@Bob Kinford , I was reading this thread at 6 AM this morning, sitting at my computer, drinking my pot of coffee, smoking about a half pack, trying to convince myself to ignore the pain and get out and start doing something. My usual morning routine. When I read your reply above, I notice the address to your website, and went to it, I have spent the last 3 hours, mesmerized. I found the videos about getting the cattle back to the herd instinct very informative, and I agree with that 100%. Also found the video about the creosote and moisture and all interesting. I am fortunate that where I live, rainfall etc is not much of a problem. I clicked on your short video about "What cows eat", and I swear, it looked like you had filmed
my Corrientes in the Kudzu! IMO, you are backing up to completely clear your pastures of trees, brush, bushes, etc.
Then. I started watching the videos of you moving cattle! I am a horseman first. I always say The only reason I fool with cattle is for training my horses. They are training aids and could be a major expense...I have just found ways to make money on these necessary evils! I am very very impressed with your horses, your horsemanship, and your knowledge of how to handle cattle horseback. It is the exact same way I do it. Watching the 4 part video, I knew exactly what you were doing and why, and knew what the outcome was going to be. People like uyou, me, and the dude in the video moving those 1300 head by himself, are a dying breed. This is how I " break" cattle to being handled on horseback. I have had people ask me to help them get up some "wild" cattle before, and the first thing I tell them is to leave them the heck alone for a week. Do NOT , EVER let anyone in there with a 4 wheeler or some damned dogs. If you do, you gonna end up paying me a LOT more money to catch your cows. They will say."
If you get in there chasing these cows with a horse, they will go through every fence they come to, til they get into the next county!" ROFLMFAO. I will do what you do. I ride in either alone or with another person who knows how. I will WALK my horse up to them, angling in toward them a little at a time. If they wanna spook, I just stop and sit my horse. So many times, especially with younger ones, curiosity will get the best of them, and
they will approach
me. Slow and easy wins the day. If you don't have patience, then you have no business fooling with cows, Or horses. Here, we have 400 acre pastures, not 4000 acres, but the principle is the same. I will run about 120 Corr cows on 230 acres, 100 or more covered in Kudzu. They calve in February, and in March we get them up to cut the bull calves and tag all the calves. Around Labor Day, we round them up again, cut the calves out and take them to the sale. November after the crops are in, we round them up drive them a mile down the road, to 450 acres of harvested row crops. In February, we round them up and drive them back to the Kudzu place. These 4 times a year are the only time they are handled, or we even see them. Now, I have horses that can run down the fastest LH there is. It looks like the cow was standing still. And I have one that I can head a 2k+ bull, and drag him around like he was an empty feed sack. But, if I ever have to do either, it is because of my error handling them. When I taught classes to train lifeguards. I would tell them:"
If you ever have to go in the water to do a rescue, it is because you weren't doing your job watching them to start with." It is the same principle if you ever have to "cowboy" cattle.
Now, tell me about your horses. Do you raise them, or buy them and train them, or buy
made horses? I myself, for the most part, do the latter two. To be honest, I was focusing more on you and those horses, than the cattle. I knew what you were doing with them, and what the results were going to be. Oh, and how much do you want for that grey?!!