Working Ranch Magazine - Index

Working Ranch Magazine - magazine - Index

Every single time you pick up a bunch of
cows and move ‘em, you have an opportunity
to condition them to your handling methods.
What happens if your neighbors come
over to help and they haven’t quite experienced
the same ‘gentle handling’ epiphany
that you and your crew have? Well, stay
tuned to this magazine, that sounds like a
good topic for another issue down the road.
about getting dogged, even if a dog is
nowhere to be seen.
3. Yell and scream at your cows
even if they are doing the right thing.
This teaches the cows to ignore your
incessant verbal yammering. Then,
when you really need to use voice projection
to save the day, you’ll get no
response from the cattle whatsoever.
4. Gather your cattle fast, move
them fast, let them run at their own
speed to wherever it is you are going,
then drop them and head for home
without settling them. Cows seem to
like that sort of pandemonium because
it gives them an excuse to wind up
right back where you found them the
very next day, looking for the calf they
lost track of the minute you entered
the pasture and started whooping and
hollering like a Wild West promoter.
5. Prod and poke your cattle any
chance you get when you’re on foot,
especially when they are moving
through the handling system at the
proper speed and direction. Cows (or
Nobody wants a wild critter around anymore. Seems like they’re always busting the facilities,
putting the cattle handlers in harm’s way and generally upsetting the delicate balance of the
other cattle as they flow through the system.
any critter for that matter), respond in
a unique manner when they are punished
for doing the right thing. That
makes them love cowboys even more.
6. Mess with their calf three minutes
after it is born. Certain cows in
the herd savor the opportunity to
chase you down and stomp you like a
chain smoker crushing out a cigarette.
Heifers will take advantage of your
timely intrusion to walk away from
their very first calf forever, leaving you
standing there in a slimy pool of placenta
with a disappointed look on
your face and an empty tagging gun.
Least you got ‘im tagged.
HOW TO TRAIN A COWHERD
TO HANDLE PROPERLY
Simply do the exact opposite of the
six items identified on the previous list.
Working with a trained cowherd is
like driving a new truck, or riding a
saddle that fits perfectly. It’s like getting
an unexpected tax refund or waking
up to the sound of a Meadowlark
on a warm summer Sunday. There are
few pleasures in life that can equal the
experience, and it is especially important
to a cowboy because he or she
spends so much time working with
their cows because they really like
them. Is it too much to ask for the
cows to return the favor?
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2008 | WORKING RANCH | 79