the end of plowing + 5 abreast + pasture clipping

Hello everyone,

Lots of horse fieldwork going on around here lately. For one, Daniel and I finished plowing the big field a few days ago. For the most part we were working together with one of us on the plow handles and one driving the horses but we each made a few trips around by ourselves. We're happy to have that done, though plowing is fun and challenging and we would certainly do more. I harrowed yesterday with the three mare team of Connie, Polly and Lady so we're ever closer to having the whole field prepped. Meanwhile the alliums and brassicas we have in the field already have been doing well, and we're preparing for a big wave of transplanting of melons, summer and winter squash, tomatoes, peppers, celery etc etc sometime in the next few days. There are also some photos below of Donn discing with 5 animals, and Daniel and I clipping pasture.
Clipping at this point is serving two functions as far as I can tell, one being the curtailing of pasture growth so that it'll be at an optimal level for sheep/ horses when they move back to a clipped area, and the other being to allow Daniel and I to become proficient at using the mowing machines so we'll be ready to cut hay when the time comes. The mowing machine has been my favorite implement to use so far, I think because of the speed at which mowing happens and that the way the mowing machines are designed is simple enough for me to understand readily but complex enough to be an impressive feat of engineering. The sound it makes as you're cutting a swath of grass (perfectly straight, of course. Just kidding haven't got that down yet but it'll be all the more satisfying when I do) is cool too.

The last strip of sod to be plowed in the big field

The field at mostly its final size

A relatively straight furrow (I think we made this one together, I can't remember which of us was on the handles)

Donn has been discing newly-plowed ground across the street. This is an arduous task for the animals, and here are all the available animals in one hitch.

Discing with 5 abreast. 

Polly, George and I do some clipping.

Daniel with Lady and Connie

For Elizabeth, if you haven't already seen this one. And of course for everyone else. Lee is being weaned from Connie right now so there are lots of vocalizations expressing her discontent with this fact. Part of growing up, Lee. Sorry.