Sheep Wagon

Sheep wagons are probably more popular now than they were a hundred years ago. Yesterday they were part and parcel of the western frontier. Today they are an heirloom of simpler times. 

Uncle Phil Schmeltzer recently fixed up his grandfather's original sheep wagon. 

Great-grandpa William Murdoch, who resembles the man in the lower left corner, came to the United States from Scotland in the early 20th century. He gained his citizenship after serving in WWI as a member of the calvary. He went on to homestead a section of ground in the Owl Creek Mountains in central Wyoming, underneath the Washakie Needles. Later he married Adeline Neiber, who's father homesteaded at the mouth of the Gooseberry Creek south of Worland Wyoming. Several members of our family still live on that homestead, including my parents. 

The sheep wagon has always remained in the family. My grandfather, Ed Schmeltzer, originally fixed it up in the 60's after his father-in-law, William, had died. After passing a few different hands over the years, Uncle Chris, who still runs sheep, inherited it. He got it up and running, but thought it would be better served by his brother Phil. 

Uncle Phil, who has carried on the Schmeltzer trade of painting, has spent the last few months getting it all polished up. Originally, this sheep wagon would have likely had wooden wagon wheels under it. The current running gear was probably modified in the 50's or so. 

Sheep wagons are cool. Not a wasted square inch. 

If only this table top could talk. 

Deep drawers go under the bed. 

Counter space was limited, but functional. 

The stove was a prominent fixture. As the saying goes, sheep wagons were either too hot or too cold .

But they were always a welcome sight for anyone wanting to get out of the weather. 

Grandpa William's brand was a five-point star.

Well done.

Good stuff. Heirlooms like this should be enjoyed. I'm thankful Uncle Phil fixed up Grandpa’s sheep wagon so the rest of the family can enjoy it. Inside, the past becomes very present. The fronteir may have been centuries ago, but the western way of life still lives on. 

Give My Heart

To believe is to love.

           https://youtu.be/6TCkOychzjA         

Halter Broke

There's more to halter breaking a horse than just being able to lead him where you want him to go. Like all initial steps of starting a horse, what we do in halter breaking is crucial to the rest of the training process.

The halter is the first piece of rigging that ole Red is going to wear. If we introduce it to him right, everything else, saddle, bridle, blanket, and more, will go just as smoothly. Here, Paul lets him get to know that this scary rope is nothing to be scared of. 

Another way of showing him that is by putting yourself in between him and the scary object. 

Even walk him by them and over the top of them.

Slowly we took the halter from out in front of us and let him actually follow it. 

Again, showing him that it's not a snake. 

The more senses a horse can use to explore the nature of something, the better. 

Rub it all over him. Let him feel the texture of it long before you try to swing it over his neck. 

Introduce just the lead rope in the same fashion. 

Slowly you can start to bring it all the way around his neck. 

And eventually on his nose with no problem.

Let him walk around with just the halter on, well before you attach the lead rope. Helps him get a feel for it as it bounces around. 

Good boy. 

Red is so cool. He's everybody's buddy. 

The hooking on isn't just partial to Paul. Anyone who shows a respectful authority, he'll happily follow. 

Right away, you want to introduce the pressure and release mode of operation. Put a bit of pressure on the halter and once he gives that way, release! This is the mode from here on out. 

Time for the lead rope. 

Best way to start this action is by unhitching the hide quarters. 

Both sides. This is good because you drive a horse from behind his head, not in front of him. When your in the saddle, all the commands come from behind his head. Might as well get him used to it now. 

It's all still new to him. Ride out the blow ups and he'll calm down. 

Halter broke. 

Nice work. This is a great place to be. The progress is obvious. But the hidden lessons he's learned are huge. Once a horse learns to learn the transition into the saddle is a walk in the park. So fun. I'm thankful for Paul's expertise. Red has great potential. He just needs the right guys to bring it out of him. Stay tuned. 

Imitation of Christ

To imitate our Lord is to be fully human.

           https://youtu.be/O98I0QyQPNk         

Temple of the Holy Spirit

We believe in the resurrection of our bodies!

           https://youtu.be/YIdVG1wwpQM         

 

Trailer Repair

With spring in the air it's time to make sure all things cowboy are ready to run. The horse trailer ranking high on the list. The electrical connection between truck and trailer is always an important component. In our case, both truck and trailer need attention. 

The cord connecting the trailer to the truck is just too short. Many times I have turned sharp and pulled it out of sorts. 

The plug on the end was broken as well. 

And the other half on the truck was just as bad. 

So I went to see my buddy Ryan at Absolute Auto.

They've got all the trailer parts you'd ever need, and then some.

Quality parts as well. I'm a Pollak guy. 

So we started in. I bet I've reconnected these wire a half-a-dozen times. This is the breaking point when the tension gets to much. The terminals on top are an abandoned junction point. 

So I got a longer cord and wired it back in. I like to stagger the butt connections so they aren't just bunched up in one spot. Less bulky if you put conduit on them and looks more professional too. 

Then strip the insulation on the wires back about 3/8 of an inch. I like this kind of scissor stripper. 

Then crimp on the new butt connectors. Good heavy pliers are important here. It's easy for this kind of connection to pull apart if not crimped hard. 

These are heat shrink butt splices, which keep the moisture out and help prevent corroding. A heat gun works well, but so does a lighter in a pinch. 

Don't get me started about the importance of a good ground! Every time Dad calls with a wiring problem I always ask, did you check the ground!?

Sufficient. 

 Then to replace the seven pole plug on the end of the cord. Again, strip back about 3/8 of an inch. Also, don't strip back too much of the big black insulation so that it's not inside the plug when you slide the cover back over. 

Most trailers are going to have the standard yellow, brown, green, white wiring code. But a 7 pole is labeled different. This is the second reason Dad will call me. Here's the correct combination from the wire to the plug: yellow to red, green to brown, brown to green, white to white, red/blue (brakes) to blue. 

Then to the truck. Zip the screws out. If they are rusty, work them back and forth instead of forcing them out. Dealing with a broken screw can double the time of the job. 

Hopefully the guy that put the last one in gave you enough slack to work with. 

Pull the set screws out and expose the wires. The truck end is more prone to corrosion because there is power at these terminals even when not hooked up to a trailer. 

Again, 3/8" will do. 

However, some of these wires are a heavy gage. Therefore, it's ok to split them around the clamping screw. 

Good and clean. Make sure there are no strands of wires sticking out anywhere. The color code is usually the same combination as the trailer. 

As you go back together, make sure and tuck the conduit back under the plug clamp. 

Giddy up. 

Good combination. On this rig I run the cord through these hydraulic hoses so it doesn't get caught on the parts of the flatbed as I turn. Been there, done that. 

Never go short in the land of plenty! I added 2' to the length of the cord and probably should've added two more feet! Oh well. Should still work. The cool thing about gooseneck trailers is that you can jackknife them to about a 90 degree angle. A properly hung cord should just pivot around with the ball coupler. 

Works good. You don't want to get too sentimental here. Fixing trailer electrical cord connections is pretty routine maintenance. No matter how hard a guy tries to keep them in good shape, something unexpected always happens to damage them. We do what we can. Proper length is important, but so is right routing. You also don't want to tie the loose cable up to the top of the trailer. If so, when you turn it has no slack to spare and breaks your cord. Dangling in the bed of the truck is the best, then it just has to pivot. Looks ranch ready to me. On to the next one.  

Omnipresent

God is always present to us, especially in the breaking of the Bread.

           https://youtu.be/Sewtt7OSqes         

Stop Weeping

Jesus calls us by name.

           https://youtu.be/sGDLnHB-6Xs