My trainer has been dying to get a cow for years. We all learn to rope, and some of us girls have started team penning down the street. Roxy's previous owner took her around cows once, but it wasn't really the woman's thing so she didn't know what she was doing. She did say that Roxy appeared to really like them though.
Often when the girls go out together, Roxy cuts Dolly all on her own. It's so much fun to watch them, because you can really see what they are telling each other. Roxy is so pushy, she shifts her weight, and Dolly will move away. Roxy will get her running, and then direct Dolly on where to go. It's absolutely hilarious.
Sometimes when no one is at the ranch, I'll turn Dolly out in the arena while I ride Roxy. Often we go 'play' with Dolly by moving her. Sometimes Dolly loves it more then Roxy, and if I ask Roxy to actually work she comes running up beside us begging Roxy to join her.
The weather has been pretty raining, and I was sick so I wasn't going out much. I turned out my girls together, and Roxy was herding Dolly for literally 10 minutes.
We seriously need a cow. Do you have any cows on your horse property/boarding stable? Have you taken your horses around cows?
I'd love to do a cow clinic with Dixie. We see them on open range, and over the two years out here she's gradually progressed from "holy shit we have to run it's a monster!" to her patented freeze-and-stare to finally, trot on past with her ears locked on the cow.
ReplyDeleteWe have a herd of cows right next to our barn property. They go away for the winter and come back in the warmer weather. I have not seen them yet, but because they are not their year round, they send the horses into a tizzy when they come back.
ReplyDeleteExcept for Shy. I am guessing since she was raised with the Amish, she was around them and they don't bother her. When I had her pasture boarded, her paddock was right next to them and they would hang out by the fence.
Isn't it funny how some horses love them and some are terrified! When we go out on trail, Dolly can't even walk past the few along the road, while Roxy loves them!
DeleteShy was raised by the amish? So cool! Have you written a post about it? If not you should, and if you have send me the link to it!
We had cows on our property (apparently they are coming back) and my retired mare is very cowy. I was herding sheep with her one day and one broke off, you should have seen her fly after it lol. The two mares get all pissy at them, but Jack just wants to be friends haha.
ReplyDeleteOne bad thing about cows though is their lack of respect for fencing. They seem to just go right through it. Drives me crazy.
As for them freaking horses out, our horses are fine with them BUT my mare who is virtually bombproof got scared by llamas one day. I just about fell off laughing!
That's too funny! Roxy is pretty much bomb proof, but I passed some Emu's once and they scared her beyond belief! Must be a bird thing.
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