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novatech":2e4j9loo said:
KNERSIE":2e4j9loo said:
novatech":2e4j9loo said:
Same as barn sour horse. It has everything it needs in the pen and does not want to leave. Feed somewhere else every time. Give it a reason to leave the pen. My wife has the same problem getting me up off the couch. :lol:

are you suggesting your wife moves the TV every day, or just the remote?
She puts food in the other room knowing full well I will eventually get up. But I wait for a comercial.

And I take it it works for her, I see no reason why it shouldn't work for getting the steer to lead also. Better be sure there is no TVs in the showring, otherwise the steer might also want to wait for a commercial.
 
on a serious note leading to water and feed have always worked for me, feeding in a different spot every day is a good tactic. When the steer wants to go to the feed or water I've found, especially when training older bulls , that its often better to give them a bit of slack and try to stay just behind their eye. As long as they've realised they can't fight the halter through being tied up and fighting it and not getting away, a slight pull on the halter will get them to stop.
 
4. Use a truck, ATV or tractor.
On rope halters you jerk downward.
NEVER use an AVT/Truck/Tracter/drag. Kindness kindness kindness, always works for me. Do the leading to water/food things. If they try to drag you to their food/water, put it somewhere that they cant see it. Then lead them to it.
That works really well on our tough ones. Like someone else said, short tough jerks are better than one long one.

Actually, on a rope halter I jerk upward. I dont like training my calf to keep it's head down. They have a better sence of balance, veiw, and more strength when their head is down. Besides, you want their head up in the showring, so train them that way at home.
 
How do you propose "leading" him to water when he's locked up with all fours? I realize that using an ATV to drag a steer isn't going to make a positive impact on him. I also know that having him lock-up in the middle of the cow pasture where I'm 100 yards or more from the nearest tree to tie him to for the night is a situation that requires some action which doesn't allow me many options. I either let him go, or get him back to his pen any way I can.

This year has been a real experience for us. We've only done this for three years and plan on doing it for many more. We've been blessed with two previous steer projects that broke easy enough. This year started out the same. My 13 year old daughter could lead the calf into the stock trailer with slack still in the lead rope. (Until he "changed")

We have always gone through the same procedures for breaking. Tying, leading to feed and water, lots of TLC. We done the same this year. The steer walked as easy as a poodle for thirty days. We never whipped him or lost our temper. My daughter handled him with the "patience of Job".
And then, like I've said numerous times, like a light switch flipping one day; he decided he wanted to stop walking after she got him a quarter mile from the barn. He caught easily up to that point and walked easy. Now, there's no catching him easy, and I think he'd stay tied up and wither away before he'd let you lead him anywhere. (wheter to water or feed)

I guess my point blank question is: I realize there are some calves that are near impossilbe to break. But, have any of you ever had a situation like mine occur after the calf was VERY broke?
 
Both of our heifers have been put on a donkey and still can be difficult to lead when in the barn and the pasture; however, when we take them out to new territory (like the backyard), they tend to lead much better.
Where's the 13 year old when you are trying to get the calf to lead? Inside the barn, we have someone walk behind them, and they walk fine. I know it makes it much more difficult to work the calf with only one person, but get the kid to walk behind it. Better yet, get the 13 year old to lead, and you walk behind. I think the calf will come around.
Dragging with an ATV is a recipe for disaster.........been there, done that!
 

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