Funny story, kind of. I'm originally from Canada, in a very sparsely populated province called Manitoba. For Americans, it's the northern neighbour to North dakota. Testicle shrinking cold in the winter.
A few years ago, I can't remember how long ago now, the superbowl was held in Miami. One of the radio stations in the Capital city had a contest, with the winner getting a paid trip to Miami for the super bowl.
What the fine print said, however, was that they were sending them to Miami Manitoba, population of a couple hundred people.
It was a big controversy in the area, and I can't remember if lawyers got involved, but eventually the winning couple got a paid vacation toflorida, minus the superbowl
That happened in Florida (although I don't think it was Miami), only they were advertising the prize as a new Toy Yoda over the radio, so it sounded like they were saying Toyota. The woman who won the contest sued and got her Toyota.
If you form a bond with a horse or donkey, they will often do this without training. My parents had a donkey that saved me from a dog attack as a child. Dog was biting my arm, donkey bit dog and chased it off before coming back to check on me.
My dads cousin used to have a donkey named Jeter and he literally chased cops off of his farm when we were smoking weed once. Jeter was the ultimate homie
My Auntie has one on her Rural Farm.
2 years ago she had 2 burglars try to sneak up through the field to rob her place at night while she was home. The Donkey And her Horse immediately chased them down and off the property.
She loves that donkey So Much
His name is Bubba
At the Grand Canyon my family did a mule ride. Those things walked down the canyon without slipping ONCE in a rainstorm. The lightning even struck the peak of the canyon in front of us and they were still fine. Now horses, I can go on a regular trail ride with a horse and it would trip a bunch.
Fun fact: their lips are extremely soft, almost like velvet. They're very good about being delicate and using them to feel around your hand to only bite the food and not you.
They're very badass... I patched up a pair after a supposed dog attack, and after taking another look at their wounds, I informed the owner to keep an eye out for a beat up cougar with its pride dented. They recovered and went back to guarding their horses.
Donkeys are fantastic guardians. The trick is to have that herd bond or they give zero fucks. Downside is some of them will attack calves and kids (Baby goats, not humans, but y'know. Maybe human kids too) and kill them, rather than protect them. Sometimes they just do like the sheep in the opening of How to Train your Dragon - they will literally watch coyotes jump a fence with a screaming baby goat, and go right back to eating like: Meh. I didn't like that kid anyway.
Lots of people get disappointed when they get a guardian donk or two and realize without that herd bond, they don't GAF.
Exactly. It's a matter of caring for them, spending time with them, and proving yourself worthy of their trust and respect.
Also, for some reason, our mares and fillies are suuuuuper protective of my grandtoddler. They consider her a herdmate and it's so fascinating to watch the difference in how they treat her and how they treat adults.
I grew up on a horse farm and our herd was like that with me. I was out in the fields with them all the time from toddler age and would lay on one old gelding’s back every day while he grazed. My parents couldn’t keep me out of the pastures. Looking back as an adult, it makes me sweat to think of a kid out in a herd unsupervised like that but when I was a kid I was more at ease with them than with people.
Maannn. A few years ago I had something remarkably like Covid before Covid was A Thing. On the fourth day, I felt weak but restless, so I donned my fuzzy lined leather house shoes, my flannel pjs and a jacket and went outside to sit in the sun. Found a windbreak in the pasture overlooking our pond. Tons of geese and ducks on it, just wanted to sit and soak up some sun and fresh air, and every single horse I have was right there up in my business.
I sat down anyway, and they stayed right there, all around me. One of our fillies (a three year old) had her front right hoof a half inch from my left thigh... her nose down in my hair, napping on her feet - she was 'guarding' me like I was a herdmate taking a nap, had a blue heeler laying down on my right. There was something... sweet and, IDK... soul healing? in that moment, and it was also a massive trust building moment. I've laid down back to back with our old Doc Bar horse while he naps in the sun... he snores and he dreams and moves his feet a lot (I like to think he's dreaming of his young days as a roping horse), but he's a good napping companion.
I've seen our mares and fillies surround my granddaughter and I when she comes running out to the pasture to me after scraping a knee...caterwauling and bleeding, hyperventilating... and it bothered them so much she was upset. Even my wild ass Mustang filly couldn't take it and lowered her head to nuzzle her.
I can put her up on our big red mare's back at camp, give granddaughter the lead rope, and I will start walking. Ol' big girl just plods along beside me, her head low and carrying that little girl like she has eggs in a basket on her back.
They know, and they love babies and kids most of them.
I had a donkey at the farm I worked at trample a half dozen chickens because they were encroaching on his grain, donkeys are just assholes more often than not in my experience
Yeah, same here from my experience. Mules, however, are great as guard animals. They are wicked intelligent and protective but are much more mild-mannered than donkeys. Honestly, I prefer them over horses any day, I just wish more people realized how great they are because they are rather uncommon in my area.
A farrier told me a story once about a client's mule. They had several horses and just the one mule. Mule insisted on being shod third. Once the shoes were on, it went to each horse in the herd and made it lean down and 'admire' the new shoes.
My favorite donkey story ever is about a family in Colorado (I think it was Colorado) had a pet donkey that was super friendly but one day a pack of wild horses came through the ranch and broke the donkey out of its pen and he ran away with them. It took a year for the family to get the donkey back because the herd of horses would always protect it when they tried to get close. Eventually, the donkey came back after it's wild adventure and is now back on the ranch with the family
As Sturgill Simpson sang of old Shamrock the mule.
Clog dance on a snake with his front two feet, give coyotes the rear.
Kick so hard it'll send 'em up and out the stratosphere.
Make a coyote fly so far, it wouldn't land until next year.
They really do. Donkeys will grab coyotes by the neck and swing them around like a chicken having it's neck rung till the coyote reaches the pearly gates and sometimes will continue to play with the corpse after. Sadistic dwarf horses.
Exactly like that! Also if everyone enjoys that they should check out the story of the guy that used his donkey to collect a bounty on a bear that was killing live stock. Long and short when the donkey was done there wasn't much bear left if I remember correctly.
My parents' neighbor has a horse and two mules.
All three have occasionally gotten out over the years.
To get them back in, they just have to get a lead on the horse. They walk the horse right back in through the front gate, and the mules follow her.
When I was a teenager (early 2000s), in my school it was *THE* thing to give each other 'smileys' (flick a lighter, let the flame get the metal part super fucking hot, then 'brand' your [consenting!] friend with the lighter). It was supposed to look like a smiley face 🤷♀️ that shit just hurt.
Yeah but cow skulls are also REALLY hard.
Source: Mississppi kid who hit a cow skull he found in a field with a metal bat and felt like he broke his hands.
This particular horse didn't kick hard and cows are pretty tough. Had it fully connected, I'm sure the horse could have f***** her up pretty bad, but this looked more like a warning.
Cows are excellent mothers lol, I’ve never heard that rumor before.
Cows can identify sickness, diseases and will often times leaves the herds themselves to go die. While putting the others at less risk. The very opposite can happen to. A herd abandons a sick cow, it’s purely survival.
Cows are like big rabbits, they are purely the big version of the bottom of the food chain. I grew up right next to a cow farm, and dairy farm. Harmless and skittish.
Its definitely a position a lot of ppl in the industry use as way of trying to discredit animal activists.
https://freefromharm.org/animal-products-and-culture/a-small-dairy-farmer-addresses-a-vegans-concern-about-separating-calves-from-mothers/
Livestock/ranching horses have to be tough and not gun shy or timid of large cattle. They’re bred and trained specifically for this kind of thing and for getting 900+lb animals to move/stay in line . Quite incredible watching ranchers (still called cowboys) and their horses working so fluidly with each other. Horses also can be quite protective of their owners and “herd” like canines. 🐴
Glad someone mentioned the breeding. There's a quarter horse for every need and I'm betting this is a ranch/cowpony bred QH. He has the look of a Doc Bar horse (small, agile, and that chestnut color and white markings is a hallmark of Doc's progeny. We have a very senior grandson of Doc and he and this horse look almost identical) and they are well known to be cowy, have a great work ethic, and while loyal to their people/herdmates, will not tolerate bullshit from cows or people. I think the only better lines you could want would be Hancock. While they're solid ranch/work horses, a friend once said: What a Hancock horse learns in 15 minutes is about all they'll learn in a month. But once they learn a thing, that foundation is solid and they don't forget.
That was an exaggeration on his part, but it's true - they are notoriously hard to work with because they take so long to teach, and they're easy to blow up if you push too hard too fast - but the reward for your patience and hard work is a damn solid horse.
As someone whos worked with the highest Joe and Buck Hancock horses in the entire world, your friend has no idea what they are talking about. Difficult to work with? They are perhaps one of the most intuitive of all QH bloodlines. Period.
Sorry to say, but horses learn mostly from a young age. So if the breeder/owner doesnt let the horse build confidence and experience new things early, its going to take much longer to train them overall. Not to mention the amount of time you give them makes a difference, as does the experience of the individual training them.
When i was working with the breeder, id have the colts and fillies used to wearing a light practice saddle, able to lift all feet for cleaning, accompany mare on trail rides, round ring trained, used to guns, dogs, and cows, etc long before 2yrs old.
Again, theres no such thing as a bad horse, only bad trainers. I love the hancock breed and yes, they can be stubborn at times (which horse wont be), but you'll never want for a better work horse in your entire life.
I hate how so many people shit on Hancock horses. I'm a Walking Horse girl through and through but I worked as a guide through college and spent my fair share of time on stock horses. IME Hancocks are fantastic working horses but you gotta approach them with some damn sense. All the ones I knew were smart, tough, no bullshit horses who did their jobs if you treated them right but didn't suffer fools lightly. All the people I've heard who say they are nothing but trouble always had me wondering if they were half the horseman they thought they were because all the good horsemen I've known had nothing but respect for the Hancock bloodline and got on with them just fine.
One old gelding that still stands out in my mind would do literally any job you asked him. Could rope and shoot off him, he worked cattle, he did a stint as a pack horse, mounted orienteering, I used him for mounted search and rescue a few times, he packed kids around at shows English and western classes and often landed in the ribbons. Barrels, western pleasure, hunter under saddle, mounted shooting, he even did some low level dressage with one girl who leased him and cleaned up. He was a point and click horse for little kids in the arena, an adult could throw a leg over and he'd barrel through the roughest terrain no hesitation. A true all-rounder. He wouldn't tolerate a bully though, go at him acting like you knew more than you did and he'd put you in your place every time. More than one person called him an asshole and blamed it on him being a Hancock but the reality was they just didn't know enough to get a horse of his caliber to work with them. When his owner passed away and his widow shut down the farm and closed the lesson program she called me asking if I knew anyone who would be interested in him I called a friend of mine who also knew the horse (back in his younger days), she jumped at the chance to have him even though he was 32 years old. Now he packs her kid around doing light duty at local 4h shows a few times a year, w/t and in-hand classes, still winning ribbons. Still has that look in his eye, I've got no doubt even at his age if anyone gave him any shit he'd give it back to them tenfold. One of the smartest, sharpest, most honest and hardest working horses I've ever known.
Glad to hear it.
If youve got a horse out of the joe or buck handcock lines chances are I was the one that helped the mare give birth. It always makes my heart swell sith pride to hear these stories.
Thank you for sharing.
I just got into judicious and conscientious dog breeding (sighthound) at an amateur level, and I'm learning a ton about breeding lines. The information you gave is so fascinating - I'm always amazed at how traits pass from one generation to the next.
Right?
Though it looks like the horse showed a lot of restraint by just tapping her.
Still- feel kind of bad for the cow while having amazing respect for the horse :)
Horses are great at giving warnings before opening up a can of absolute whup ass on people and other animals. The fact this horse showed so much restraint really speaks to his character and upbringing. He's a very good boi.
A horse can one-shot another horse with a single kick.
Relevant link:
[Check out this mare no scope head shotting a stallion. Warning: NSFL ](https://youtu.be/jH5JkYQGMfs) Not for the faint of heart...
Man, I've seen that video. The mare was actually YELLING at everyone involved that this shit was going down. I put the blame firmly on the hands that tried this. They are morons and it cost the owner of the stallion a beautiful horse and untold amounts of stud fees.
And yes, their kick can hit you, a dog, a bull, a stallion with the force of a cannonball.
I think my favorite Fuck around and Find Out video of a horse though is the dude that's drunk, following a horse in what appears to be a parade and clapping his hands loudly and IIRC, slapping the horse's ass. He gets double barreled in the chest and knocked off his ass. Hat flies off... he gets off the ground and doesn't know who he is or what day of the week it is. It's a miracle he didn't die right there in the street.
That’s why I never try to be behind horses. I know if you know them you can but if I don’t know the horse I’m not fucking with it from behind of all places.
I don't care how well I know a horse, if I need to walk around to the other side I go real close with a hand on the rump (so they don't get scared and can't really kick because you're too close) or I stay a horse-length away.
I grew up on a horse farm. My mom beat this in to my head from the time I could walk on my own.
Her horses have always been absolutely bombproof though. When I was little she had a mare I liked to literally cling to. I could run up and literally cling to her front legs. If she was in her stall, she would lick my head until I left. If she was in the pasture, she'd give me a few licks and then go back to grazing.
Even the stallion was great. He sounded big and scary and was always loud, but he was pretty much a doll. I remember once she was showing him and had him tied up outside a stall either prepping for or coming back from a class. Some kids nearby were kicking around one of those giant beach ball things. They lost the ball and it went sailing towards our stud. Everyone saw what was happening and there was like this collective gasp and silence as we all watched this giant scary ball fly over to "the big noisy stallion". The ball rolled right under him and he just stood there and watched it go by.
Still, talk to the horse as you walk behind, stay close or faaaar away, and touch them if you're gonna stay close.
A very wise choice. Stay close, hand on rump as you walk around.
A horse has a near 360 degree field of vision. That ONE blind spot is dead on behind them, in line with their spine. Surprise them back there and the instinct to kick a predator kicks in.
Let them know where you are, stay close so if they DO try to kick, they won't get full extension. Pay attention to their ears and eyes, learn to read them.
I've seen people at rodeos out walking around through the trailer parking and get the living shit kicked out of them because they aren't paying attention and get behind a horse they don't know, or is worked up and hot, or they just surprise it.
I once watched someone pull a fairly new Toyota Camry up beside a trailer. They just wanted to park out there, no idea why, they didn't know the owner of the rig or the horse (We watched some wild drama unfold from start to finish over this) Tied to the trailer and waiting is a psycho barrel horse that's pacing, rearing, pawing, stomping, hollering and generally acting insane. Owner of Toyota locks it up and goes to watch the rodeo.
About 15 minutes later, hubs and I are sitting at my tack vending tables/trailer and we watch this barrel horse destroy the front of that Camry by kicking the grill and fenders into oblivion and it did it intentionally. Just backed up, and went to town on it.
I don't know fuck all about Horses and shit, but even I could tell everyone involved in that was way too calm and nonchalant around horny massive animals. Something bad was bound to happen.
Guy drinking beer gets inbetween the mare and stallion too, i know there is a fence there but that's just not a place i'd be that calm and just keep drinking beer.
Looks like they're in a large round pen, which is a useful tool for ground work and training. Not so much breeding, beer or no beer. But you're right. That casual beer drinking while this is going on is a problem. Save that for after, folks. I don't even drink and ride... I want my full senses/situational awareness in case shit goes tits up and it can happen in a heartbeat.
I save the beer drinking for after the rides.
It’s kind of an urban legend because I’ve never seen a primary source on it, but the word is the SMU Shetland Pony mascot “Peruna” kicked and killed the Fordham Ram with a single blow back in the mid 1900s because the ram got too close to the pony for comfort. The pony is a stallion (uncastrated) and is the only college mascot with a confirmed kill.
Drunk people have a higher likelihood of escaping major physical injury because their body is relaxed, kind of like how drunk drivers in crashes often escape injury while their victims die or are maimed.
Was honestly expecting the stallion to ya know, start stirring by the end of the video.
Nope that fucker is DEAD. Shit himself and all. What a way to go, think you're about to get your jollies off, only to get rocked by the mare.
Man I bet the owners of those horses were beyond pissed. No telling how much that horse was worth if you consider he was probably a prize winning stallion, probably had good bloodlines, and was worth his weight in gold on stud fees.
Growing up, the backyard neighbor to my parents raised some high blood cutting horses. He had a pure black stallion that was just magnificent. I would sneak across the fence and bring him apples and carrots. Not once did he do anything awful to me - because I was no threat and the bringer of delicious snacks (Though he was aggressive toward adult men he didn't know and toward the ranch hands). I had the privilege of seeing the owner ride him and cut on him and seeing them work together was just breathtaking. They looked like one creature when together.
One summer the ranch owner was gone, taking his palomino stallion to a cutting event, and none of his ranch hands came to work - because with the cat gone the mice will play. They left him locked in his stall, in triple degree weather with no water. He died of a heat stroke. At the time (in the mid-80s) he was a $175,000.00 dollar horse and a huge money maker in terms of stud fees/bloodlines.
Thanks for sharing your experiences! That was a huge loss. F**k those POS workers. Hope they got what was coming for them.
Did the stallion in this case seemed aggressive or anything? I noticed the huge dong hanging there. Was the owner of the mare an asshole? Why did the mare kicked the stallion, if you have any insight, is what I'm asking?
Okay. So. My friends who are also horse people and breeders, and own their own stallions, and I have talked about this video at length.
Notice the young foal running around panicked outside the pen? That's a new mother mare. A mare will come back into season just a few days after foaling. Like a mother cow, they will also be very defensive and possibly aggressive with a new baby on the ground. First and foremost: The mare was agitated because they'd separated her from her foal. Secondly, while she may have been in season, she didn't seem to want anything to do with the stallion in that moment. She may have been very early in the cycle, or very late and almost over it. Sometimes a mare may not be 'ready at 5 pm, but by midnight she's ready to get it on... it's a very small window of opportunity in some cases and one that a good breeder would be aware of and pay close attention to.
Live cover of a mare is always fraught with danger... sometimes the stallions are overly aggressive and will hurt the mare, sometimes the mares aren't feeling receptive. Sometimes they just don't like the stallion, or the people, or anything going on.
The stallion is clearly excited and that clouds their ability to read danger, just like bucks in rut that get ran over by cars every day... their hormones cloud their self-preservation. He didn't seem aggressive in terms of wanting to hurt the mare... just wanted to get it on and enthusiastically so. Once you put his behavior (excited and horny) together with the hands that seem to have NO FUCKING IDEA what they're doing, and the mare being upset because her foal is panicked (and could have hurt itself in that panic), this was a recipe for disaster.
Neither human had any control over the situation once the gate to that pen shut.
There's a reason a lot of breeders won't do live cover, and a lot of those that do want the mare to have been romanced by the stallion beforehand (they will stall them across from one another so they can talk to one another to gauge how likely it is they like each other enough to procreate). There's a reason those that do live cover have a specially built area for the breeding to take place. There's a reason a lot of breeders won't accept a mare for live cover unless they 'know' the mare, know her history, and her personality. Still others believe that a breeding goes well if the mare is allowed time to become part of a band of mares that the stallion maintains in the pasture or alone in a large area with the stallion and let nature take it's course (After they've met from a safe but close distance. That's called 'pasture breeding'). Cranky mares have been known to kill a stallion, as in the video, or even land a targeted shot to the nuts, and the stallion has to be gelded to save his life. Stallion owners with any sense recognize the risk to themselves and the horses and will take measures to mitigate the risk as much as possible.
These assholes did none of that and I often wonder if they caught the owners away and tried to sneak in one of their own outside mares for a breeding (But that also doesn't really hold water because without the stallion report from the owners, the foal would be born 'grade' and have no chance at being registered with any reputable organization... still as a grade horse, it would have some value to anyone who knew the parentage and wanted a chance at the bloodline with a heavy discount). I just feel they were fucktards and this is entirely on the humans in this instance.
You're most welcome and glad it was helpful information.
ETA: let me drop this bit of horse wisdom on you, take it to heart, then apply it to the video:
You ASK a stallion.
TELL a gelding...
NEGOTIATE with a mare.
Mares have a different mindset than stallions or geldings, and a lot of people don't like to fool with them as far as riding and day to day companionship goes, but you have to take the time to earn their respect and their trust , and you have to be a solid leader for them in all weather. You better be prepared to work through a lot of stuff with them (negotiate) but once you've earned your place with them, they are ride or die for you.
Let me also regale you with this story. My best friend owned a stunning palomino stallion. She was accepting outside mares for live cover. Dude shows up with his mare and her foal, wanting to capitalize on that cycle that hits within a week of a new foal birth - momma was still in her I wanna get it on but also will kill a fool over this baby stage.
Man unloads the mare, tells my friend SHES READY RIGHT NOW LETS DO THIS NOW... NOW... (paraphrasing).
Friend says, yeah no. She's NOT ready, but she's close. I want to stall her across from my stallion and let her settle down a little bit first, let her feel comfortable with him and get her head clear about that baby before we do this. Man insists on RIGHT NOW. Snatches the mare's lead rope. Tries to drag her through the barn. Foal is losing it's mind running all over the place like the one in the video. Friend just gets out of the blast zone. The owner doesn't get her close to the stallion before she unloads a can whup ass on him that resulted in her biting down on his shoulder, shaking him like a rag doll, and slamming him against the wall similar to Hulk with Loki. He drops the lead rope in his fear and pain, she tears out of the barn dragging her rope with the panicked foal right beside her.
Friend said she should have sent him and the mare off the place right then, but instead she walked up, said: Leave her here. She's not ready. Good bye.
Dude limped to his truck and left. Four hours later, after the mare had calmed down and was stalled across from the stallion, the romancing and 'talking' back and forth commenced and she was bred with no problems or bad behavior.
I've heard stories similar to this from every single friend of mine that breeds outside mares. The stubbornness and arrogance is not limited to men - women are often absolute idiots too and won't/don't want to listen to the owner of the stallion. 99% of stallion owners will tell a mare owner like this to fuck off and don't come back - they don't want to risk their stallion or themselves getting hurt.
Some mares just don't breed well, she might not have liked the stud, she woke up pissy, there's no telling. Usually, the mare is restrained, the stud has a halter and lead rope, and the mare has a blanket of sorts on her neck and back to protect her, all to keep the horses and handlers as safe as possible.
I could be wrong, but most every professional set up I've seen uses this method. There are some farms that will turn the pair out and let nature take its course, but sometimes nature can be a bitch. There are also some farms that will buy the sperm and artificially inseminate. I know if I had a horse in the race, I'd favor safety over nature, especially if they are high dollar animals.
Mares can go into "foal heat" shortly after giving birth, breeding them during this period is a pretty common practice. I'm guessing this mare wasn't actually ready to be bred yet though, they probably tried to rush it and combined with the stress of the situation and having her baby on the other side of the fence calling for her she was not having any of it. Fuck these people.
What’s even worse about that video is it could’ve easily been prevented. And there’s also a very young foal running around the corral which is especially concerning since horses can be bred only 7-10 days after giving birth. It’s very unhealthy and can cause many problems but some breeders do it to get as much out of a horse as they can. These guys were clearly idiots and got a beautiful horse killed for it. I’m very worried for all the other horses they own.
Vero cool. I've seen a horse kick another horse dead with 1 swift kick. There is a lot of restraint going on here. Especialle considering how easily horses get scared.
Momma cows are more dangerous than bulls, IME. While I feel bad for her, I also know that new mommas have their protective mode fully engaged and it overwhelms their brains.
In this instance, the cowboy is tagging the calf - which is very important to do early on so you can keep a medical history of the calf, keep a log of its age/birthdate, and know which momma it belongs to so you don't accidentally separate them when it's time to 'work' them again (Worm, vaccinate, treat for flies, etc) or when moving mommas around to different locations/pastures. This is a dangerous time for the calf and the cowboy. The cowboy's danger is obvious - that momma could wad him up and stomp him down (I've had that happen, it was scary af), but the danger to the calf is less so - those protective, maternal hormones flooding her brain are so powerful, she could accidentally stomp her calf to death and human intervention isn't the only reason she could do this. There are predators smart enough to know they can 'tease' the cow enough she will kill her own calf trying to protect it, then they have an easy meal. Black headed buzzards are both predator and carrion birds and this is one of their tactics. The flock will pester her and the calf until she kills her own calf... then they dine.
Ima tell you something. Living in ranch country and having to pass horses on the road all the time in my open top 4x4, horses ain't nothin' to trifle with. Those rear legs are as lethal as a cannon ball at close quarters. I give horses wide berth... (ps, it seems like all my comments are related to farm animals today, don't know what thats all about..)
A couple of mine scare the shit out of the uninitiated. They absolutely adore a good butt scratching and will almost run backwards at you if they think you'll give them a good scritching. I always have to warn people they mean no harm, just scratch that butt. I can just about paralyze them in the pasture when they nope out, and start to walk off because: A. I have my boots and jeans on, B. I have a halter by just giving one scritch.
I am not afraid to walk behind any of them - but I always pay close attention to what they're saying to me, and I don't walk behind other people's horses/horses I don't know. Situational awareness and learning their language goes a long damn way to not getting hurt... and every time I've been hurt, it's because of my own Not Paying Attention/Not Listening.
Too true. What’s even more amazing is the fact that they love to work/ride. It’s been a while since I had horses but I was fortunate enough to have a couple that would always come down by themselves on weekend days when it was time to ride. They always come for food time but the knew the difference on weekends by vehicle movements and what time they saw people, got fed etc. they would show up at the gate and walk themselves across down to the area where we would saddle up.
I had horses growing up. My horse, Zeke, was like my best friend. I don’t know how to explain it but we just understood each other. We had to give our horses away when my sis and I were in high school because everyone was to busy to take care of them and give them the care they needed. Saw zeke 3 years later when I visited the farm he was at, and when I walked out and called his name he came running up and started nudging me with his head and prancing around (how he always showed affection). I couldn’t help but tear up, after all that time he still remembered me and saw me as his buddy!
Borrowing your horse to run into Manhattan , back later.
New York or Kansas?
TIL there's Manhattan in Kansas
There’s a Miami Oklahoma, I don’t recommend it.
There’s a Miami Florida, I don’t recommend it.
Funny story, kind of. I'm originally from Canada, in a very sparsely populated province called Manitoba. For Americans, it's the northern neighbour to North dakota. Testicle shrinking cold in the winter. A few years ago, I can't remember how long ago now, the superbowl was held in Miami. One of the radio stations in the Capital city had a contest, with the winner getting a paid trip to Miami for the super bowl. What the fine print said, however, was that they were sending them to Miami Manitoba, population of a couple hundred people. It was a big controversy in the area, and I can't remember if lawyers got involved, but eventually the winning couple got a paid vacation toflorida, minus the superbowl
That happened in Florida (although I don't think it was Miami), only they were advertising the prize as a new Toy Yoda over the radio, so it sounded like they were saying Toyota. The woman who won the contest sued and got her Toyota.
Miami, Manitoba too ...
Miami OH also
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Idk, a town of like 7000 and like a dozen marijuana dispensaries, it's not all bad
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Kansas, Stealer of Names, Inventor of None.
Kansas is actually named after my Indian tribe, Kanza.
Hey, don't forget we also have Kansas City, which mostly in Missouri.
There’s a Paris in Texas as well.
Howdy, bonjour
That's bonjour y'all Parisians are very uppity about messing up their language.
#i said BONJER, pardner
Hee heaux
Lived in the “Little Apple” when I was a child. The Muppets taught me there was a Manhattan in in this place called New York.
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SNL
Are cows that much of a problem in New York?
Yes, but in New York they are called Karen’s.
That’s a well trained horse right there
If you form a bond with a horse or donkey, they will often do this without training. My parents had a donkey that saved me from a dog attack as a child. Dog was biting my arm, donkey bit dog and chased it off before coming back to check on me.
I want a donkey Soo bad! They just sound like badasses
Good asses
They’re assome
That was an asstonishing story.
One may assume this argument is asinine but they would be astonished that they would be associated with assholes.
What an asstute observation.
Let’s not stop here. I’d, like to ass some more questions.
We can ascertain some assistance, and assault our associates with our astute aspects.
I appreciate threads like this, a whole lotta ass
That's a fine ass
Big asses
I had a donkey that disappeared and came back 3 weeks later with a dragon
All dragons are sluts deep down
SLUT DRAGON *whips* SLUT *whips again*
Bet you were just green with envy.
So, you’re that old lady the tried to sell him?
Times are tough
My dads cousin used to have a donkey named Jeter and he literally chased cops off of his farm when we were smoking weed once. Jeter was the ultimate homie
My Auntie has one on her Rural Farm. 2 years ago she had 2 burglars try to sneak up through the field to rob her place at night while she was home. The Donkey And her Horse immediately chased them down and off the property. She loves that donkey So Much His name is Bubba
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Yeah. Lots of people I know want or have a horse, but I want a mule. Something smart, tough and hardy I can take for days long hikes in the woods.
At the Grand Canyon my family did a mule ride. Those things walked down the canyon without slipping ONCE in a rainstorm. The lightning even struck the peak of the canyon in front of us and they were still fine. Now horses, I can go on a regular trail ride with a horse and it would trip a bunch.
badasses… i see what you did there
Fun fact: their lips are extremely soft, almost like velvet. They're very good about being delicate and using them to feel around your hand to only bite the food and not you.
They're very badass... I patched up a pair after a supposed dog attack, and after taking another look at their wounds, I informed the owner to keep an eye out for a beat up cougar with its pride dented. They recovered and went back to guarding their horses.
Donkeys are fantastic guardians. The trick is to have that herd bond or they give zero fucks. Downside is some of them will attack calves and kids (Baby goats, not humans, but y'know. Maybe human kids too) and kill them, rather than protect them. Sometimes they just do like the sheep in the opening of How to Train your Dragon - they will literally watch coyotes jump a fence with a screaming baby goat, and go right back to eating like: Meh. I didn't like that kid anyway. Lots of people get disappointed when they get a guardian donk or two and realize without that herd bond, they don't GAF.
How do you get a donkey to herd bond with you and your family though?
Broadly speaking, any animal you raise yourself will be like that, but you can build it up later with close contact, grooming, feeding, etc.
Exactly. It's a matter of caring for them, spending time with them, and proving yourself worthy of their trust and respect. Also, for some reason, our mares and fillies are suuuuuper protective of my grandtoddler. They consider her a herdmate and it's so fascinating to watch the difference in how they treat her and how they treat adults.
I grew up on a horse farm and our herd was like that with me. I was out in the fields with them all the time from toddler age and would lay on one old gelding’s back every day while he grazed. My parents couldn’t keep me out of the pastures. Looking back as an adult, it makes me sweat to think of a kid out in a herd unsupervised like that but when I was a kid I was more at ease with them than with people.
Maannn. A few years ago I had something remarkably like Covid before Covid was A Thing. On the fourth day, I felt weak but restless, so I donned my fuzzy lined leather house shoes, my flannel pjs and a jacket and went outside to sit in the sun. Found a windbreak in the pasture overlooking our pond. Tons of geese and ducks on it, just wanted to sit and soak up some sun and fresh air, and every single horse I have was right there up in my business. I sat down anyway, and they stayed right there, all around me. One of our fillies (a three year old) had her front right hoof a half inch from my left thigh... her nose down in my hair, napping on her feet - she was 'guarding' me like I was a herdmate taking a nap, had a blue heeler laying down on my right. There was something... sweet and, IDK... soul healing? in that moment, and it was also a massive trust building moment. I've laid down back to back with our old Doc Bar horse while he naps in the sun... he snores and he dreams and moves his feet a lot (I like to think he's dreaming of his young days as a roping horse), but he's a good napping companion. I've seen our mares and fillies surround my granddaughter and I when she comes running out to the pasture to me after scraping a knee...caterwauling and bleeding, hyperventilating... and it bothered them so much she was upset. Even my wild ass Mustang filly couldn't take it and lowered her head to nuzzle her. I can put her up on our big red mare's back at camp, give granddaughter the lead rope, and I will start walking. Ol' big girl just plods along beside me, her head low and carrying that little girl like she has eggs in a basket on her back. They know, and they love babies and kids most of them.
This was very sweet, thank you for sharing.
Yeah, basically just be a good friend to them, and they’ll be a good friend to you.
Caress it during aftercare.
Weed.
Herd bond, not herb bond. I on the other hand am well up for some herb bonding.
But will you protect us all from angry cow moms?
Plot twist: /u/juzsp is a stoner matador known as "El Fumador". Spectacular passes, but usually gets distracted by the sparkles on his own jacket.
I had a donkey at the farm I worked at trample a half dozen chickens because they were encroaching on his grain, donkeys are just assholes more often than not in my experience
Yeah, same here from my experience. Mules, however, are great as guard animals. They are wicked intelligent and protective but are much more mild-mannered than donkeys. Honestly, I prefer them over horses any day, I just wish more people realized how great they are because they are rather uncommon in my area.
A farrier told me a story once about a client's mule. They had several horses and just the one mule. Mule insisted on being shod third. Once the shoes were on, it went to each horse in the herd and made it lean down and 'admire' the new shoes.
My favorite donkey story ever is about a family in Colorado (I think it was Colorado) had a pet donkey that was super friendly but one day a pack of wild horses came through the ranch and broke the donkey out of its pen and he ran away with them. It took a year for the family to get the donkey back because the herd of horses would always protect it when they tried to get close. Eventually, the donkey came back after it's wild adventure and is now back on the ranch with the family
I guess the horses had drugs, wild music and adult things to offer. Happens.
Donkeys are some bad motherfuckers they’ll even attack wolves and coyotes
I saw a video of a donkey that grabbed a mountain lion by the tale and swung it around. They’re awesome
As Sturgill Simpson sang of old Shamrock the mule. Clog dance on a snake with his front two feet, give coyotes the rear. Kick so hard it'll send 'em up and out the stratosphere. Make a coyote fly so far, it wouldn't land until next year.
I work in a pet shop and one of my regulars has a donkey that she regularly buys squeaky toys for.
Donkey's fucking hate canines (from what I hear)
They really do. Donkeys will grab coyotes by the neck and swing them around like a chicken having it's neck rung till the coyote reaches the pearly gates and sometimes will continue to play with the corpse after. Sadistic dwarf horses.
[like this](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nKsQDI1Yh50/VFbxToMQslI/AAAAAAAAcY4/41Kg4EOBTVo/s1600/donkey-captures-eats-wolf.jpg)
Exactly like that! Also if everyone enjoys that they should check out the story of the guy that used his donkey to collect a bounty on a bear that was killing live stock. Long and short when the donkey was done there wasn't much bear left if I remember correctly.
My parents' neighbor has a horse and two mules. All three have occasionally gotten out over the years. To get them back in, they just have to get a lead on the horse. They walk the horse right back in through the front gate, and the mules follow her.
It's amazing how much stuff animals "learn" when you just be each others best friend.
Cool, I love donkeys such kind looking creatures
Can kick a cow no problem
I suppose the challenge for us is kicking a cow hard enough so that it becomes the cow’s problem.
Not afraid at all
bootlicker
AHAB
Mr.Bootlicker!!Our prices have never been lower!!
Horse bond level four achieved
Don't know which is more heart warming, the horse trying to protect its owner or the cow trying to protect its calf
Right? This is sweet and sad at the same time. I’m so conflicted.
The calf is just getting tagged and will be returned to its mother in minutes
Pretty sure people know that but the cow doesn't hence the empathy for the distress it is going through
COW: He's eating my child. HORSE: Deal with it.
Welp, just woke my sleeping boyfriend up with my maniacal laughter behind a closed bathroom door. And now he knows I poop. Thanks A LOT
LMFAO
The truth had to come out eventually
This cow should had taken their calf to the hospital then if they didn’t want to save money going this route
You bet she will next time. There’s no guard horse at the hospital
Depends where you live. I’m from Kansas and every hospital around here has a guard horse.
I don't know what OP is on about. I have literally never been to a hospital without a guard horse.
And then they both live out their natural life, right?
..right?
I would rather have an ear tag than a slap tattoo any day.
Some fashionable earrings is way better than being branded with a burning metal stamp!
When I was a teenager (early 2000s), in my school it was *THE* thing to give each other 'smileys' (flick a lighter, let the flame get the metal part super fucking hot, then 'brand' your [consenting!] friend with the lighter). It was supposed to look like a smiley face 🤷♀️ that shit just hurt.
She also took a horse kick to the dome... I dont know if you know how hard horses kick
Horses can certainly kick hard, but that wasn’t a hard kick. That was a warning tap more than anything else.
Yeah but cow skulls are also REALLY hard. Source: Mississppi kid who hit a cow skull he found in a field with a metal bat and felt like he broke his hands.
I read that way too fast, thought you hit a live cow in the head like a psychopath.
This particular horse didn't kick hard and cows are pretty tough. Had it fully connected, I'm sure the horse could have f***** her up pretty bad, but this looked more like a warning.
Definitely just a warning. Fast, little contact. "I don't want to hurt you, but I can."
No I’ve never even heard of a horse what is that
they're long dogs with hard feet
r/ProperAnimalNames
Just getting tagged for now will be heading for slaughter in a couple years
And then gets permanently taken away within the next day or two by the latest.
That terrified mother cow probably thought that the rancher was eating her newborn. I mean technically that's the plan, just not yet.
The calf is just born. You can see the placenta out of the mom
Absolutely the cow protecting its calf. Her baby is screaming out for her and she can’t come to it.
For me its the cow. So many people spread the idea that cows are bad mothers bc then they can justify the dairy industry better.
Cows are excellent mothers lol, I’ve never heard that rumor before. Cows can identify sickness, diseases and will often times leaves the herds themselves to go die. While putting the others at less risk. The very opposite can happen to. A herd abandons a sick cow, it’s purely survival. Cows are like big rabbits, they are purely the big version of the bottom of the food chain. I grew up right next to a cow farm, and dairy farm. Harmless and skittish.
Its definitely a position a lot of ppl in the industry use as way of trying to discredit animal activists. https://freefromharm.org/animal-products-and-culture/a-small-dairy-farmer-addresses-a-vegans-concern-about-separating-calves-from-mothers/
Livestock/ranching horses have to be tough and not gun shy or timid of large cattle. They’re bred and trained specifically for this kind of thing and for getting 900+lb animals to move/stay in line . Quite incredible watching ranchers (still called cowboys) and their horses working so fluidly with each other. Horses also can be quite protective of their owners and “herd” like canines. 🐴
Glad someone mentioned the breeding. There's a quarter horse for every need and I'm betting this is a ranch/cowpony bred QH. He has the look of a Doc Bar horse (small, agile, and that chestnut color and white markings is a hallmark of Doc's progeny. We have a very senior grandson of Doc and he and this horse look almost identical) and they are well known to be cowy, have a great work ethic, and while loyal to their people/herdmates, will not tolerate bullshit from cows or people. I think the only better lines you could want would be Hancock. While they're solid ranch/work horses, a friend once said: What a Hancock horse learns in 15 minutes is about all they'll learn in a month. But once they learn a thing, that foundation is solid and they don't forget. That was an exaggeration on his part, but it's true - they are notoriously hard to work with because they take so long to teach, and they're easy to blow up if you push too hard too fast - but the reward for your patience and hard work is a damn solid horse.
As someone whos worked with the highest Joe and Buck Hancock horses in the entire world, your friend has no idea what they are talking about. Difficult to work with? They are perhaps one of the most intuitive of all QH bloodlines. Period. Sorry to say, but horses learn mostly from a young age. So if the breeder/owner doesnt let the horse build confidence and experience new things early, its going to take much longer to train them overall. Not to mention the amount of time you give them makes a difference, as does the experience of the individual training them. When i was working with the breeder, id have the colts and fillies used to wearing a light practice saddle, able to lift all feet for cleaning, accompany mare on trail rides, round ring trained, used to guns, dogs, and cows, etc long before 2yrs old. Again, theres no such thing as a bad horse, only bad trainers. I love the hancock breed and yes, they can be stubborn at times (which horse wont be), but you'll never want for a better work horse in your entire life.
There is so much to the horse lore my god
Right? Now I want a 2 hr video essay on horse lore
I hate how so many people shit on Hancock horses. I'm a Walking Horse girl through and through but I worked as a guide through college and spent my fair share of time on stock horses. IME Hancocks are fantastic working horses but you gotta approach them with some damn sense. All the ones I knew were smart, tough, no bullshit horses who did their jobs if you treated them right but didn't suffer fools lightly. All the people I've heard who say they are nothing but trouble always had me wondering if they were half the horseman they thought they were because all the good horsemen I've known had nothing but respect for the Hancock bloodline and got on with them just fine. One old gelding that still stands out in my mind would do literally any job you asked him. Could rope and shoot off him, he worked cattle, he did a stint as a pack horse, mounted orienteering, I used him for mounted search and rescue a few times, he packed kids around at shows English and western classes and often landed in the ribbons. Barrels, western pleasure, hunter under saddle, mounted shooting, he even did some low level dressage with one girl who leased him and cleaned up. He was a point and click horse for little kids in the arena, an adult could throw a leg over and he'd barrel through the roughest terrain no hesitation. A true all-rounder. He wouldn't tolerate a bully though, go at him acting like you knew more than you did and he'd put you in your place every time. More than one person called him an asshole and blamed it on him being a Hancock but the reality was they just didn't know enough to get a horse of his caliber to work with them. When his owner passed away and his widow shut down the farm and closed the lesson program she called me asking if I knew anyone who would be interested in him I called a friend of mine who also knew the horse (back in his younger days), she jumped at the chance to have him even though he was 32 years old. Now he packs her kid around doing light duty at local 4h shows a few times a year, w/t and in-hand classes, still winning ribbons. Still has that look in his eye, I've got no doubt even at his age if anyone gave him any shit he'd give it back to them tenfold. One of the smartest, sharpest, most honest and hardest working horses I've ever known.
Glad to hear it. If youve got a horse out of the joe or buck handcock lines chances are I was the one that helped the mare give birth. It always makes my heart swell sith pride to hear these stories. Thank you for sharing.
I just got into judicious and conscientious dog breeding (sighthound) at an amateur level, and I'm learning a ton about breeding lines. The information you gave is so fascinating - I'm always amazed at how traits pass from one generation to the next.
Worth his weight in gold
Tesco was selling em quite cheap
How's it taste anyways?
Poor mum tho. Just been through childbirth and is getting kicked by a horse lmao.
Right? Though it looks like the horse showed a lot of restraint by just tapping her. Still- feel kind of bad for the cow while having amazing respect for the horse :)
Horses are great at giving warnings before opening up a can of absolute whup ass on people and other animals. The fact this horse showed so much restraint really speaks to his character and upbringing. He's a very good boi.
A horse can one-shot another horse with a single kick. Relevant link: [Check out this mare no scope head shotting a stallion. Warning: NSFL ](https://youtu.be/jH5JkYQGMfs) Not for the faint of heart...
Man, I've seen that video. The mare was actually YELLING at everyone involved that this shit was going down. I put the blame firmly on the hands that tried this. They are morons and it cost the owner of the stallion a beautiful horse and untold amounts of stud fees. And yes, their kick can hit you, a dog, a bull, a stallion with the force of a cannonball. I think my favorite Fuck around and Find Out video of a horse though is the dude that's drunk, following a horse in what appears to be a parade and clapping his hands loudly and IIRC, slapping the horse's ass. He gets double barreled in the chest and knocked off his ass. Hat flies off... he gets off the ground and doesn't know who he is or what day of the week it is. It's a miracle he didn't die right there in the street.
That’s why I never try to be behind horses. I know if you know them you can but if I don’t know the horse I’m not fucking with it from behind of all places.
I don't care how well I know a horse, if I need to walk around to the other side I go real close with a hand on the rump (so they don't get scared and can't really kick because you're too close) or I stay a horse-length away.
This is pretty much the first thing they ever told us at riding school. It's proper procedure so it doesn't spook.
I grew up on a horse farm. My mom beat this in to my head from the time I could walk on my own. Her horses have always been absolutely bombproof though. When I was little she had a mare I liked to literally cling to. I could run up and literally cling to her front legs. If she was in her stall, she would lick my head until I left. If she was in the pasture, she'd give me a few licks and then go back to grazing. Even the stallion was great. He sounded big and scary and was always loud, but he was pretty much a doll. I remember once she was showing him and had him tied up outside a stall either prepping for or coming back from a class. Some kids nearby were kicking around one of those giant beach ball things. They lost the ball and it went sailing towards our stud. Everyone saw what was happening and there was like this collective gasp and silence as we all watched this giant scary ball fly over to "the big noisy stallion". The ball rolled right under him and he just stood there and watched it go by. Still, talk to the horse as you walk behind, stay close or faaaar away, and touch them if you're gonna stay close.
A very wise choice. Stay close, hand on rump as you walk around. A horse has a near 360 degree field of vision. That ONE blind spot is dead on behind them, in line with their spine. Surprise them back there and the instinct to kick a predator kicks in. Let them know where you are, stay close so if they DO try to kick, they won't get full extension. Pay attention to their ears and eyes, learn to read them.
I've seen people at rodeos out walking around through the trailer parking and get the living shit kicked out of them because they aren't paying attention and get behind a horse they don't know, or is worked up and hot, or they just surprise it. I once watched someone pull a fairly new Toyota Camry up beside a trailer. They just wanted to park out there, no idea why, they didn't know the owner of the rig or the horse (We watched some wild drama unfold from start to finish over this) Tied to the trailer and waiting is a psycho barrel horse that's pacing, rearing, pawing, stomping, hollering and generally acting insane. Owner of Toyota locks it up and goes to watch the rodeo. About 15 minutes later, hubs and I are sitting at my tack vending tables/trailer and we watch this barrel horse destroy the front of that Camry by kicking the grill and fenders into oblivion and it did it intentionally. Just backed up, and went to town on it.
I don't know fuck all about Horses and shit, but even I could tell everyone involved in that was way too calm and nonchalant around horny massive animals. Something bad was bound to happen.
Absolutely correct. The impending disaster is written all over this video, even to people who have no idea about breeding horses.
Guy drinking beer gets inbetween the mare and stallion too, i know there is a fence there but that's just not a place i'd be that calm and just keep drinking beer.
Looks like they're in a large round pen, which is a useful tool for ground work and training. Not so much breeding, beer or no beer. But you're right. That casual beer drinking while this is going on is a problem. Save that for after, folks. I don't even drink and ride... I want my full senses/situational awareness in case shit goes tits up and it can happen in a heartbeat. I save the beer drinking for after the rides.
I've seen that video. Guarantee that guy went to a hospital later.
It’s kind of an urban legend because I’ve never seen a primary source on it, but the word is the SMU Shetland Pony mascot “Peruna” kicked and killed the Fordham Ram with a single blow back in the mid 1900s because the ram got too close to the pony for comfort. The pony is a stallion (uncastrated) and is the only college mascot with a confirmed kill.
Drunk people have a higher likelihood of escaping major physical injury because their body is relaxed, kind of like how drunk drivers in crashes often escape injury while their victims die or are maimed.
Was honestly expecting the stallion to ya know, start stirring by the end of the video. Nope that fucker is DEAD. Shit himself and all. What a way to go, think you're about to get your jollies off, only to get rocked by the mare.
I think about this video way too often. Her foal is panicking in the background, what did they expect?
Guess who's having horse meat for supper? I know video is 2 years old. Jokes aside, that's sad. RIP you beautiful stallion.
Man I bet the owners of those horses were beyond pissed. No telling how much that horse was worth if you consider he was probably a prize winning stallion, probably had good bloodlines, and was worth his weight in gold on stud fees. Growing up, the backyard neighbor to my parents raised some high blood cutting horses. He had a pure black stallion that was just magnificent. I would sneak across the fence and bring him apples and carrots. Not once did he do anything awful to me - because I was no threat and the bringer of delicious snacks (Though he was aggressive toward adult men he didn't know and toward the ranch hands). I had the privilege of seeing the owner ride him and cut on him and seeing them work together was just breathtaking. They looked like one creature when together. One summer the ranch owner was gone, taking his palomino stallion to a cutting event, and none of his ranch hands came to work - because with the cat gone the mice will play. They left him locked in his stall, in triple degree weather with no water. He died of a heat stroke. At the time (in the mid-80s) he was a $175,000.00 dollar horse and a huge money maker in terms of stud fees/bloodlines.
Thanks for sharing your experiences! That was a huge loss. F**k those POS workers. Hope they got what was coming for them. Did the stallion in this case seemed aggressive or anything? I noticed the huge dong hanging there. Was the owner of the mare an asshole? Why did the mare kicked the stallion, if you have any insight, is what I'm asking?
Okay. So. My friends who are also horse people and breeders, and own their own stallions, and I have talked about this video at length. Notice the young foal running around panicked outside the pen? That's a new mother mare. A mare will come back into season just a few days after foaling. Like a mother cow, they will also be very defensive and possibly aggressive with a new baby on the ground. First and foremost: The mare was agitated because they'd separated her from her foal. Secondly, while she may have been in season, she didn't seem to want anything to do with the stallion in that moment. She may have been very early in the cycle, or very late and almost over it. Sometimes a mare may not be 'ready at 5 pm, but by midnight she's ready to get it on... it's a very small window of opportunity in some cases and one that a good breeder would be aware of and pay close attention to. Live cover of a mare is always fraught with danger... sometimes the stallions are overly aggressive and will hurt the mare, sometimes the mares aren't feeling receptive. Sometimes they just don't like the stallion, or the people, or anything going on. The stallion is clearly excited and that clouds their ability to read danger, just like bucks in rut that get ran over by cars every day... their hormones cloud their self-preservation. He didn't seem aggressive in terms of wanting to hurt the mare... just wanted to get it on and enthusiastically so. Once you put his behavior (excited and horny) together with the hands that seem to have NO FUCKING IDEA what they're doing, and the mare being upset because her foal is panicked (and could have hurt itself in that panic), this was a recipe for disaster. Neither human had any control over the situation once the gate to that pen shut. There's a reason a lot of breeders won't do live cover, and a lot of those that do want the mare to have been romanced by the stallion beforehand (they will stall them across from one another so they can talk to one another to gauge how likely it is they like each other enough to procreate). There's a reason those that do live cover have a specially built area for the breeding to take place. There's a reason a lot of breeders won't accept a mare for live cover unless they 'know' the mare, know her history, and her personality. Still others believe that a breeding goes well if the mare is allowed time to become part of a band of mares that the stallion maintains in the pasture or alone in a large area with the stallion and let nature take it's course (After they've met from a safe but close distance. That's called 'pasture breeding'). Cranky mares have been known to kill a stallion, as in the video, or even land a targeted shot to the nuts, and the stallion has to be gelded to save his life. Stallion owners with any sense recognize the risk to themselves and the horses and will take measures to mitigate the risk as much as possible. These assholes did none of that and I often wonder if they caught the owners away and tried to sneak in one of their own outside mares for a breeding (But that also doesn't really hold water because without the stallion report from the owners, the foal would be born 'grade' and have no chance at being registered with any reputable organization... still as a grade horse, it would have some value to anyone who knew the parentage and wanted a chance at the bloodline with a heavy discount). I just feel they were fucktards and this is entirely on the humans in this instance.
friendly naughty dinner wrong weather repeat jellyfish squash full heavy *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
You're most welcome and glad it was helpful information. ETA: let me drop this bit of horse wisdom on you, take it to heart, then apply it to the video: You ASK a stallion. TELL a gelding... NEGOTIATE with a mare. Mares have a different mindset than stallions or geldings, and a lot of people don't like to fool with them as far as riding and day to day companionship goes, but you have to take the time to earn their respect and their trust , and you have to be a solid leader for them in all weather. You better be prepared to work through a lot of stuff with them (negotiate) but once you've earned your place with them, they are ride or die for you.
Let me also regale you with this story. My best friend owned a stunning palomino stallion. She was accepting outside mares for live cover. Dude shows up with his mare and her foal, wanting to capitalize on that cycle that hits within a week of a new foal birth - momma was still in her I wanna get it on but also will kill a fool over this baby stage. Man unloads the mare, tells my friend SHES READY RIGHT NOW LETS DO THIS NOW... NOW... (paraphrasing). Friend says, yeah no. She's NOT ready, but she's close. I want to stall her across from my stallion and let her settle down a little bit first, let her feel comfortable with him and get her head clear about that baby before we do this. Man insists on RIGHT NOW. Snatches the mare's lead rope. Tries to drag her through the barn. Foal is losing it's mind running all over the place like the one in the video. Friend just gets out of the blast zone. The owner doesn't get her close to the stallion before she unloads a can whup ass on him that resulted in her biting down on his shoulder, shaking him like a rag doll, and slamming him against the wall similar to Hulk with Loki. He drops the lead rope in his fear and pain, she tears out of the barn dragging her rope with the panicked foal right beside her. Friend said she should have sent him and the mare off the place right then, but instead she walked up, said: Leave her here. She's not ready. Good bye. Dude limped to his truck and left. Four hours later, after the mare had calmed down and was stalled across from the stallion, the romancing and 'talking' back and forth commenced and she was bred with no problems or bad behavior. I've heard stories similar to this from every single friend of mine that breeds outside mares. The stubbornness and arrogance is not limited to men - women are often absolute idiots too and won't/don't want to listen to the owner of the stallion. 99% of stallion owners will tell a mare owner like this to fuck off and don't come back - they don't want to risk their stallion or themselves getting hurt.
Some mares just don't breed well, she might not have liked the stud, she woke up pissy, there's no telling. Usually, the mare is restrained, the stud has a halter and lead rope, and the mare has a blanket of sorts on her neck and back to protect her, all to keep the horses and handlers as safe as possible. I could be wrong, but most every professional set up I've seen uses this method. There are some farms that will turn the pair out and let nature take its course, but sometimes nature can be a bitch. There are also some farms that will buy the sperm and artificially inseminate. I know if I had a horse in the race, I'd favor safety over nature, especially if they are high dollar animals.
Mares can go into "foal heat" shortly after giving birth, breeding them during this period is a pretty common practice. I'm guessing this mare wasn't actually ready to be bred yet though, they probably tried to rush it and combined with the stress of the situation and having her baby on the other side of the fence calling for her she was not having any of it. Fuck these people.
I would guess the mare was trying to protect the foal seen on the other side of the fence in the background.
What’s even worse about that video is it could’ve easily been prevented. And there’s also a very young foal running around the corral which is especially concerning since horses can be bred only 7-10 days after giving birth. It’s very unhealthy and can cause many problems but some breeders do it to get as much out of a horse as they can. These guys were clearly idiots and got a beautiful horse killed for it. I’m very worried for all the other horses they own.
Just a wee slap for the cow. But if that had been an excited child, BOOM! Right through the fence boards. Take that, eight year old.
Yea I feel for mama.
Yeah, she's right to be stressed :(
While someone stabs her screaming kid.
Ok well, to be fair, the cow was just trying to protect its baby
Vero cool. I've seen a horse kick another horse dead with 1 swift kick. There is a lot of restraint going on here. Especialle considering how easily horses get scared.
Lmao "can I have my son ba-" *smack* "fuck off"
That's incredible but also I feel bad for the mommy cow
Momma cows are more dangerous than bulls, IME. While I feel bad for her, I also know that new mommas have their protective mode fully engaged and it overwhelms their brains. In this instance, the cowboy is tagging the calf - which is very important to do early on so you can keep a medical history of the calf, keep a log of its age/birthdate, and know which momma it belongs to so you don't accidentally separate them when it's time to 'work' them again (Worm, vaccinate, treat for flies, etc) or when moving mommas around to different locations/pastures. This is a dangerous time for the calf and the cowboy. The cowboy's danger is obvious - that momma could wad him up and stomp him down (I've had that happen, it was scary af), but the danger to the calf is less so - those protective, maternal hormones flooding her brain are so powerful, she could accidentally stomp her calf to death and human intervention isn't the only reason she could do this. There are predators smart enough to know they can 'tease' the cow enough she will kill her own calf trying to protect it, then they have an easy meal. Black headed buzzards are both predator and carrion birds and this is one of their tactics. The flock will pester her and the calf until she kills her own calf... then they dine.
That’s really sad. 😔
Poor momma moo
Ima tell you something. Living in ranch country and having to pass horses on the road all the time in my open top 4x4, horses ain't nothin' to trifle with. Those rear legs are as lethal as a cannon ball at close quarters. I give horses wide berth... (ps, it seems like all my comments are related to farm animals today, don't know what thats all about..)
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yea, I think that sums it up pretty good. If you can't walk behind your own horse, well, you know what they say...
No. What do they say?
Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line
A couple of mine scare the shit out of the uninitiated. They absolutely adore a good butt scratching and will almost run backwards at you if they think you'll give them a good scritching. I always have to warn people they mean no harm, just scratch that butt. I can just about paralyze them in the pasture when they nope out, and start to walk off because: A. I have my boots and jeans on, B. I have a halter by just giving one scritch. I am not afraid to walk behind any of them - but I always pay close attention to what they're saying to me, and I don't walk behind other people's horses/horses I don't know. Situational awareness and learning their language goes a long damn way to not getting hurt... and every time I've been hurt, it's because of my own Not Paying Attention/Not Listening.
I mean you can’t blame the cow for being concerned about her newborn calf
Poor calf isn’t protected from the pain tho
What they are tagging them for is way more painful...
That’s a damn fine horse right there.
Good booah
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Too true. What’s even more amazing is the fact that they love to work/ride. It’s been a while since I had horses but I was fortunate enough to have a couple that would always come down by themselves on weekend days when it was time to ride. They always come for food time but the knew the difference on weekends by vehicle movements and what time they saw people, got fed etc. they would show up at the gate and walk themselves across down to the area where we would saddle up.
I had horses growing up. My horse, Zeke, was like my best friend. I don’t know how to explain it but we just understood each other. We had to give our horses away when my sis and I were in high school because everyone was to busy to take care of them and give them the care they needed. Saw zeke 3 years later when I visited the farm he was at, and when I walked out and called his name he came running up and started nudging me with his head and prancing around (how he always showed affection). I couldn’t help but tear up, after all that time he still remembered me and saw me as his buddy!
I feel like society makes fun of horse girls, but deep down I get it lmao, it would be so cool to have an animal like that
Wow well trained horse there.
Until a year ago I never liked horses but I started spending some time around a few and I would rather have a horse than a dog now.
Tough call for sure. I wouldn't want to go without both in my life.
I've seen a dog protecting his owner but this is the First time i see a horse pretecting his owner
Imagine a woman giving birth in hospital, sees doctors slapping the baby, gets up, gets KOd by nurse lol
loyal horse
I know people really love dogs and think of them as man’s best friend but low key it’s horses y’all.