Breaking Steer

[brahma_show_girl]

I got my Steer for 4-H on the 12th. He weighs about 450lbs give or take a bit and is a Spet 07 Black Baldie.
I have been rinisng him every night since the 13th and them combing him out after I get done. Then I try to walk him. I have to say he is a booger bear. When ever I apply pressure to his head he either falls over or rares up occasionally jumping on top of me. I think I have got him past falling over but when I rinse him or pull he still jumps up and when I do get him walking he walks with his head down and he twists his head back and forth. When I try pulling his head up he rares up. I have kicked him ligtly in the nose a couple of times but I'm not sure if its helping. My question is should I worry about his head being down right now or just concentrate on getting him used to walking with me? HOw could I get him to hold his head up.

Thanks and if you would check out my other post http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=46509 and tell me what you think of him.

Thanks

 

[Diamond G]

You may want to try a breaking halter,, Also try walking him in a small area like a lot or pen for a while, get him working good in that and then ease him out into more open areas the main thing is take your time with let him gain his trust in you that you are not going to hurt him and have FUN learning together. 50% your part 50% his part = 100%

 

[VCC]

Do you tie him, we start by tying them at a neutral level so if they go down they don't choke themselves, you need to be in the area at all times during this process, I would say by how you described your steer he will fight the rope and go down, when he goes down untie get him up and tie again, once he stops fighting the rope you start tying him with his head up(at the level you want it when you are showing him) he will probably fight this too, so be ready to untie get him up and tie again. You work at this until he will stand there with his head tied up for 2 -3 hours. This takes a few weeks to get to, work it at 15 minute steps, 2 or 3 days at 15 minutes then 2-3 days at 30 minutes and so on. It is much easier on you to have him fight a post, and not you.
Make sure that you tie a knot that you can untie by pulling on the loose end of the rope, never tie a knot that isn't quick release, not even on a tame calf. ( it is a good idea to have a knife or razor knife around just in case you cant untie your not and the steer goes down)

Good luck

 

[milkmaid]

Deliberately drop him a few times, let him hit the ground hard, and he'll start minding his manners in a hurry.

The best thing I've found to teach them to respect the rope, is standing tied. I've halter broke 4 and 5 year old never-been-handled cows; the key is to let them do all their fighting when they're tied to the post. They must learn there to respect the rope.

Give him some rope when you do lead him; can't expect him to be an angel when you first start working with him. Think of it this way: you're going to start by giving him a set of rules, and then gradually add more and more to shape his behavior into exactly what you want. The first two rules he needs are the foundation for everything else and the most important: 1) respect the rope, and 2) stay out of your space! Help him out a little though; give him some rope so when he does decide to lunge forward, he has more options than just landing on top of you. Take it one step at a time, insist on proper manners, and then when he has the basics down, you can ask more of him, such as walking consistently, holding his head up, etc.

Keep in mind that he'll do better at leading and at staying out of your space if he spends more time tied at the post. The more time he spends at the post finding out that the rope determines what he does, and that pressure on the rope can be eliminated by stepping forward and toward the direction of pressure, the better he will lead for you later.

Best of luck with him-

 

[KNERSIE]

The best thing I've found to teach them to respect the rope, is standing tied. I've halter broke 4 and 5 year old never-been-handled cows; the key is to let them do all their fighting when they're tied to the post. They must learn there to respect the rope.

Keep in mind that he'll do better at leading and at staying out of your space if he spends more time tied at the post. The more time he spends at the post finding out that the rope determines what he does, and that pressure on the rope can be eliminated by stepping forward and toward the direction of pressure, the better he will lead for you later.

What Milkmaid has said above basically sums up the halterbreaking process and should be read by everyone that will ever attemp to halterbreak an animal regardless of age or size/weight. It cannot be emphasized enough!

Untill they haven't learned that there is no use to fight the rope and that they can only follow the rope you haven't really got them trained yet.

 

[brahma_show_girl]

Thanks everyone. I have started tying him atleast 10 minutes everyday. I plan on increasing his tying time gradually. VCC your right he goes down almost everytime I tie him. He just flops over and I untie him get him up and tie him back. He is acting a little better and is now not walking with his head down so low.

Anyways thanks for the advice! I will try and keep yall updated!

 

[brahma_show_girl]

Well JB has made tremendous progress. He is walking now and setting up with the showstick. I have been rinsing him and then drying him with a blower. He is doing very good and I am very proud of him.

 

[KNERSIE]

Well JB has made tremendous progress. He is walking now and setting up with the showstick. I have been rinsing him and then drying him with a blower. He is doing very good and I am very proud of him.

Glad to hear, just continue with the tying up and you'll get him perfectly haltertrained in no time