Big... Scary...

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
we bought a brown swiss cow for milking... she had other ideas. she didn't think she was a milk cow, she thought she was a fighting bull... she'd stand in the middle of the pen and snort and kick dirt and paw and toss her head, then charge the fence. after 3 months of trying to convince her she was a milk cow, we finally gave up and decide that the delta between milk cow and fighting bull was Dinner.

this is why I say if you're going to be mean, you shouldn't also be tasty.

Quote:
that's mostly because "bomb proof" and "well trained" are really good marketing terms, and often have nothing to do with the horse being advertised...
and yes, any 1000lb animal with big hooves and hard teeth should definitely be respected!

ok, well ours are 2200lbs each, but that just makes it extra true.

 

[frostbite]

"...the delta between milk cow and fighting bull was Dinner. "
"...if you're going to be mean, you shouldn't also be tasty."


Great quotes for prey species to understand, zzGypsy, you rock!

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:

thanks! (I always WANTED to rock!

)

are those moose in your avitar?
my sis has them in her yard - she's in Wasilla.

 

[frostbite]

Yes, they are moose. These were seen just northwest of town. A few decades ago there was a white cow moose that lived north of Mt Mckinley in the Savage river drainage that I had the privelege to see and photograph. She was amazing. There were also stories of other moose that were partly white in that region of the state. Don't know if any have been seen lately.

Other than Miss Blaze of course!

We do get moose in our yard, (well, it's not really a yard, we don't have a yard, per se, just places around the house where the moose can lay down and sleep for a bit) Mostly cows and calves. They big ones are majestic, and not to be messed with. The little ones are adorable, and not to be messed with! Fortunately they aren't chicken predators, they are only cabbage and broccoli predators.

 

[justbugged]

Quote:
I have never known anyone that has owned a horse, that has not been hurt by their horse. Most injuries are broken limb, but one friend was kicked in the face.

 

[frostbite]

Hah! I love my horses. But my injury was a rotator cuff tear that ended up needing surgery. Out on the trail we were cantering up a power line right of way when we had a fairly sudden disagreement about speed and direction and I ended up in an alder bush. He stopped short when he got to the end of his reins, which were still firmly clenched in my good hand. I climbed back up, rode back the ranch, and then had to work his butt off till he figured out that tossing a rider wouldn't be a free trip back to the paddock, all the while wondering whether my useless arm was broken.

Two surgeries and 12 weeks of physical therapy later, my arm is good as new. The horse is somewhat better as well. Someone asked when we were going to get another horse. The answer was, "Not till one of the ones we've got is in the freezer."

 

[airmechreed]

Quote:
I have never known anyone that has owned a horse, that has not been hurt by their horse. Most injuries are broken limb, but one friend was kicked in the face.

Two words for you Chirstopher Reeves. Horses scare the crap out of me.

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
and I've never known anyonw with a hammer that hasn't whacked themselves on a thumb with it sooner or later...

first, it's about deciding what you value enough to take *any* kind of risk... and then it's about proper training for horse and rider. sure, you can get hurt. just like with anything.

my hubby, who's worked in construction all his life is far less likely to smack his thumb than I am, but nonetheless occasionally does it. still not worth giving up hammers over.

"there's something about the outside of a horse that's good for the inside of a man." - Teddy Roosevelt, I think.

 

[SourRoses]

Thank you everyone so much for your postive thoughts! I know we will be trying the cows one day

I'd like to sample goats milk some time too.. and see if it's the same. Mom is really crazy about her milk being from cows, LOL! But we do Loove little goaties like we used to have

On the horses... I've been around horses since I was a baby

Mom threw me up as a 3 year old to be a stand in for the bag of potatoes when training her young Paso mare for riding

(Please keep in mind this was the 80's and people weren't so worried about everything being safe then

)... the mare did perfectly, mom was lunging her... and apparently all I could do was yell "Faster Mommy, Faster!"

So no.. I've never been afraid around a horse. Dealt with foals, broodmares, studs, show horses... and the thing is, horses can be unpredictable, but if you always keep that foremost in your mind when working with them, the only surprises will be the good ones

Like in the movie "Buck" which I was very impressed with when I saw it a few weeks ago... where he says "I tell people, I help Horses with people problems"
Instead of helping people with horse problems. That totally sums it up, I think.


Today when I went to the barn, the fellow who rents a room from my mom asked if he could come with me. He'd never been around a horse in real life before. So of course I let him come.. I let him know the do's and dont's... gave him a carrot to feed to Bear.. and then handed him a comb to work on Bears mane while I brushed his body (always with the rolling

).

You could tell the guy was pretty nervous at first... he'd never been around a creature that big... but then he couldn't stop raving about how beautiful Bear was... how confidently the horses seemed to move compared to people... how peaceful it is with them... by the end of the day he's saying he wants to buy a farm someday so he can have horses of his own

Theres just something about horses that is good for the heart, and I know what life was like without them... So if a horse was the death of me someday (however unlikely), I'd count myself blessed for the time I had with them.

I think that also answers the why about my *discomfort* around cows (especially the big bull)...

I just don't understand them... the way they think... the way they move... what is behind that glare the bull keeps giving me. Does he want to make me into a fat, juicy steak? A chunky soup? Roast me and slice me and put me between bread and dip me in Au Jus?

But I'm guessing all of this would be a complete non-issue if there were little baby cows involved

Oooh.. a baby dwarf cow...

 

[redhen]

Yes, you need a baby dwarf cow... just wait.. you will fall in love!