Feedlot training

[PeaceCountryCowboy]

Anyone ever sent their horse for training on a feedlot? We're sending a three year old quarterhorse of ours in the next little while. They do 30 days of the horse doing feedlot work. I'd like her to have some more cattle experience before taking her out with me in my job. Plus she likes to work and just go all the time so I'm hoping it'll teach her a little control and patience if she is really put to work day after day. Wondering if anyone has any opinions on it, good or bad?

 

[chippie]

It can be good experience for a horse -- but the most important thing is how well does the person ride and what sort of rider is he?

What is the person's training experience and have you seen horses that he has trained? Have you watched the person ride and do you like what you see?

Just because a person rides pens at a feedlot doesn't mean that he can train a horse.

I'm sorry if that came off harsh.

 

[PeaceCountryCowboy]

Well she came recommended from a friend who sends all there horses there for the 30 days. We don't know her. I know the feedlot because it's in our territory. Fair size at 18,500 head capacity. From what we've heard she has quiet a bit of experience. Her husband is the manager and is also a farrier.

 

[chippie]

I have sent horses to trainers over the years and all I can say go and see where your horse will be kept, watch the person ride and watch horses that she has trained.

Recommending trainers can be like recommending a doctor. People have their own likes and dislikes. What may not bother one person may bother another. Form your opinion of the trainer yourself.

I have been to trainers places who were recommended to me, and did not like what I saw. In one case a horse's head being tied to it's tail for OVER 3 hours.

Personally I wouldn't send a horse for training without meeting the person and seeing the facilities first, if only for my peace of mind.

 

[msscamp]

Anyone ever sent their horse for training on a feedlot? We're sending a three year old quarterhorse of ours in the next little while. They do 30 days of the horse doing feedlot work. I'd like her to have some more cattle experience before taking her out with me in my job. Plus she likes to work and just go all the time so I'm hoping it'll teach her a little control and patience if she is really put to work day after day. Wondering if anyone has any opinions on it, good or bad?

The worst thing about feedlots is that the work is monotonous(sp?), and it can really mess up some horses. If your horse is easily bored, I would not send him. We've had a few that were used at the salebarn(different atmosphere, but same basic principle), and they came back with a whole different attitude than they left with - behaviour problems, attitude problems, bucking, etc. Another detriment to feedlots is that a number of them use concrete extensively and, even with shoes, concrete is hard on a horses feet and legs. There is also the factor of rank cattle, which could easily lead to an inexperienced horse getting hurt if his rider does not have the knowledge and experience to know how to handle the situation. I'm not sure I would send a 3 year old if I had any other recourse. Yes, he would get a lot of riding, but it could come at a high price later on in the form of bad behaviour, attitude, damaged joints, injuries, as well as other things. Before I opted to go this route, I would make absolutely sure his rider had the experience to not get him into a jam/get him out of a jam if it did happen. Finally, because of the even terrain, there is unrelenting pressure on withers, and other contact points, and a bad saddle fit will cause some nasty saddle sores/girth galls. Our farrier used to work out of our barn, and a number of his clients worked at the local feedlots/salebarns - I've seen the saddle sores that can result from a bad fit. I would make sure that the saddle being used fits properly to help avoid this. I hope this helps.

 

[ArrowHBrand]

Always double check on potential trainers than double check them. For me the biggest thing is how heavy a trainer disciplines. To someone else it may be alright to do a certain thing, but to me that "training" technique may send my temper off the charts. Feedlot work is extremely tough on horses. If you want your horse to get a lot of cattle experience could you send it to a working ranch? Atleast on a ranch it's going to be ridden over the country seeing new things getting used to different situations. We've only done all of our own training so far, but I hope everything works out for you.

 

[clampitt]

A sale barn is not a good deal my FIL sent one I told him it wouldn't work very well but I don't know anything.The horse came back crippled,cement alleys and would only go so far and turn around come back.Catching pens causes that.And would only go left they never went right.Feed lots if its a good set up and a good hand on one is not a bad deal they don't just ride pens but have cattle outside as well.
I pre conditioned cattle for several years for a man near me.They were in grass traps not pens of around 15 ac.each.That was the best deal I ever had for young horses slow,fast,open gates,trucks,Bring up sicks will make one look and they get tired eneough to pay attention and something new all the time and never was on cement.Bringin up a pen to load out in a land and having to push cattle all that and I roped a few to doctor as well,just a really good deal.If you can find oneof those operations that uses horses like we did they are really good for a young one.But again you better know who is riding your horse.I liked it challenging every day in all kinds of weather and situations,FL.AL.LA .MISS,cattle will test your chili.If your frind has had good luck with their horses why not.

 

[Horse Guy]

I havnt rode in a feed lot so I wont comment on it but I know with ranch work, well the problem with starting colts is that most of the time the priority is getting the ranch job done. Training the colt comes second.
When I start a colt on cattle I do it when nobody else is around so that training the colt is first and the job comes second. Im not going to over do a colt just to get the job done.
If im worried about getting the job done then the colt isnt going to get started right.
Like I use my experienced horses if their is a job to be done. My colts get the real easy jobs and I keep the priority on the colts training/ not the cows.
To just put miles on them doing ranch work with the priority being on getting the ranch work done, well its the wrong kind of miles and my colt would be better off standing around at the home corral.
For Example turning a cow. I make sure my colt stops right and turns right everytime. At first this is going to mean looseing the cow or getting behind the cow. Now if I wasnt worried about this and got my colt turned around any which way I could get more cow work done at first but I wouldnt be gaining anything on the colt training part.
Another problem is lots of times if your doing a ranch job its just to much to soon. Example to get the job done you just have to work the colt faster and longer than you should.

 

[Northern Rancher]

I don't think it will be a pretty good deal. Any horse that get's bored being around cattle all day probably won't make much of a horse anyway. Horse Guy is right about sometimes ranch work getting a bit too much at times. We usually try and set things up so that young horses don't get alot thrown at them but s....t does happen. Gathering A'I is a good start as long as they aren't the only horse you are using. ArrowH how do you get hired onto a nonworking ranch sounds like a sweet deal to me. That's the biggesat tease up here when you ask your buddy in your best falswetto if he's a 'working cowboy' lol.

 

[Linda]

I definitely agree about knowing who is going to be riding your horse - and know everything!

We lucked out. One of the best horses we ever owned (sadly, he died a few years back) was a Saddlebred gelding. He was the best team penning horse we've ever owned. That may sound funny, and folks here laughed at first when my husband started penning on a Saddlebred. But, later in the season, there were folks I overheard saying, "I just like to come down here and watch that horse work cattle." He was awesome.

He spent a couple of months working at the Armour packing plant in Idaho. That was before we bought him. He liked to work cows so much the fellow who was riding him would open the gate and send the horse in by himself to bring the cattle out of the pen and down the alleyway. After the cows were moving, he'd close the gate and amble down the alleyway to pick up his horse.

He told a story about him and the Saddlebred and a black steer. Seems the steer left the herd and headed back down the alleyway. The horse had borium shoes on so he could work on the cement. He said the steer took off, he and the horse took off after the steer. The steer turned. The horse turned - and he went off. The horse stopped. The steer stopped. He got back on. The steer took off again. Same thing. The steer turned. The horse turned. He went off. Horse stopped. Steer stopped. Both were looking at him. He managed to crawl back on and off went the steer. That time at the end of the alleyway, the steer turned, the horse turned. "That time," he said, "I just managed to catch my testicles on the saddlehorn."

One evening here, when the horse was about 12, my husband was team penning on him. The calf made a turn and tried to squeeze past along the fence. This horse usually put a shoulder to the calf to prevent that kind of thing. This time the calf turned again. My husband was planning on turning left, but the horse made a fast right after the calf. My husband went off. The horse continued after the calf and penned it by himself. As soon as the calf was penned, the horse took off for the herd to get another one. The guys teased my husband, saying, "If we could only teach that horse to read numbers, we wouldn't need you. He could do it by himself."

One day we went to the city and left the horse locked in a corral. Outside that corral was our bull, loose, in a larger fenced area. Somehow, the horse managed to unfasten the clip on the chain for the corral gate and got out. He could untie any knot with his lips, too. The back lot looked like a banked oval race track when we got home late that afternoon from the city. He had chased that bull 'round and 'round all day. The bull was tuckered and the horse was prancing. That was one cowy horse.

 

[skcatlman]

I have worked in quite a few large feedlots after university and started as a pen rider then worked my way up to management. Most of the lots i worked at wouldn't accept horses if they need training,the minimun age was 4 and the cow boss or lead hand had to approve the horses. Sorry but I wouldn't have accepted a young horse, the riders are paid to care for the cattle not train horses and when i did work for feed lots with out these rules it inevitably lead to problems. Pesonally my feeling are that the best feedlot horses have a shot of draft in them, way better bone, bigger feet and durability. I know they weren't the nicest looking or smoothest ride but you could count on them day in day out. The QH types i took on to add miles and get more cattle experience seemed to sore up alot easier. The exception was a suffield horse. I took him on for a local rancher than resuced him from the meat buyers. He was a handful to say the least. But when figured out and worked enough he was a tough hard working horse i wouldn't have any doubts about. My recommendation is that you insure that QH if you have him in a feedlot. Just experience talking.

 

[ArrowHBrand]

ArrowH how do you get hired onto a nonworking ranch sounds like a sweet deal to me. That's the biggesat tease up here when you ask your buddy in your best falswetto if he's a 'working cowboy' lol.

Lost me on this one buddy. I don't know about where you live, but some places around here people that have careers in town, like doc's and lawyers, etc., are buying acreages and turning them into "ranches" so they can play cowboy. I was just advising sending her horse to a working ranch not to a ranch that has guided elk hunts, or a dude ranch, or one of these blasted "ranchettes". That's where I was coming from.

 

[Northern Rancher]

Ohh just the phrase 'working ranch' makes me laugh.