horse people

Well a lot depends on the horse's personality. And if this was a horse that has done this job day after day it would need a reason- if he lost his work-mate- that could very well be a good reason.
First if he was used to sharing the load, it might be to much for him to handle alone especialy if he is an older horse. and yes horses miss their stable mates when they die or go way for other reasons.
A horse refusing to move is going to lower its head and pretty much just stop. The farmer might snap the reins and shout at him to move- Yeha! or some other such verbalization- he might also resort to using a whip- if he does and the horse still refuses to move- you might see him jump and then collect him self- try to rear (hard to do in harness- try to kick out- again I think that would be difficult to do in harness but I don't drive my horses so I'll let someone else tell you if thats possible or not-
Horses are for the most part quiet animals- they are prey, but domesticated horses can be vocal. You might hear a high pitched cry or squeal and if he is really pissed off he will snort, paw at the ground, throw his head and simply refuse to budge or worse- take off in a direction other than what the farmer wants him to go.

What the farmer will do depends mostly on their personality, and how they've been trained to deal with horses. The sensible thing to do would be to take the horse out of harness and give him a rest and a drink in the shade. But it's harvest, and the work must be done while the weather's fine. There will be a lot of pressure on the farmer to get the horse working again. It might not even occur to them that the horse is lonely--or it might. A lot depends on how they think about animals, whether they regard horses as sort-of people or just as living machines. It often amazes me to see a horse all by itself in a field. Poor thing. In extremis they'll take up with donkeys, goats, even cats.

Voice, reins, and whip are the farmer's tools in this situation. Slapping the reins on the harness, encouraging (or shouting at) the horse, and snapping the whip are all valid responses to a horse that won't pull. As he has the kids in the field, he might get one of them to take hold of the bridle and try to lead the horse along. Often when you get a horse started, it'll keep going.

Yes, a head-down posture is what I'd expect from a horse that won't pull. Sometimes they'll even back up in harness to take the load off their shoulders. All four feet square on the ground, not one hind leg raised as when they're resting. A horse has a lot of strength with which to say 'no'. Some horses toss their heads almost like some humans flounce.

I'm pretty sure if you go to youtube and type in 'horse refusing' you'll get plenty of hits. Most of them refusing fences, but you could sort through it...

Well, I can tell you what my donkeys do - stand there and close their eyes pretending they are deaf.

I suppose if I annoyed them enough they might eventually walk away, if they were harnessed they'd just stand there though.

But it really does depend on the horse's personality. If I hit them, which I wouldn't, and they were harnessed they'd probably rear up and kick - maybe run off.

A man who knew his animal would probably realize something was very wrong, and try to figure out what. Most likely a yell, a slap or two, but not in a mean way, and he probably wouldn't hit the horse very hard. Maybe a pop with the whip, but not much more. Unharnessing, as Buffy suggested, would be the next logical step. At the same time, he'd be checking for signs of distress: sweating, flaring nostrils, heaving; and probably check all four hooves, just in case the animal had picked up something sharp and hadn't shown it yet.

Of course, if your character were to be an idiot with a bad temper, he might try to beat the horse into the ground, but most horsemen wouldn't.

You might want to go to the Howell Living History Farm website. They recreate farming in the years 1890 - 1910, although in New Jersey, rather than the Midwest. But they use horses as their main source of 'power'. (Although they also use oxen on occasion to show that as well.) They also offer the opportunity to intern where they train people how to use horses and oxen for farming. I believe the website is www.howellfarm.org.

FYI - another verbal cue a farmer would use to get the horse moving is "Step Up". And yes, a horse would miss its teammate, if it's had that partner for some time. Howell Farm had a situation where they had a team of horses and one died. They partnered the survivor with another horse and while they worked together, it was obviously not the same as the original pairing. A farmer looking for a new team would most likely look for a team that's about the same age, rather than a team where there's a bit of an age gap between the horses for this very reason.

I've been thinking about this query, on and off. I think much might also depend on the farmer's experience with this particular horse. A horse that usually works hard and willingly will give more cause for concern when it turns baulky than a horse that's habitually lazy.

lorna_w said:

I need him to refuse to pull. I need him (a gelding) to sort of dig in and refuse to move.

The number one reason a trusty plow horse who has been working hard all day might refuse to move is because it spotted something scary. With horses, this can be just about ANYTHING--a building that's been painted a new color, a piece of trash on the ground, a strange animal. Also, different things will bother different horses. Some will hate the sound of motors, but be okay with crunching leaves. Others are just the opposite. (One horse I ride spooks every time he spots purple flowers. Another spooks at cattle. Meanwhile, my trusty ol' mare is cool with everything except raincoats and Walmart bags.)

Do me a huge favor, and describe the physicality of a horse in this mood. Would a farmer of the time be yanking in front, hitting, or both to get him moving? Making noises? Yes. I want the horse to respond badly to whatever is tried. It would take a lot to cause a trusty ol' plow horse to fight back. Perhaps have the farmer grab a coat, and wave it at the horse. Would it bite, try to kick despite the limitations in harness and the wago, put its ears back, lower its head, go knock-kneed, snort or make other sounds? Yes. Though biting would be the least likely reaction of the above. Biting is something horses tend to do when they're on the offense. Would it make eye contact with the farmer or refuse to? It would keep its eyes on the farmer. As far as horses are concerned, we humans are potentially dangerous predators, which must be watched.

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Hope this helps.

Horses HATE pigs. Also, elephants.

And emus. Nothing freaks them out like Emus.

That I would like to see, lol.