Teamster skills are the most important skills and the hardest to acquire. Close communication with the draft stock is the key to preventing accidents. Communication with draft stock on a trail project is accomplished with line contact (through hands and body) and voice. It is difficult to learn these skills without instruction.
Formal instruction is available through courses and clinics. The Arthur Carhart Wilderness Training Center at the Ninemile Ranger District near Huson, MT, provides this training. The Ninemile Trail Plows and Graders Course is conducted each spring and is the only clinic addressing trail implements. The 1-week program provides basic hands-on instruction in handling draft stock and using implements for trail construction and rehabilitation.
Draft horse and teamster clinics are held in various parts of the United States and Canada. The most comprehensive information on clinic dates can usually be found in Small Farm Journal and Draft Horse Journal. Prospective students need to be sure that the clinics emphasize teamster skills and agricultural implements rather than skills needed for vehicles such as hitch wagons.
The skills required to operate the plows and graders are not nearly so esoteric. There is a degree of risk involved with working with stock and stock-drawn implements on steep ground. Initial training and on-the-job training can mitigate that risk.
Lynn Miller has written two books that may help people working with stock-drawn trail equipment: Training Workhorses, Training Teamsters (1994, Small Farmer’s Journal, Inc., P.O. Box 1627, Sisters, OR 97759) and Work Horse Handbook (1981, Lynn R. Miller, HC-81, Box 68, Reedsport, OR 97467). Another book that may be helpful is The Draft Horse Primer by Maurice Telleen (1977, Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA).
To address safety issues and to maintain communication with the draft animal, two workers are required for each implement. One person is responsible for handling the animal through the lines. One person runs the implement. This method has an added benefit of placing both the teamster and operator behind the implement. Should anything happen to startle or scare the animal, no one is in a position to be run over or to be trapped between the animal and the implement.
The use of draft stock and trail plows and graders is a cost-effective alternative to traditional hand crews. However, safety and expertise levels should be resolved before using draft stock for trail construction, maintenance, and reconstruction. The use of draft stock is not limited to trails. By using harrows, stone boats, and other implements large amounts of hand work can be eliminated on projects such as trail rehabilitation, campsite rehabilitation, and bridge reconstruction. Draft stock can be used to advantage in virtually any area where more horsepower and less handwork is desired, particularly in remote areas.