New respect for horses

[tncattle]

The farm where I keep my steers also has 6 horses and the husband & wife are from Montana and train horses in reining and some other word I can't think of. These are the best behaved horses I've ever been around and I finally got to see one of them work yesterday. I haven't fed my steers enough so that they are trained to come up when I bring the feed bucket. Anyway, the husband hopped on one of the horses and had those steers in the corral in about 5 minutes and they were pretty far from the corral--they also didn't want to come but that horse was amazing.

 

[spinandslide]

a good horse is an asset..

a bad horse (or rider) is a headache..and Ive unfortunantly been around more then my fair share of these folks..they think their horse is broke to death and they take 10 minutes to perform a task that should take 2 minutes.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

yep.. love a good cow horse

 

[bigbull338]

a good cow horse cant be beat.an a bad cow horse can really mess things up.

 

[msscamp]

I haven't fed my steers enough so that they are trained to come up when I bring the feed bucket.

Nothing on our place was 'feed-bucket trained' - all gathering, moving from pasture to pasture, bringing in was done on horseback.

 

[Suzie Q]

I think the term you are looking for is 'cutting'.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I think the term you are looking for is 'cutting'.

bet your right

 

[cypressfarms]

Down here they're called cutting horses, and a good seasoned one is a valuable thing! Most are quarter horses, but any good quality horse trained well will do. I could see where ranches that have have thousands of acres would have cutting horses out of necessity; unfortuntately "progress" has brought us the 4 wheeler and atv/mule. Around us you hardly see anyone working horses - most horses are a pleasure item. Ashamed. horses filled a huge part of a persons life just 100 years ago, and now they're all but an afterthought.

I wonder how many people today would even know how to properly saddle a horse, let alone rig it for a trailer or some other work.

 

[hopalong]

Acually I think it is called PENNING as well

 

[Suzie Q]

I think penning is to do with campdrafting. A bit different to cutting.

A dressage horse is very close to training a cutting horse. I read a bit about cutting and the main difference is they go from canter to halt. Which you don't really do with dressage until high up.

So I had a 16.3hh Thoroughbred who I dressage trained, but boy did he have an eye for a beast.

The cows with newborns do not like to come up to the yards. They will do anything not to come.

One day he brought up a cow and calf and put them in the yard. I mean he because I just sat on him in a dressage saddle. He went from walk to canter sideways to keep her on the fence and walk and canter sideways the other way, cantering sideways, to stop them from escaping. He won and it didn't take long at all.

 

[Bama1]

I lived down in southwest florida back in the 1980's. Had the pleasure of meeting a gentleman that trained cutting horses and show horses. He had been involved in cutting horse competitions in the 60's and 70's winning quite a few trophies around florida and out in the midwest. When I met him he was close to retirement and couldn't travel and ride horses as much. He did continue to train horses as he was able. It was a joy to watch him when he did get on one of his cutting horses. He had something made to resemble a cows head attached to a machine that would move the head back and forth about 50 feet along a rope and had the horse follow it. When he got the horse trained, he could put the horse on front of that cow head (or cattle) and put his hands on the saddle horn and let the horse do the work. At that time I had no idea a horse could do such a thing. Of course I didn't get to watch to much cause I was busy cleaning stalls. :lol2:

Unfortunately, like a lot of farm or ranch families, the kids didn't continue his work. Most of the old place was sold after he passed.

This post brings back good memories of hanging out and learning a few things.

 

[milkmaid]

Nothing like a good horse... and maybe a rider who knows how to ride him. Worked up north this spring and when the weather was nasty we'd bring the first calvers to the barn as soon as they had feet showing. Rode the herd every hour and they were on a couple hundred acres. Bring in one heifer by herself from the far end of the pasture once or twice and you sure realize the value of a horse. Can't bring them in as well or as quiet with an ATV.

 

[JSCATTLE]

I usually pen my cows with my horse . I get them in a two acre trap with cubes . Then I move them to the pen with my horse . Running brangus and f1 brangus they can get mean in an enclosed place . I usually sort in the pen with the horse for that reason . Better safe than sorry . It's also fun . If I'm pulling calves I usually just sort them in the two acre trap and push the calves one at a time to the pen . Keeps from stirring the cows up now they don't even pay attention to me .

 

[Suzie Q]

An ATV is also stopped by water which a horse is not.

I saw a demonstration of a cutting horse once. They were unable to get cattle so the dressed a guy up in a cow suit and told him to get past the horse.

He tried. Boy did he tried. He would stop to think and try to get past that horse in anyway possible. He didn't succeed.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

To my little mind, there's not much prettier to watch in the equine world than a horse that can work cattle efficiently, with a rider that can stay in the center of him. I'm too old for that stuff, but love to see it done. :)

 

[spinandslide]

cutters or really any horse with an "eye" for cattle are an asset..I like alittle "cow" in all my horses personally.

 

[Gators Rule]

essentially, reiners and cutting horses come from the same gene pool, or similar. In either discipline, the horse must be an incredible athlete. At least for the cutting horse, they must have a natural willingness to "look at a cow." Not all will. Even so, some of the horses that won't look at a cow can still be made into very good cow horses through time and training. I've been around them for a long time, and nothing gives an adrenaline flow like sitting on a cutter when making a cut and dropping the hand to give the horse the cue that it's now all up to them. :)

 

[pdfangus]

I once had a walking horse gelding who was a kind and gentle soul. he was the family horse for the wife and kids. Most all he did was pleasure riding and trail riding. But I rode working cows nearly every day and there came a time when I had to put him in my saddle string for a few weeks for cow work checking and gathering cows.

this geldings strong suit was his easy riding and his calm demeanor making him safe for the kids. he was far from an athlete. He would try anything asked of him however.

One sunday afternoon I had to move about a hundred pairs to another pasture and my wife decided to ride with me. I saddled Traveller for her. after I got the cows gathered I put her at the back pushing and I led and directed the movement. We moved herds quite often and it was no big chore. One old cow decided to cut back and the gelding spied her before the wife did and he spun and charged and put the cow back in the herd before she could gather the reins.

she was quite upset with me demanding to know what I had done to her horse.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

walkers were, and still are plentiful here,, back when it was hard to get a good quarter horse here,, a old calf roper trained a walker,,at rodeo's he would lead the horse in the arena.. get on, back in the box and rope his calf, when done,,, he would lead him back out. to keep the other cowboys from laughing at him :cowboy:

 

[pdfangus]

I have lately been Riding a Rocky Mountain Saddle Horse that belongs to a friend.

I have ridden a half dozen of his horses and I have pretty much fallen in love with em. Not quite as big as walking horses but have a better brain than the modern walkers I am seeing. these horses are placid and people loving and gentle and will go where ever you point em.

Ride report and a photos at link below

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=1rD...Sw7fwdy8TsmNWL0Nd2vyyQAMJ7TwiNplFNyI&hl=en_US