Holy Cow!
Talk about hairy! Dear me, I had my life flash before my eyes again today. This time we were 3/4 of the way to a friend's house to help her with her youngster, and we went past a field of cows. He was very anxious about them, but OK ..... until two of the young ones decided to race over to the fence and check him out. Boy did he panic then, and he ran for it. Unfortunately, they thought this was grrrrrrrrrrrrrreat fun and raced him down the fenceline. He just bolted in terror and went for 100 yards - downhill - until their field ended and I could slowly pull him up. Thank goodness there were no cars around. If he'd had shoes on heaven knows if he'd have kept his feet on the road. He certainly didn't keep his head :-0 !!
Jazz is having the day off today for being such a good boy yesterday. I've enjoyed watching the video instead of riding.
Butterkist keeps begging for kisses at the moment. What's got into him???
C
posted by cptrayes @ 2:30 PM
11 comments
11 Comments:
Two lives in two rides? Does that mean you still lhave 7 to go? Bless the horse that spooks in place...mostly what Tucker does, although he has not seen COWS! Those critters used to terrify Russell until at one barn, the owner put a beef calf in the pasture. Russell spent the whole day herding/chasing the poor little think. It ended up lying down,panting, behind the water trough.
So, perhaps you need to add a bovine to your yard?
Hope there are no cows along the hunt route.
I guess its those extra-special cows - you know the ones, the ones who bbq horses alive and then suck all their bones clean! :-)
Bugaloo doesn't think much to them either - he's not taken to bolting, just walks past them snorting, and keeps a good watch - only trouble is he turns his head to watch and keeps walking so ends up looking like a banana and often walks into the hedge cos he's so busy watching the cows he forgets to look where he's walking! and since he's done it more than once i guess he doesn't catch on that quick lol! i think if they mde a move towards him though he'd be off!
have you been teaching butty-butt to kiss??????? or is he creeping cos he wants something? or creeping cos he's DONE something?
I hope there are LOTS of cows when we are out hunting Jean, and then he can see how little notice the others take of them, and stop being scared. The only other horse I have known so afraid of them was Tia.
Ann, Butkins has always liked a kiss on his sweet little grey nose :-))) But you worry me now about just what he might be seeking forgiveness for!
C.
Radar does the hedge thing too Ann - durrrrrr.
C
Well done Jazz. Rather annoying about the judge, but then politics does come into it sometimes, even if it shouldn't.
As for cows. Hopefully he will grow out of it and get more confident when he sees the other horses don't bother, if it is just a case of not having seen them before (my horse is always puzzled about sheep, and did a funny little neigh when he first saw a lamb, just as if he was saying "Ah, how sweet.)
I had a horse which was terrified of cows, but I decided she must have had a bad experience at some time, as she would start to pant with fear if they came near and if we were in a 20 acre field and they were the other end she would keep one eye on them. She was OK if they were separated by a fence - and I am a farmer and she saw cows every day of her life here. She did improve a bit, enough to go round a bunch if we were out on a ride and had to go across a field with a herd, but it was one of the reasons I sold her as every time I went out for a hack I have to cross a field with cows to the end of the drive and I often had her dancing around at the end of the reins with white eyes and snorting and me trying to fend off the cows with a long stick as they were trying to lick her.
My present horse realises that cows are there to be bossed around and he is very good at pulling a fierce face and driving them off and will pick up a hindleg and threaten if they try rubbing their horns on his back legs!
so - the $64,000 dollar question ......... do we keep letting them walk into the hedge? hoping that they will eventually realise that it ISN'T a good idea or do we steer out of it? Bugaloo is SOOOOOOOOO embarassed when i let him walk into the hedge - like its MY fault!
you will eventually find out why Butkins wants forgiveness - like my dog who nicks the cat food and comes to me grinning! he has been up to mischief (either real or perceived!).... you just have to work out WHAT! :-)
My mare didn't think much of cows either, until she learned she could boss them around and make them move - she's low on the totem pole in her herd so just loved the idea of someone lower to move around - we had the chance (close contact saddle and all) to do some basic cow work at a clinic a couple of years ago. Sorry about the scary ride - glad it all ended well!
Haha, Tyler is another banana pony when trying to look at something suspect. usually my friend's gelding who, for some reason, he hates. Have not yet walked into a hedge though...should be amusing!
Glad you're just enjoying the video of Jazz's excellent test and not letting silly judges spoil it. Those pics looked ace
:-)
Judith I'm surprised that living on a farm didn't cure her! As you say, something VERY deep rooted going on there.
Ann I think for the fun of it we should keep letting them walk into hedges and fall into ditches :-))) Like yours, Radar is so terribly embarrassed!
Cow work looks like fun Kate. Perhaps easier with a roping pommel on the saddle though :-) ??
Sarah you haven't lived if you haven't walked into a hedge. Nothing quite like it!
I have just got back from the Banksy exhibition at Bristol. If you can get there, before August 31st, do go, it's ACE. But the queue is over two hours if you get there at 8 am and at least four hours by midday. It's worth it though.
(Jean - Banksy is this country's best known graffiti artist. If he graffitis your wall now, it's worth ten grand overnight!) It was a clever, pointed, political and VERY FUNNY exhibition. If you go - don't miss the natural history bit right in the entrance, there's a "self portrait" in there if you can spot it!!
C
oooh, i'm about 20 miles from Bristol, might have to go see it!
It really is worth the wait Sarah. I'll post one of our or two of our photos later so you can see the scope of it. I think it will be a once in a lifetime exhibition. He's never done it before and I doubt if he'll do another. Even the staff at the museum still don't know who he is, though they know that he has visited several times.
C
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