The horse logger

Jonathan Booty on heart-warming work and the dangers of tree stumps

It’s my wife Elaine’s fault we got into horses.

Although I’ve been around farms and therefore horses since childhood, I didn’t take to horses until 2009. We live on a smallholding and my wife arranged to overwinter some Shires. It wasn’t long before we had our first Shire, Henry, and Park Farm Horse Logging followed a bit later.

I always had an enthusiasm for forestry work.

By offering to work with experienced horseloggers, I was able to learn the techniques. The pros were grateful for the help and I soaked up the experience. It’s not full-time as timber work mainly takes place in the winter, which is probably a good thing as it’s full-on hard graft. Chaining up timber in the brash and undergrowth, then guiding and following the horse through brambles, mud, ditches and fallen brash is physical, as is building the stack.

“When a horse and I get tuned

into each other, it is so rewarding”

Your horse’s behaviour can make it much harder or easier.

Our powerhouse is a Belgian draught called Donk. At 17hh and almost 900kg, he’s strong, enthusiastic and unbelievably sure-footed. Horses are often used for timber extraction when sites are steep or wet – or both. The horse’s willingness to work such terrain has a direct impact on productivity. Donk seems to thrive on it. We also have some Shires who are good on less demanding terrain and for demos.

This is dangerous work.

Tree stumps are a serious hazard. If the front of the pole being dragged hits a stump square-on, the other end will fly around like a whip.

A colleague had one spin round and take his legs out from under him. While he was writhing around on the ground, the horse calmly continued to the stack, where he stopped and waited to be unhitched.

I mostly use a timber arch, which lifts one end of the timber off the ground, reducing friction, allowing bigger loads and keeping the timber cleaner.

I started out as an agricultural engineer, so I design and make our own horse-drawn gear, implementing design changes based on experience and ideas.

On a one-day job in Cambridgeshire, we met a lady walking her dog early morning, and had a chat

– Frank the Shire loves a chat – before carrying on work. From then on, a steady stream of locals passed by. It turned out the bush telegraph had circulated the news of a

Shire working in the wood the ladies had helped plant 30 years earlier. It was a great day for refreshments.

I’d like to keep doing the work and develop the best equipment to do it with.

We often work in the most beautiful spots. I like the rapport with the horse. We learn as we go along, there is no formula. Each site and situation requires a unique approach. We always know how we should have done it afterwards. When a horse and I get tuned into each other in difficult situations, it is so rewarding.

One of the highlights of my year has nothing to do with horse logging, it’s the Bythams with Careby and Creeton sponsored ride and drive.

Grimsthorpe Estate allows us to organise it on their land (14–15 May). It’s a jewel at the southern tip of Lincolnshire and a rider’s and driver’s dream.

I’ve helped organise the event since 2005.

Initially a coursebuilder, I was also clerk of the course for a few years, only stepping down last year in order to take part on both days with Frank the Shire (pictured). I still help with the routes and mapping.

Taking in the impressive approach to the castle, we mark out eight-, 12- and 15-mile routes for the riders, including optional hunter-trial jumps, on the first day of the event. The drivers have the option of five- or 10-mile routes on the second day.

About 350 folk enjoy thousands of beautiful acres without any public roads.

The proceeds are split between local churches and a charity selected by the committee.

One year we chose a small horse-rescue charity. A delegate came to the AGM to receive the cheque. They explained some of the previously unaffordable things the money would allow them to do. Knowing we were having such a direct impact was so heartwarming. H&H

As told to Leslie Bliss