Imissmygirls
Lonley for cows
Wild Rose, I think you and I would get along great.
I seldom yell at anything, except for shock value. I have found that the tamer the cow is, the more it takes to move it when it doesn't want to. I'm not sure why that is! And I can honestly say I've never used a hotshot. Only reason to use that IMHO is when she is a downer and her last resort is to get up!
On the other hand, I once raised a herd of a dozen dairy bulls ( not steers) to butcher weight. Getting those boys loaded when they'd been pastured all their lives is not something I ever want to repeat. And they were handled gently all their lives just not confined.
I worry sometimes that new folks don't realize how powerful these creatures are. I'd rather they be cautious and safe than assume they can handle everything their cow/steer does.
OH, and the eyes thing... you are correct, you don't stare them down. But newbies often don't understand that when corraling a critter, you have to be observant of their body language, especially the head/eyes/nose. Where the body goes doesn't matter, it's where they are thinking about going that you have to anticipate.
When our kids were leading cows in shows, we would watch the animal's eyes. If the cow was agitated, it showed first there. You don't stare, just be very aware of the cow's eye expression.
I seldom yell at anything, except for shock value. I have found that the tamer the cow is, the more it takes to move it when it doesn't want to. I'm not sure why that is! And I can honestly say I've never used a hotshot. Only reason to use that IMHO is when she is a downer and her last resort is to get up!
On the other hand, I once raised a herd of a dozen dairy bulls ( not steers) to butcher weight. Getting those boys loaded when they'd been pastured all their lives is not something I ever want to repeat. And they were handled gently all their lives just not confined.
I worry sometimes that new folks don't realize how powerful these creatures are. I'd rather they be cautious and safe than assume they can handle everything their cow/steer does.
OH, and the eyes thing... you are correct, you don't stare them down. But newbies often don't understand that when corraling a critter, you have to be observant of their body language, especially the head/eyes/nose. Where the body goes doesn't matter, it's where they are thinking about going that you have to anticipate.
When our kids were leading cows in shows, we would watch the animal's eyes. If the cow was agitated, it showed first there. You don't stare, just be very aware of the cow's eye expression.
