One from the dark ages

[jen1]

i had to on a few of the yards i worked on as i got older i refused to do it in favour of getting horses out of there boxes,

[Amanda Seater]

It is still possible to get long straw but most grain varieties are bred for short straw so they don't blow over.
It is the actual plait i remember doing not a roll

[annas]

I have never heard of it! Someone must have a piccy?

[jennyb]

Ooh, squaring off a muck heap!! I used to LOVE doing that. I'm a neat freak and loved making it all nice and square and neat. It did used to annoy me though if someone then went and put some muck on my nice neat muck heap and ruined the square-ness of it....

[BJMM]

I did my AI in 1978, and I was training at a VERY fussy yard. We had to rake the gravel in the centre of the yard three times a day and carry haynets in bags! I don't think the horses ever dared to spit out any bits over their doors ;D
But we never plaited or rolled a straw bed. I'd love to see a picture!

[Deleted]

I've never even heard the phrase before let alone knowing how to do it I also would love to see a pic if anyone can find one or is willing to go to the effort of plaiting a bed

[kafee]

I don't remember ever hearing of plaiting a bed before, and I read every horsey book I could lay me hands on when I was at school. Lots of old books that seemed ot be full of mystic and folklore about horses, so I'm surprised I've never heard of this.

[jill]

Give me chance this afternoon, I'll do one and take a pic

[cbc]

Yep, heard of it, but never done it. I
Squaring off a muck heap uses limited space well. On my friends yard the muckheap was stepped. I just heap mine up with the tractor.
I was also told (in wistful tones by an older instructor) that a good muckheap should be turned to get it to break down well, and watered if dry. I can understand why, but could see why the idea doesn't catch on much.

[lisap]

It is still possible to get long straw but most grain varieties are bred for short straw so they don't blow over.
It is the actual plait i remember doing not a roll

Like Amanda, we did actual plaits - but it has to be long straw.

Not surprised people can't find info about things like this, as they were really passed down through experience, and I would suspect that it didn't occur to anyone to actual take any pictures!

Also, while we are on the subject of the dark ages, how many people know how to make their own haynets?? We used to spend any spare time (!) at our training yard making haynets. Fairly sure I wouldn't know where to start now though, as it's been 30 years since I last did one!

[jill]

I tried but it was too dark by the time I got organised. Don't give up lol

[Hazel]

I'm another one who has never heard of plaited or rolled beds. Would be intriqued to see pictures or a video of how it's done, as can't quite picture it from the descriptions above.

I do however know how to make haynets too, LisaP!

[lizpurlo]

LOL jennyb, that's exactly how I always felt about my beautiful squared-off muck heaps - they were WAY too perfect to put just any old muck on!

[shan]

I've never squared off a muck heap, but it annoys the bejesus out of me when people just dump a barrow at the edge, making them wider & wider by the day - they're meant to be piled! Argh! I put a ridge or a plank up mine, Lol!

[Amanda Seater]

Making haynets out of bale twine. We had to cut the string by the knot when opening a bale or else!

Spend hours choping our own chaff. Can you still get those machines? A shredder would do it quicker these days I suspect.

Squaring the muck heap- I did this last year as my muck heap was in view I had two on the go. I love doing this. It was always the warmest place for cold feet when we were young!

who used to have to use a body brush and curry comb to groom and had to tap out the grease/dust from the curry comb in a specific pile to show the job had been done. Yard chief would come round to check the little piles of dust. I remember the uproar when one lazy groom went round nicking dust form other peoles piles to make one of thier own to save on a bit of grooming!!

melting the little left over ends of saddle soap bars to make new bigger ones.