Just show a little love!

[branguscowgirl]

A while back we had a discussion about the dangers of running cattle with horses. I think most of us agree that a horse can, and may hurt the calves, run the cattle around the feed bunk, and generally reek havoc on the cows peaceful life.
However, I do have a couple of horses that have been raised with cattle most of their lives, and actually prefer the cattle over being with other horses.
Below are a couple of pictures that I took of my old rescue draft cross mare April. Please bare in mind the word "rescue". She is the kind of a horse that I don't really want folks to see, so I am going out on a limb posting a picture of her! :lol: But she just got a body shave, so she looks a bit better than she did with hair balls and mats dangling off of her.
Any way, her and my cow Ruby LOVE each other. They have an evening ritual where April saunters up to Ruby. That's Ruby's cue that she is ready for her daily full body massage, by tongue!
Hope it gives you a smile.
[URL[img]http://i881.photobucket.co...ads/IMG_20150401_183302_zpsc959c460.jpg[/img][/url]
[URL[img]http://i881.photobucket.co...ads/IMG_20150401_183254_zpsb380263c.jpg[/img][/url]

Ruby's sister used to do the very same thing with this horse. So I am thinking that it is a learned behavior, and April taught them well!
I have a paint gelding that will actually straddle the cows head while they are laying down in order to get his belly licked also.

 

[Nesikep]

That is cute

 

[branguscowgirl]

I was hoping that some of you may also have pictures to share of some unlikely friends, "showing a little love"!

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

When we first started in cattle, and had just two heifers, the heifers would ride the horses when they came into heat! The looks the horses would turn around and give those heifers was hilarious...

 

[Workinonit Farm]

I have a couple of pics, but I have not been able to post pics here. I can e-mail or do FB.

Cute pics!

I had a gelding who was really good with the cows and calves. When he was the last horse, he and the bull became good buddies. After calving, it was quite common to see him standing in a pasture "babysitting" the calves until he was relieved of his duties.

He would gently nudge a calf away from his feed.

 

[Rafter S]

I was hopping that some of you may also have pictures to share of some unlikely friends, "showing a little love"!

Hopping? :lol:

Sorry, but I couldn't resist. I don't have pictures, but when I was a kid we had a dog that would let kittens nurse her along with her puppies.

 

[branguscowgirl]

I was hopping that some of you may also have pictures to share of some unlikely friends, "showing a little love"!

Hopping? :lol:

Sorry, but I couldn't resist. I don't have pictures, but when I was a kid we had a dog that would let kittens nurse her along with her puppies.

:lol: That was in the spirit of Easter! :mrgreen:
The funniest one was on Animal planet, and now used in a phone plan commercial.
It is baby ducks nursing on a cat! I didn't think it was possible until I saw it!

 

[branguscowgirl]

When we first started in cattle, and had just two heifers, the heifers would ride the horses when they came into heat! The looks the horses would turn around and give those heifers was hilarious...

I think my horses would be quite shocked by that also! :lol:

 

[chrisy]

I was hopping that some of you may also have pictures to share of some unlikely friends, "showing a little love"!

Hopping? :lol:

Sorry, but I couldn't resist. I don't have pictures, but when I was a kid we had a dog that would let kittens nurse her along with her puppies.

my black lab done that to my kitten, vet told me to stop it as the Lab had not had pups and could harm her. They were friends for years until the dog died, the cat went into mourning for that dog so the vet told us, the dog had a basket at the bottom of the stairs and we would often find the cat in it and the dog on the floor next to it, and she would growl if you went to move the cat.

 

[branguscowgirl]

I have a couple of pics, but I have not been able to post pics here. I can e-mail or do FB.

Cute pics!

I had a gelding who was really good with the cows and calves. When he was the last horse, he and the bull became good buddies. After calving, it was quite common to see him standing in a pasture "babysitting" the calves until he was relieved of his duties.

He would gently nudge a calf away from his feed.

Here you go Workinonit! It took me a bit to figure out how to transfer pics from my email to photo bucket, but I eventually got it!
[URL[img]http://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac11/branguscowgirl/big20stik20041_zpsf00a31ee.jpg[/img][/url]
[URL[img]http://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac11/branguscowgirl/big20stik20044_zpse9460af1.jpg[/img][/url]
Very nice friendship those two had! Thank you for sharing!

 

[ohiosteve]

This guy just wanted a little love and this was a common sight until we figured out where he was getting out.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Ohio steve.......that's a great picture! Made me laugh.

branguscowgirl........thank you for posting pics for me!

Those are pics of the gelding I mentioned, in these he is with a steer I had kept back for beef. He really liked the steer, they would even share eating space. It really surprised me, as he hadn't done that with any others, before or after.

 

[branguscowgirl]

This guy just wanted a little love and this was a common sight until we figured out where he was getting out.

That's funny! Great picture.

 

[branguscowgirl]

Workinonit that's a good looking pair!

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

Buster the year old texel ram has portable shade when it's not breeding season. Dee Dee the 30 yo mare is happy to provide it.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Named'emTamed'em --------- that's a sweet picture. Its a wonder she didn't kick the bejeebis out of him.

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

You might think so, "working on it" the old mare is BOMBPROOF. Poco bueno bred She's been all over Western Montana and Washington packing. Shoot off her too!

She was the best baby sitter for my kids.

All she's been doing lately is attracting neighbor kids that I recruit into helpers . Had the last one 4 years now, she adopted my wife. :nod:

 

[branguscowgirl]

Awe that's great! :clap:

 

[branguscowgirl]

The old mare in my picture, (April) has an infection again. Nasty drainage coming out of one nostril. For her it usually means a bad tooth, or several teeth. She has had many removed already.
I went ahead and started her on antibiotics to make her feel better, but I think I may have to put her down this week, as opposed to spending several hundred dollars on pulling more teeth. :frowns:

I watched her tonight cross the pasture, through the whole herd of black cows, just to get to Ruby for her nightly licken. It is funny to me that she knows that black cow from a distance out of all the other cows.
Oh how we get attached to these animals. :cry2:

 

[tamarack]

About 30 years ago I raised pigs and sheep I would feed the sheep grain and the weaner pigs would run to hole in fence and head for sheep. My son was about 5 years old and I told him look at the smart pigs coming to eat sheep feed, my son said no dad they suck the sheep! I waited for awhile and sure enough as soon as a ewe would stop to eat there would be pigs there sucking I wish I would of thought of taking pic then.Sure had some good gains on the pigs that year.