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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | I don't have any cows nor do I live on a gazillion acres. I have about 3 acres and that consists of a house and my pasture. I am the only horse person, who is over 18, in the house. My mare FREAKS out when we see cows. Mainly because she has no exposure to them at all. So I went to a small show this past weekend and they kept the sorting calves on a pen just the other side of 2nd barrel. Well, my mare went all bug eyed and said NO WAY am I going over there!! Long story short, I ended up in the dirt because of it. So without actually having cows, how can I help her get over the scary little monsters. Thanks. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
  
| Guess you are going to have to go to more rodeos or sortings! Or I'm sure Eric would let you buy some cows for breaking purposes! LOL
In reality, I would get her around some horses that are used to cows and go somewhere with cows. When she sees the other horses are ok with them, hopefully, she'd relax.
Edited by Nateracer 2014-05-20 8:05 AM
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8555
 
Location: sunny california | go take some lessons from a cutter |
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Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| Nate and Whisper like cows.... |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | Eric would, well I don't know what Eric would do if I said hey lets get some cows. LOL!!! She watches them intently, but they are still scary little beasts. Looks like I will be visiting the Ranch show a little more often just to get used to the cows. LOL!! Maybe the FIL would let me turn her loose with his big hiefers?? |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | kwanatha - 2014-05-20 8:03 AM
go take some lessons from a cutter
I wish I knew any cutters around my area. It's either, barrels, ropers, or bull riders around here. |
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Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| Girls_Gotta_Jet - 2014-05-20 8:09 AM kwanatha - 2014-05-20 8:03 AM go take some lessons from a cutter I wish I knew any cutters around my area. It's either, barrels, ropers, or bull riders around here.
Actually over on the new Franklin road is Tom and Debbie Harold. I think they do cutting. It's the huge barn before you get to the creek. They have appys. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2097
Location: Deep South | Girls_Gotta_Jet - 2014-05-20 8:09 AM
kwanatha - 2014-05-20 8:03 AM
go take some lessons from a cutter
I wish I knew any cutters around my area. It's either, barrels, ropers, or bull riders around here.
Then take her to the roping pen. When they run the calves back use your mare to push them, when they score a calf fall in behind it with your mare and have her follow it down the pen. Just get her near them as often as you can. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 684
Location: Oklahoma | Find a team roping jackpot or practice and get your mare in there. It will probably be a little easier for her to cope with a bunch of rope horses who are chilled out around them. Or if you have a local stockyard, maybe try and call them up and see if you can come work your mare there for a day during a sale. Good luck! |
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 Expert
Posts: 1432
Location: Never in one place long | Our neighbors have cattle out on pasture and we always ride by and up to them. Their cattle also get out occasinaly and we get to round them up! That's how we do it but it's tough if not, maybe haul to a roping or cattle event? Rodeo? get lessons on penning or roping??? |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | Thanks for the advice, and I never knew that's what those people by me did. Find out new stuff everyday. My farrier is a roper, I'm sure he can help me out :) |
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 Can You Hear Me Now?
Location: When you hit the middle of nowhere .. Keep driving | Girls_Gotta_Jet - 2014-05-20 8:08 AM
Eric would, well I don't know what Eric would do if I said hey lets get some cows. LOL!!! She watches them intently, but they are still scary little beasts. Looks like I will be visiting the Ranch show a little more often just to get used to the cows. LOL!! Maybe the FIL would let me turn her loose with his big hiefers??
That's not actually a horrible idea (borrowing cows). We did this when I was a kid but used our 3 bulls and put them I'm the horse pen. They got turned out with the horses every winter and there was never a problem. The first time they stayed at opposite ends of the field but within a week they were eating next to each other. None of our horses are scared of cows or bulls. Obviously make sure they aren't super aggressive and have no horns. I liked the bulls because the horses couldn't intimidate them, but big heifers would work too. Our one bull Brutus was so big that he ruled over the other 2 and there' was never a fight between them either. Brutus was a big ham though. |
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 Peecans
| If you can find a good group of ropers go to the practice pen with them. Most ropers are pretty willing to help at practice, at a jackpot or rodeo they are there to rope not train. And your generaly not aloud in the areana unless your roping anyway. Or a teampening practice or a sorting would be great to, something low key and not competitive so nobody expects you to run in and ram around, nice and quite for your horse.
Is there any rancher / feedlot around you? I always welcome anybody that wants to come ride, ive always got some pokey cattle around that are really nice to start a scared horse on if you can find somebody like that.
I know somebody suggested going to a sale barn. I would highly advise against that until your horse is more settled around cattle. Its hard work and stressful, so much commotion people runing everywhere, cement to land on. Not to mention theres alot of ingorant cattle that will turn and ram a horse and that would be crushing to your horses confidance.
Ive had good solid horses have thier confidence hurt at sale barns. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Take her to some ropings and stand her by the arena and roping box so that she can see whats going on after a few times doing this then ask the guys if you can track a few on her. See if you can also find a team penning going on in your area and take her to see the sights. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | della - 2014-05-20 10:37 AM
If you can find a good group of ropers go to the practice pen with them. Most ropers are pretty willing to help at practice, at a jackpot or rodeo they are there to rope not train. And your generaly not aloud in the areana unless your roping anyway. Or a teampening practice or a sorting would be great to, something low key and not competitive so nobody expects you to run in and ram around, nice and quite for your horse.
Is there any rancher / feedlot around you? I always welcome anybody that wants to come ride, ive always got some pokey cattle around that are really nice to start a scared horse on if you can find somebody like that.
I know somebody suggested going to a sale barn. I would highly advise against that until your horse is more settled around cattle. Its hard work and stressful, so much commotion people runing everywhere, cement to land on. Not to mention theres alot of ingorant cattle that will turn and ram a horse and that would be crushing to your horses confidance.
Ive had good solid horses have thier confidence hurt at sale barns.
My farrier is a team roper, I'm sure he can help me out. There is a ranch show that they do practice ropings on Sundays once a month and then sorting on Friday and satruday. As much as I didn't like going down there, I think I might have to put on my big girl pants and tough it out. Plus the FIL is willing to let me work her in the pasture with the big heifers, he just doesn't want me to leave her there because he's got calves on the ground and he doesn't want anything to bother them or to bug the mama's. I think he really just wants to say "I told you so" when I get my butt dumped. LOL!!
Edited by Girls_Gotta_Jet 2014-05-20 10:53 AM
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Peecans
| Girls_Gotta_Jet - 2014-05-20 9:51 AM
della - 2014-05-20 10:37 AM
If you can find a good group of ropers go to the practice pen with them. Most ropers are pretty willing to help at practice, at a jackpot or rodeo they are there to rope not train. And your generaly not aloud in the areana unless your roping anyway. Or a teampening practice or a sorting would be great to, something low key and not competitive so nobody expects you to run in and ram around, nice and quite for your horse.
Is there any rancher / feedlot around you? I always welcome anybody that wants to come ride, ive always got some pokey cattle around that are really nice to start a scared horse on if you can find somebody like that.
I know somebody suggested going to a sale barn. I would highly advise against that until your horse is more settled around cattle. Its hard work and stressful, so much commotion people runing everywhere, cement to land on. Not to mention theres alot of ingorant cattle that will turn and ram a horse and that would be crushing to your horses confidance.
Ive had good solid horses have thier confidence hurt at sale barns.
My farrier is a team roper, I'm sure he can help me out. There is a ranch show that they do practice ropings on Sundays once a month and then sorting on Friday and satruday. As much as I didn't like going down there, I think I might have to put on my big girl pants and tough it out. Plus the FIL is willing to let me work her in the pasture with the big heifers, he just doesn't want me to leave her there because he's got calves on the ground and he doesn't want anything to bother them or to bug the mama's. I think he really just wants to say "I told you so" when I get my butt dumped. LOL!!
LoL.
We have some horses turns out with the cows, but most of mine cause all sorts of Touble they are like bad dogs lol they work them all day. Or the one gelding was such a wiredo he lived baby calves and tried to mother thwm and steel babies from mom .... notsure what he planed to feed them lol.
Sounds like you have a great plan you just got to go!!! Once she learns she can be in control of where the cow goes she will be fine! I always keep around some easy cattle just to build thier confidance. Have fun and dont over think it, I love cattle work its so much fun :-) |
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  Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | Find a place that has penning or roping practices and just go hang out. Remember that some horses may never take well to cows, while others are natural.
I asked Kenny Nichols that same question because I had no cows and was worried my horse from him would not know what to do around them. He asked me if the horse chased dogs....which I said like crazy he did. Kenny said he would be fine :). And he was, he is addicted to cows. So for some it's just natural. |
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Member
Posts: 49
| I was wondering how I was going to get my 2 year old used to cows too, when I lucked out and some new neighbors moved in a little over a mile down the gravel road. They have a small herd of cows and they haven't bothered fixing this big section of fence that's down right by their driveway, so I know they've seen it. Well, every time I take a ride down the road there's one or two cows loose. So, I just practice tracking them and herding them back in to their field. Works for me! Ha-ha.
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | These are all great ides, Thanks for all the tips. I'm not really interested in chasing cows, but mainly I just don't want my mare to freak out and break in two on me if we are in a pen that has cows on the other side, like she did this past Saturday.
Edited by Girls_Gotta_Jet 2014-05-20 2:49 PM
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 Firecracker Dog Lover
Posts: 3175
| If you can go somewhere that has a pen next to the cows that would help too. Stall your horse in the pen next to the steers, she'll get used to them quickly. |
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How to get your horse used to cows when you have none...