WORKING HORSES IN WOODLANDS. COURSE TIMETABLE
Day one; 10.00am to 4.00pm.
Registration, introduction, handout packs.
Introduction to: Horses, woodland site for course, harness, equipment, hand tools.
Care and feeding of horses at work. Catching, leading and transporting.
Grooming and fitting harness. Long reining, open and woodland sites. Handling and chokering timber. Hitching to the swingle tree and/or timber arch. Driving, demonstration and practice. Introduction to timber extraction. Unhitching and removing harness, feeding and bedding down.
Day two; 9.30am to 4.00pm.
Working systems and terminology. Health and Safety, risk assessments, PPE including contents of the belt. Demonstration and practical: safe handling, lifting and stacking techniques.
Preparation for extraction. Timber/produce identification, extraction routes/stacks. Pole length or shortwood/multiple lengths? Presentation of timber, protection of standing crop. Demonstration and practical; pole length and shortwood extraction using long gear, choker chains, skidding grapple and arch.
Day three; 9.30am to 4.00pm.
Health and safety: identifying hazards, detailed risk assessment. Public liability and other insurance. Legislative/organisational/environmental requirements.
Re-cap. Demonstration and practical as yesterday. Pairs work.
Day four; 9.30am to 4.00pm.
Practice, open and woodland sites. Other woodland work with horses - diversification. Small forwarder and pole arch.
Day five; 9.30am to 4.00pm.
Demonstration and practical, horse forwarder.
Practice, woodland sites. Catch up and practice core skills.
Resumee of course, evaluation. Further material. Where to next?
* This timetable is an outline of what I hope to cover and when. It may vary slightly from course to course and from day to day.
* There will be the opportunity to view books and other materials.
* The course will start promptly each morning and the finishing time may vary from day to day.
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