A Horse Interlude

Those of you who love horses and some of you who don't know if you do or not, might enjoy a blog done by Bob Skelding, the Wagon Teamster.  Bob's blog chronicles his travels around the United States over the past few years, driving a team of draft horses.  His trips are interlaced with his work in the nuclear industry.

Bob has written two books which you can buy on his blog site:  Guide to Modern Wagon Travel and Wagonteamster. His photos are great and the narrative is wonderful.  His stories and reports move right along, providing a view of America, seldom seen by most; between the ears of three big draft horses.

 He just finished a long tour of the western states.  His team has wintered over in Oregon while he has been working in Nebraska.  He took some time in Nebraska a train a team of Shires to pull a load.  I hope you'll take a look at his blog and the accompanying YouTube video.

This is Taunia, driving her team of 4 year old Shire geldings, Ruben and Royal.  I believe the pair are half-brothers, which is often the case with draft teams.  The chronicle of their training began in the winter and, from the pictures, it looked gosh-awful cold in Nebraska.  Here, we see Taunia in short sleeves and the boys looking much sleeker than earlier.....so spring is definitely in the air.

Stop by Bob's blog and catch up on his journeys and adventures with his teams.  Never a dull moment when horses are in the picture. When humans and horses work together, it's a real thrill.  Thanks, Bob, for many happy times.

 His blog from last July shows him camped near Lenore, Idaho, on his western tour.  These are his three big boys:  Doc (a Percheron), Bill and Bob (Belgians).  I can't tell Bill from Bob, so don't know if I have it right or not for this picture.

Here's the WagonTeamster wagon (a Hilton on wheels).  I think, fully loaded with supplies and feed (there's a little feed trailer behind the wagon) the rig weighs about 7,000 pounds.  There are grades on secondary roads, that three draft horses can not make with that kind of weight.  Fortunately, most highways are graded so the team can get over most any kind of summit.  They've crossed the Rockies several times on these trips.

I hope you'll check in with Bob and his boys and see how the world used to travel in the good old days.  We're so lucky to be able to tag along with such adventurers.  Thanks, Bob, for the memories!