. We reap the benefits of Maggie's labor, Maggie is able to exercise and work, which is what is natural to her breed, and it seems to be what makes her happiest and healthiest. Thanks again for coming into our class! You and Maggie are super cool.” - Nell Droege ‘28

“It was fascinating to explore how animals, and in this case particularly dogs, can contribute to our emotional well-being, health, and overall happiness. The idea that dogs can be seen as partners in promoting mental health through their companionship and work in various settings, like therapy or guardianship, really resonated with me. I really enjoyed spending time with Maggie and loved learning the particular commands when carting with her around campus! I’m definitely going to check out DAPNet and see if I can’t come to the Field Days this year!”  - Alexandra Peesker ‘27

All and all, each student seemed to be engaged, excited, and very interested in learning about draft animal power. It’s always nice to see our community members taking time out of their busy schedules, to engage with students in higher academic settings. Many of these incoming students have never heard about draft animals, let alone know that it’s the very history of how we once traveled, farmed, and logged here in America. It’s opportunities like this, when educators can take the necessary time to instill good environmental stewardship, multi-generational relationships, and a sense of belonging.

If you’re interested in being an educator of draft animal power techniques, consider reaching out to our events team in regards to assisting at our Field Days! We need a solid foundation of teaching teamsters to continue to engage the next generation, and we cannot do it without folks like you! And if you’re just interested in learning more about draft dogs, working animals, or the tricks of the trade, we hope to see you at our Field Days, this upcoming Fall. There will be plenty of great educational happenings and fun to be had.

Classifieds

Are you selling or in search of something draft-related? Harness, equipment, or even draft animals? Or maybe you’re offering a job position or apprenticeship?
Email your ad to dapnetinfo@gmail.com and we’ll put it in the next newsletter.

Misc. Horse Bits for Sale

From Erika Marczak:
Not all 6” bits are actually 6”, so I labeled them as I have measured them to be comfortable to a horse. Add $11 for flat rate shipping and handling per order. 

A- Marked 5.5 but measures 5.75"

B- A hollow mouth eggbut so it’s a real light bit, it’s a tight 6"

C- it’s a 6” with a little extra room

D- Common full cheek in an uncommon size

E- Marked a 6”, but is much more like a 5.5”, soft slightly flexible mouth piece

F- big ol’ double jointed with a lozenge 6.5"

G- Myler comfort snaffle, ergonomic and doesn’t nutcracker, I think it was supposed to be a 5.75” but a 5.5” horse would fit it better with less chance of pinching the corners of its mouth.

I’m not making money with these prices, I’m loosing on the couple that I bought new and didn’t fit.

Reach out to Erika through the DAPNet Facebook Group.

Events

Have a draft animal related event you’d like share with the DAPNet community? Fill out our Events Submission Form and our volunteers will add your event to our website calendar!

For more details on the following events and others, visit our website.

May 3, 10:00AM-4:00PM -  Field Day Event, Illinois State University Horticulture Center, Normal, IL.
May 4th, 7pm: DAPChat - Building a life with Draft Cattle with Ruth Burke. Online via Zoom. Free.
May 8th - 9th. Donkey Basics. Held at Tillers International, Scotts, MI. Instructor: Rick Eshuis. Cost: $550.
May 10th - GMDHA Auction. Addison County Fair, New Haven, VT. Hosted by the Green Mountain Draft Horse Association
May 10th - Working Steers in the Woods. Westfield, MA. Lunch provided by Western Mass 4H
May 17th - 18th: Draft Animals: Farm and Garden. Louden, NH. Hosted by Sanborn Mills Farm. Instructors: Ray Ramsey and Tyler Allen. Cost: $280.
May 22nd - 25th: Farming with Draft Animals. Hosted by Tillers International. Scotts, MI. Instructor: Rick Eshuis. Cost: $610.
May 22nd - Introduction to Driving Clinic. Powell, WY. Taught by Mike Cushman. Cost: $200 to participate, $25 to audit.
May 30 - June 2nd - Maine Working Steer Weekend. Farmington Fair Grounds, Farmington, ME. Hosted by Franklin County 4H and FC 4H Working Steer Club.
June 7th - 8th - Draft Animal: Oxen Basics 2. Sanborn Mills Farm, Loudon, NH. Taught by Ray Ramsey and Tyler Allen. Cost: $280
June 15th - 19th - Oxen Basics, plus Yokemaking. Tillers International, Scotts, MI. Taught by Rob Collins. Cost: $675
June 19th - 22nd - Midwest Ox Drovers Association Gathering. Tillers International, Scotts, MI.

DAPMap Updates Requested

Are you a member of our DAPMap? If so, we'd love it if you took a moment to update your DAPMap entry if anything about your business has changed.  We are particularly hoping that any DAPMap members who are willing to mentor and take on apprentices could list that in their entry so that folks looking for mentorship can find you.

To update your information, simply resubmit the DAPMap form on our website with any changes. 

Welcome to the DAPMap
This month we are looking at our Breeders section of the map. 

1dr Fjords -  20+ Fjord broodmares and 4+ stallions produce registered draft-type foals every year. We also write educational articles on pasture management, rotational grazing with horses, multi-species grazing, forage quality, parasite management, horse behavior, and breeding herd management. You can contact them here.

Brandywine Carriage Tours- We run a carriage business but also have a Clydesdale stallion Cooks Harley Rider standing at stud. You can contact them here.

Clearview Stock Farm-  Raising registered Suffolk Draft Horses. You can contact them here.

Frog Flats Brabants- Breeding American Brabants, providing wagon and sleigh rides. You can contact them here.

Haulin’ Hoof Farm- We breed, train, and work Suffolk Punch. Contact them here.

Committee Updates

Executive Committee
April is our second (of four) board meetings that DAPNet holds each year.  These are a time to work on business that affects the whole organization.  But we also get to hear updates about exciting things that the committees have in the works.  I don’t want to steal their thunder in the excomm update, but maybe I can tease a little bit by saying that we’re going to have a new intensive lead by a great instructor at Field Days this year, that we have new merchandise in our online store, and that there are new DAPCast episodes in the works!  Spring is always an exciting time for things that nature has been getting ready to unfurl and DAPNet is following suit!  

Events and Field Days Committee
The Events Committee has met with our Field Days coordinators, officially kicking off the planning process for the 2025 Field Days at Sanborn Mills Farm, happening October 3–5. While the launch has been a bit slower than expected—spring always brings a busy start—we’re beginning to get a clearer picture of what the schedule and activities will look like.
We’ve also had two wonderful DAPChats with Ted Russell and Chad Miano, full of inspiration and great ideas. Make sure to sign up for the May DAPChat about Draft Cattle with Ruth Burke! 

Finance and Fundraising Committee  
Finance and Fundraising has been working on making a plan to have a sliding scale pricing system for DAPNet Field Days this year.  We had sliding scale pricing in 2021 when we had our small “post-covid” Field Days at Sanborn Mills Farm, but we’ve been hoping to do it in a bigger way for all the days, including the intensives on Friday.  2025 is going to be the year!  We want Field Days to be accessible and equitable for everyone and we look forward to going live with sliding scale registration for Field Days early this summer.    

Education Committee
The Education Committee is rounding out our programmatic outline with great recent input from Jared Phillips and Rick Thomas.  During our most recent committee meeting, we brought on board two new volunteers from NY state, Courtney Ryan and Toby Harmon. 

Communications Committee
Comm Comm is putting in the work to be able to attend the Common Ground Country Fair this fall! We’re putting together a tabling kit that we will be able to mail among ourselves and to volunteers hosting or participating in fairs and events. In other news, we recorded a new podcast episode with the help of Jared Woodcock, coming to your headphones soon! We’ve been proud of our newsletter lately, coordinated by the wonderful Ben Retberg, and are exploring content-sharing collaborations with Rural Heritage Magazine. And our work figuring out the future of DAPNet’s social network presence continues. Please chime in by sending an email to margaretsmithlonglake@gmail.com if you have thoughts or ideas on that matter. 

Have an idea for content for the newsletter? Send it to us!

Looking for a previous edition of the newsletter? Click here!

Looking for the discussion forums from the previous website? Click here!