Welcome Back, Winter

By: Ted Howard Production Animal Consultation

“Not only are we under more pressures in the winter months, so are our equine partners.”

Hello, Winter, my old friend. This cold season introduces different challenges to those of us in the feedyard industry. Wintertime normally does not give us the opportunity to refine our horsemanship skills. The pressures of caring for weaned calves, weather elements of freezing temperatures and poor ground conditions, as well as less sunlight make achieving horsemanship goals very difficult. The horsemanship work we accomplish in the warmer months becomes very apparent and begins to pay off this time of year.

Not only are we under more pressures in the winter months, so are our equine partners. Colder weather increases the nutrient and water requirements for our horses. It is important to make sure the energy levels in our horses are maintained at a high level. The inconsistent footing in the pens and alleyways is also a pressure for our horses.

In previous articles, I have discussed the importance of the correct horseshoes for different types of ground conditions. Toes and heels as well as rim shoes need to be used appropriately to give your horse greater traction. We must also remember to use the horse that is best suited for the situation or day.

Horses are all different in their range of abilities. Just like in the horseracing world or on the barrel racing circuits, each horse handles ground differently. Some racehorses can run in mud where others cannot. Barrel horses have different successes depending on their abilities to manage all kinds of ground. Therefore, we cannot be surprised in the feedlots that we have horses that are better than others handling different types of ground conditions.

I normally see three horses per stockman used in a rotational manner. Two horses are interchanged every other day and another horse is turned out resting. This system rotates every ten days to two weeks. Know your horses well enough to know which one is appropriate for the day’s conditions. Sometimes a younger, less sure-footed horse is best used on a day that is not quite as slick or treacherous. However, with that being said, we cannot overuse our solid, more sure-footed horses.

More sure-footed horses handle the muddy or slick ground conditions and allow us to pull cattle quietly. A horse that struggles keeping their feet under them tends to be nervous and preoccupied and therefore creates unease in the cattle. Our cattle are struggling with the same ground conditions and will move more tentatively and perhaps slower. Remembering to allow the cattle to set the pace to the gate when pulling them is important.

We need to set up ourselves and our horses for a very safe experience. We cannot benefit our horse, the cattle entrusted to our care or our team if we are hurt. Working on our horsemanship in the warmer months helps for an easier winter season. So welcome back, Winter, my old friend, but move on through! Stay warm out there!

By: Dr. Tom Noffsinger Production Animal Consultation

What is presence?

Remember when feedlot teams received highly sensitive cattle from remote areas that frantically rushed off trucks and those caregivers were directed to stay out of pens either horseback or on foot until cattle “settled”? How long did it take cattle to accept their new home? Where did they choose to live? What levels of feed and water intakes occurred? How did these cattle move through processing facilities?

Today we know that allowing the right caregiver to interact correctly with these cattle from outside the pen for a few minutes can drastically change cattle perception of their new home. Within a few moments, “wild” cattle are drawn to caregivers that demonstrate a positive “presence”. They soon allow a handler to enter the pen without a frantic response and are willing to respond with orderly motion. They crave to see their source of guidance and will volunteer to follow a handler they trust.

What qualities do effective stockmen possess that draw cattle and people to them? Why can folks like Shane Morrissey from Australia empty a pen by themselves by leading cattle out the gate? Why can Ted Howard get single cattle to walk away from the herd and go with him to the hospital? What does Dr. Kip Lukasiewicz do to convince cattle to surround him and want attention? These handlers have several things in common. They have keen powers of observation and notice the slightest changes in animal behavior. They are responsive and reward tiny improvements in cattle attitudes. They have a curiosity to understand previous experiences that shape cattle behavior. These stockmen express humility and deeply respect the variation in cattle working zones. They know how to offer support to newly arrived cattle before they ask them to take direction. Shane Morrissey states that caregivers with a positive presence willingly take responsibility for how cattle behave. We can all work together to be more magnetic to cattle and team members.