I run a few head of cattle on 100 acres and currently have 3 horses. In past years I've had negative experiences with horses messing with my new mama's and their calves. Two different horses caught stomping calves and fighting new momma's (one gelding, one mare), seperate occassions. Sold them both and swore never to have horses again. Then a friend needed a place to keep his horse, so I said okay. I caught the horse running the cows. Someone said it is because they are alone and need to be a part of a herd. So I ended up with 2 more horses (1 gelding, 2 mares) and all three have been getting along fine and keeping to themselves leaving the cows alone. Until today, my son caught my friends 4 year old gelding pawing a new calf and kicking and biting at the momma. Has anyone else had this problem with keeping horses and cows together?
Horses Bothering Cattle
- Thread starter A6gal
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Running Arrow Bill
Well-known member
About 4 years ago (only time we tried this) let a yearling longhorn bull into about a 1/2 acre paddock with a TWH Stallion. Soon after the stallion chased the bull into a fence and about scared the S??? out of the bull. Damaged the fence. Didn't try that again. Now all of our Longhorns get to "see" our horses--across the fence or across the alleyway. No problems with this method. (Stallion is in his secure paddock. He's not next to any of our bulls).
I had been keeping them seperated but got lazy. I have to close a gate between two pastures and my house to keep them apart and I got tired of opening and closing the gate each time I come in and out.
I guess its back to opening and closing the gate. Cheaper than losing a calf and a little extra exercise is always good.
Cindy
South Texas
I guess its back to opening and closing the gate. Cheaper than losing a calf and a little extra exercise is always good.
Cindy
South Texas
i havent had any trouble with mine (That i know of). i did see a mare being nosey about a newborn calf one day and the angus cow ran at her, horse stood up and pawed and cow proceeded to teach her a thing or two. they will stampede them if you dont have plenty of room, and they will run them away from feed. we keep ours separate in the winter but thats mainly because we think the haylage caused two of them to colic. so they get bermuda in the winter now. theres really only two options when they start attacking calves, separate em or ship em.
My mares never bother the cows or calves, I leave a single pole across the barn door just below wither height to keep the horses out of the barn so I can feed the cows if I want to.I have kept alot of different horses with the cows and only had problems with a pony who could fit under the pole and into any calf creep I set up, he was so little. Before being gelded he would wrestle with my young hereford bull, but minded the cows most of the time. I have heard of a horned bull opening a horse up like it had a zipper, but my bull was polled.
We have had one or two horses during my lifetime that could be safely turned out with the cows, they were the exception. Generally, the cows have their pasture and the horse/horses have theirs and never the twain shall meet!
Carlos D.
Well-known member
Two years ago my daughter wanted a horse of her own -so we set her up in the chicken business.She sold her chickens ,and off she went to the horse sale with her mother .We have a lot of PMU horses here so colts are pretty cheap ,she came home with 2 colts and my wife bought me a dun 1/4 horse mare. Anyway this spring we started to train her , ( the mare) and it didnt go well my 15 year old daughter thrown 3 times -said she had enough of that stupid horse, Im 59 years old wiegh 240 lbs. got on her --everything going well untill the oportunity was right for her and she threw me too I landed right on my head-- Ive had a sore back for 20 years I think that cured that, but my head feels like its attached by a couple threads and might lop off at any moment. My wife said thats enough ,and loaded it up and took her to this horse whisper guy. we"ll see how that goes after a month ,anyway she told him she had a horse that kept bothering the cows --AND he said those are generally the best cow horses-and love to work with cows
ALACOWMAN
Well-known member
keeping horses with cattle is a bad idea . the only horse i let stay with my cows is my old roping horse. he is a little arthritic so he not to interested in running them. i think somtimes he had enough of running them when he was younger :cboy:
Carlos D.":1wzrktjr said:
I can believe that. I used to have a 1/2 morgan, 1/2 quarter horse mare that absolutely could NOT be turned out with the cows because she would pick out a calf, cut it out of the herd, and keep it away from the herd. Put a saddle and bridle on her, point her at a cow, and hang on!! She was amazing at working cattle. She also lost several people while working cows, they were not quite prepared for her quickness! ;-)
Old Dog/New Tricks
Well-known member
msscamp":28h17hzo said:
True - there are ways to get a horse to stop dry work But If you not careful you can turn them off cattle altogerther
Old Dog/New Tricks":oth7jzsj said:
Old Dog/New Tricks, I'm not sure what you are talking about here. Scamper (my horse) was simply never turned out with the cows again, and she never lost her love (or her ability/gift) for working them!
I was once running my cows on my land AND a place owned by a local land speculator. He turned loose a Tennessee Walker/Quarterhorse he couldn't ride (after she broke his arm) out with MY cows without notifying me of his intentions. It ran with the cows for ~10 years and I never really had any problems. Sometimes it raced the calves. If the cows spooked for any reason she would be four lengths ahead of the first cow and accelerating as they thundered across the pasture. She also went freaking nuts whenever a cow went into heat; but the spectator never interferred with the bull. She was spooky as H*LL and she would run over people or cows in a split second if penned so I got her out of the corralls anytime I needed to work cows. She was a good horse, that I PROBABLY could have handled (IF PAID); though she never saw a saddle after breaking the dude's arm. I know of several ranches that run one or more horses with the cows with no problems; though I would prefer seperate pastures.
