Posted 2008-10-13 8:10 PM (#93011) Subject: Stretching Your Horse's Ability
Veteran
Posts: 270 Location: Roanoke IL
Well, my horse officially earned her cow pony badge today. A friend of mine's cows got out and were heading onto other people's property. I rode through creeks (deep ones) and thick brush, and big open fields and rounded up the cattle. My horse had a blast! I never knew she could do anything like that. She rode out by herself, and did a great job. It's so fun to see what your horse is capable of. She had never even seen a cow until about a week ago. She rode through a herd, and did well. She's Haflinger/Belgian, so I wouldn't have expected her to have any cow sense....but she sure tried her hardest, and the cows made it safely home. You never know how good your horse is until you give them the opportunity.
Posted 2008-10-13 9:27 PM (#93016 - in reply to #93011) Subject: RE: Stretching Your Horse's Ability
Elite Veteran
Posts: 681 Location: Corpus Christi, Texas
I remember back (a long time ago!) when I was 16, my appy colt and I got the opportunity to help haze some cows up the the front part of the farm we were renting a house on.. Neither of us had ever done anything like it before.. He trotted on springs the whole way.. It was fun!
Posted 2008-10-14 9:40 PM (#93065 - in reply to #93011) Subject: RE: Stretching Your Horse's Ability
Member
Posts: 45 Location: Southern Illinois
I ride an Arab and we happened upon some cows on a trail in Texas (Lake Ray Roberts?) one time and we herded them back to their pasture and I was totally surprised she had some "cow sense", especially since she usually shys at everything on the trail like large rocks, patches of grass that are discolored, nothing in particular, etc.. But she did a great job with the cows and really seemed to enjoy it (and I did too!).
Posted 2008-10-15 6:12 AM (#93073 - in reply to #93011) Subject: RE: Stretching Your Horse's Ability
Elite Veteran
Posts: 681 Location: Corpus Christi, Texas
your Arab mare sounds like my Rocky mare (maybe it's a girl thing? LOL!) My mare shies at grashoppers taking off in front of her, once she jumped about 3 feet straight up because her hoof kicked out a compressed dirt clod in front of her nose.. HORRORS!!! when you ride her on what passes for trail here, her head is on a hinge constantly looking back and forth (despite the fact that we've ridden this same field for over 6 years) I keep waiting for her to turn her head completely around like the excorcist pony!
HOWEVER, the last time we went to Bandera,TX and she actually had something worthwhile to do, like climb some steep hills, she put her ears up and her head down and went to it like a trojan...
Stretching Your Horse's Ability
