Out West Wagon Rides

08/10/2026

The pull up team

08/10/2026

Loose haying with horses demonstration, Grant Kohrs Ranch, Deer Lodge, MT: Allen and this old team have pulled up many loads over the years. The horses were pulled out of semi retirement for one last demonstration how the pull up works with horses.
The pull up team does hard work. The basket is heavy and some big teams can bring some pretty large loads to the basket. They are also always in the collar: when they pull the basket up, when they have to hold the basket for the scatter raker to clean up, AND when they are backing the basket back down. The breeching does not come into action on this job, as the horses are backing the load while still holding the hold. The basket needs to come down slowly.

08/10/2026

The driver on the pull up, whether he uses a tractor or a team of horses, has the control over where the load goes. Slow, and it gets deposited in the front of the stack, fast with a sudden stop, and it goes to the back. He can make the helpers’ work in the hay stack easier, or harder!

08/10/2026

On the last day of the loose haying demonstration we had a team of horses on the pull up, instead of the tractor. This team is getting up there in age - time to work in younger team!

08/10/2026

Another view of the pull up team doing their job … Grant Kohrs Ranch loose haying demonstration, Deer Lodge, MT

08/10/2026

08/10/2026

While we call two horses working together a team, on a buck rake, the two horses however are working independently from each other. They are not hip to hip, and when turning, each horse has to move differently from the other horse. It’s often one reason why some teams do not warm up to this piece of equipment.
Going straight is actually the most difficult thing, as even a slight slowing or speeding up of one horse will throw you off course! And it’s never more obvious than when you approach the basket! To not stab your rake’s teeth into the sides of the basket, the horses must push the rake evenly and steadily.

Same with backing out: both horses need to back together to keep the rake straight, until it clears the basket.
Here Carl is turning left after backing out, and he does so by stopping the left horse and allows the right horse to walk around. A good video of how we steer the horses on a buck rake.

08/10/2026

08/10/2026

A close up of how we run the lines when driving the buck rake. See the previous video as well.
One team line goes to each horse - turned around, with the shorter continuous line on the inside, and the longer coupling line on the outside of each horse.
Turning is accomplished by slowing the inside horse and allowing the outside horse to walk around the turn.

08/10/2026

How we run the lines and steer the horses on a buck rake.