Sale barn/ring injury stories.

[A.J.]

The only thing that got hurt was the arm on one chair. This 1350 lb cow came into the ring through the side door at a trot and cleared the ring fence (notice the man standing in the ring, he is 6 ft. tall and the fence is a foot taller). Cow made it up to the 4th row and just stood there. The crowd exited and they got the cow out through a side door and eventually back under the barn. No one hurt.

Boy that's s miracle no one got hurt. Looks like that ol girl made herself at home. I'd say her jumping skills might be why she was in there. Sale barn there looks a whole lot nicer than the ones I go to around here. I could really spend a day watching them sell if I had a recliner to sit in like that one there has. :lol2:

 

[branguscowgirl]

She's sure a pretty cow. :mrgreen:

 

[Williamsv]

I am just glad that I was not there that day. When I do go to our local sale, I worry about one getting out and coming up the stands. That was really a nice sale barn. Wish ours was that nice.

 

[ANAZAZI]

See that man scratching his head? "Now how do we get this cow out of here?"

 

[BC]

That recliner is for a man that has been buying feeder cattle here since the barn opened in 1973. He is close to 80 now and only buys a few each week now to turn out and merchandise grass. At one time he was the tush hog at that barn. I have been making that sale since 1992 and I have seen the time when that man would buy 300 to 400 every Saturday.

 

[3waycross]

That recliner is for a man that has been buying feeder cattle here since the barn opened in 1973. He is close to 80 now and only buys a few each week now to turn out and merchandise grass. At one time he was the tush hog at that barn. I have been making that sale since 1992 and I have seen the time when that man would buy 300 to 400 every Saturday.

That's great! :tiphat:

 

[Williamsv]

That is very nice. Our local sale brought in a recliner for one of the owners after he got so weak from cancer. He was in it the last time I talked to him at the sale last June 11. I knew then that he would not make it much longer. He passed away in early July. The recliner was moved in a few weeks. I could not help but think of him when I saw that one in the picture.

 

[mooboy]

Wow! I have never seen anybody get hurt at an auction that I've been to. But these stories have made me think about what can happen. I don't think I want to sit right across from the sale pen just in case an animal jumps out of it! I think I will sit further back and higher up.

I have sold a few calves at auction that did not bring much and I wondered if they were injured at the sale. Since I work a full time job I don't get to watch my own calves sell. I don't doubt that some rough handling goes on that I don't see.

 

[Jbonnot03]

I worked at a sale ring during college. Too many stories to tell.

One of the worst that happened was a guy loading some heifers...They ran onto the trailer at full speed, hit the front then immediately turned back. All that force caused the pickup to roll forward 4 feet or so. A couple went right back where they came from, but a couple made a U turn at the back of the trailer and got hit on the highway. Worst thing is the guy driving said this had happened to him before. (Standard truck in neutral with the engine running and park brake set). Lesson for the day-Park brake set with vehicle in park or standard in gear and engine off. The only way I will load cattle now.

Seen this one twice...Truck and trailer going down road and cattle bailing out the back with gate open. Also had a buddy cross some RR tracks and his back gate came open and his horse stepped out. Ended up losing the horse and saddle. Lesson-ALWAYS tie your trailer gate. ALWAYS!!! Did I mention to ALWAYS TIE YOUR TRAILER GATE.

 

[Hook]

I've heard to any stories of cattle self unloading. I always put a small strap on the gate.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I've heard to any stories of cattle self unloading. I always put a small strap on the gate.

I use a chain with a strong clasp.

 

[Rafter S]

This isn't about an injury, but it is sale-barn related. A friend of mine was working at the auction barn years ago, and said as they were unloading they could see a 4-door car in line. He said they didn't think too much of it, thinking they were bringing in a goat, or maybe a baby calf, but when the car finally got to the head of the line and pulled in the pen to unload the folks had about a 400lb. calf in the back seat, with so many ropes on it all it could do was bellow and s**t. And it was doing plenty of both. Anyway, he said they opened the back doors and untied the ropes. The calf jumped up and out of the car and ran down the alley.

I'm glad I didn't have to clean out that car.

 

[Dave]

At the local sale barn there is a narrow hall that leads from back by the vet chute into the ring seats. Generally speaking cows don't get by the entrance to this area. A limo cow who hated everything that moved got in there. She pinned down two guys. The guy on top was a rather round older gentleman in his 80's. The guy on the bottom of this pile was the brother of one of the employees. He was a Downs syndrome (for those who don't know it is a form of retardation). Well the limo was pounding on Howard's stomach. The kid under him was screaming blood murder. And because it was so narrow nobody could get in by the cows head to distract her. Luckily nobody was injured. I am sure the whole event only lasted a few seconds but it sure seemed longer. I am certain it seemed a lot longer for those two under the cow.

 

[wacocowboy]

I have seen plenty of stuff a barns and rodeos. Seen a brahma bull come in and jump landed on the top of the fence, and just rolled over onto the front row seats luck no one was sitting there. He tore up all kinds of stuff took them awhile to get him outside and rope him.

Seen a calf been awhile I think he weighed 600 lbs or so come in and get the guy in the ring. Lucky he wasn't to banged up still went to the hospital a few stiches broken arm and some cracked ribs.

Was at a rodeo helping a friend of mine who was ridding and the bull before ripped a gate off the hinges and got out. That bull ran all over the fair and tore up some carnival games (guess he wanted a stuffed animal) before they could get him roped. Who ever hung that gate was an idiot both hinges were facing up.

I knew a guy who raised fighting bulls those suckers are athletic and can jump.

Wasn't at these but seen stuff like it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc-JqFfYk5o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWAIjYs9Lws

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR-msk5DyQU

 

[highgrit]

The cowboy was money. He saved a lot of people from getting hurt.

 

[greybeard]

About the only thing I've seen in memory are a few animals that got caught in the exit door of the ring--the guy let it swing close before the cow got all the way thru it and cow's inertia trying to get on thru just squeezed it tighter and tighter on his ribcage. Twice, I've seen that door torn off over at Livingston from the same thing happening. I don't know how they got thru it without some broken ribs or cracked hip.

Never saw any of the help get hurt, but there used to be one at one of the barns that everyone hoped would be--he was pretty rough on everything that came thru the ring especially goats. If they didn't do right, he'd pick up and sling 'em over against the exit door, and he used a hot shot out of pure pleasure it seemed on every cow and calf that came thru. He disappeared tho, right after some lady climbed up on the ring wall and cussed him a good loud blue streak over how he was handling the goats she was bidding on. She got a round of applause when she stepped down off the pipe.

 

[BC]

Back in the 1970's, I worked at several sale barns while I was going to college in Nacogdoches, TX. Back in those days, we would see some rough old cows that didn't tolerate humans well. One day at Crockett, we were sorting a bunch of Trinity River bottom angels that had Bang'd out. One of the hands that I worked with there and at Center and Nacogdoches told me to slide the latch on the alley gate that these cows were bad. Being 20 years old, big and stout and in my mind invincible, I told him there wasn't a cow in Texas I couldn't hold. WRONG. One of those bad witches hit that gate that I was braced to hold at a run and wrapped me up in it. When they got me unfolded from that gate, it took us about 20 minutes to resort that pen of cows once I got my senses back.

 

[bigbull338]

BC your story reminds me of the time i was helping a friend pen his cows.i was at the corral gate going to shut it when the last cow came in.well i was beside the heavy steel gate with my back to the barbed wire fence.and the cow headed straight for me and i knew i was a goner if she hit me and the gate.but i got real lucky she verred and didnt hit me.

 

[HankSr Fan]

When In college 25 years ago, I worked the local sale on Mondays. Did different jobs there, in the ring and in the alley. One that I remember most was working in the alley. Had several of us back there opening different gates as the calves came thru. It had been awhile since we had sent one all the way back and I guess the man back there had dozed off, standing. As one went thru to him, we yelled at him to be ready- young calf maybe 400 lbs. He realized what we said as the calf was about 20 feet in front of him. He jumped out in front of the calf as if to shoo it away- HUGE mistake! Calf ran thru him like crap thru a goose!! He hit the ground and we just knew he was dead- mind you he was in his 60s then. He finally rolled up under the fence, crawled to his car, and left. We never saw him again. Often wonder how bad he was hurt

 

[Rafter S]

When In college 25 years ago, I worked the local sale on Mondays. Did different jobs there, in the ring and in the alley. One that I remember most was working in the alley. Had several of us back there opening different gates as the calves came thru. It had been awhile since we had sent one all the way back and I guess the man back there had dozed off, standing. As one went thru to him, we yelled at him to be ready- young calf maybe 400 lbs. He realized what we said as the calf was about 20 feet in front of him. He jumped out in front of the calf as if to shoo it away- HUGE mistake! Calf ran thru him like crap thru a goose!! He hit the ground and we just knew he was dead- mind you he was in his 60s then. He finally rolled up under the fence, crawled to his car, and left. We never saw him again. Often wonder how bad he was hurt

Welcome to the forum, and I like your user name. It reminds me of a few years ago when I was talking to a young man about music and mentioned that I liked old classic country. He said "Oh, you mean like Hank Junior?" I said no, I mean Hank Senior.