[Ridge Runner]

Well I shod be a shoe in for the funniest.

[Ridge Runner]

I bet some of the others are wondering : what the He!! are they talking about. :lol:

[shyykatt]

You mean "What the hay are they talking about" :lol:

[Roadhog]

Heeehaw...heeehaw...eeehaw....I laughed so hard I'm a little horse.

:? no...really...that's just how I laugh....why? :P

[Ridge Runner]

This must be why you DON"T look a gift horse in the mouth. :shock:

[RedRaven]

Congrat's on the new colt ShyyKatt... Don't ya just love the babies... They're just so adorable, and funny, watching them play... :lol: :wink:

[shyykatt]

Thnx! He's learning how to eat grain now out of my hand- now every time I go out there he's sniffin' around for treats!

[RedRaven]

I first rode a horse at age 2, and they've always been a passion of mine. When I was younger, I worked with horses, caring for 13 school horses at a riding academy, that also had boarders, and sold horses. They had a few foals, they were a lot of fun to watch out in the pastures. Unfortunately, I had to leave working with horses, simply because I had to make a living. But, when you work with animals, your not going to make a lot of money...

If your fortunate to be in a position that can afford you a living working with animals. I think it is one of the best careers you can have in life. If your an animal lover of course... :lol:

Your very lucky to own horses, and breed them... It is a very expensive endeavor...

I did get to work with Dairy Cattle several years ago. I bought a bull calf from the owner, and raised him to be a breeding bull.

The reason I did it, was that he not only looked like his "Daddy" (sire), but, because his "Daddy", was a great bull, and had not only a good physical conformaton, but, a personality that would be wanted by any Dairy Farmer, and he never missed a cow... :lol: He was a great Holstein breeding bull. It may sound silly to some, but, he was a very intelligent animal. He was more like a big dog, in his behavior. He understood everything you wanted him to do. I had him well trained...

I've delivered literally thousands of calves. I even brought calves that were born not breathing back to life... I've pulled a lot of calves, had many difficult births to deal with, and sadly, you do lose a calf once in a while. Especially when the calving process exceeds it's first hour. That's when things get very serious... Sadly, some farmers breed a cow to a bull that is to large a breed for their first pregnancy, and they struggle to give birth to a calf that is simply to large for them to deliver on their own.

In Dairy Cattle anyway, it is best to breed a Holstein Heifer to a Jersey Bull, for her first pregnancy. They call it calving ease... Once she's had her first calf, the next time she is bred, you can then breed her to a purebred Holstein bull. Because by then she has grown larger herself, and without all the details, it is simply easier for her to pass her calf.

I read you lost some mares, I'm sorry for your loss, I know it must have been a terrible heartbreak for you. I know it is probably a painful subject for you, and you don't have to tell me... But, I was just curious what happened to the mares when they were foaling?...

It bothered me a lot when we lost a calf. Sometimes you had to deal with a prolapsed uturus as well, when a cow was bred to bull that simply produced very large calves. But, we did all of our own doctoring of the cattle. Rarely we would have the vet come out to the farm. Since it was a large operation, you had medications on hand to treat sick animals. I've been there when the vet came out to do surgery on a cow with a twisted stomach. It is amazing to watch a vet operate on an animal that is standing right there in front of you, and has only been given a local anesthetic. I got so good at diagnosing the cattle that I could tell the temperature of a cow, just by touching her. The boss was always amazed at my abilities.

The only reason I don't work cattle anymore, is because of a very bad car accident I was in, while I was on my way to feed my calf. I had taken the day off from work, since it was my birthday, to buy my calf some things, and then that evening go to a birthday celebration a friend of mine was giving me... I left home 5 minutes early with a 10 minute drive to get to the farm. I was one minute from getting to the farm to feed my calf his dinner. When I was stopped in traffic, and ended up being rear ended by a woman who wasn't paying attention, and then sandwiched me into the back of a vehicle in front of me...

Needless to say, that evening put an end to my career with cattle, and eventually I had to sell my calf to the farm owner... It was a very traumatic event. Changed my life completely.

I still miss the farm to this day, the animals, the smell of hay, and just being outdoors with the animals most of the day. On the farm there weren't just the cattle. But, wildlife as well... Wild ducks that would escort their baby ducklings across the main pasture to a nearby pond every May. The wood chucks, muskrats, Chipmunks, deer, turkey vultures, song birds, and coyotes. Coyotes gets a bad rap unfortunately. But, for the farm, they often were the clean up crew. Taking away the after birth from cows that had calved out in the calving pasture. They would also take away any calves that were still born. While some people might find that awful, frankly, I looked at it as natures way of cleaning up, and keeping the pasture healthy, and part of natures lifecyle. Coyotes will never attack a healthy cow, or calf... Many people have a lot of misunderstandings about coyotes.

I was out one night checking on pregnant cows that we kept in a seperate calving pasture, to see who maybe calving, and assist if needed. You don't take a flash light with you, your eyes adjust to the dark, and you can find all the cows easily. Anyway, one night I went out and in the moon light there was a coyote about 50 feet from me... I just stopped and looked at him, and he did the same, looking back at me... He stood there for a little while, then simply turned, and walked off. He was just doing his job searching the pasture for anything he could take home to feed his own young. I knew he'd be back once I left the pasture.

It was just a great experience. I would probably still be at the farm, if it were not for the accident. The injuries I suffered from in the accident have healed as best as they were going too... I could probably go horse back riding again, but, at a relaxed pace. Nothing too jarring... I'm very grateful for all the experiences I've had in my life either owning, or working with animals. Some experiences being once in a lifetime events. I loved it though...

As for horses, I knew a woman who did endurance riding events, and all her ribbons took up every window in her kitchen... :lol:

Personally, if I could I'd own a Quarter horse, just for simple pleasure riding (western of course)... I've ridden english, but, I just prefer western...

Well, again congrat's on the new foal. What type of eventing do you participate in with your horses?...

[shyykatt]

I've been an animal lover my whole life too; the only one in my entire family really. Begged and begged my folks for a horse, (we were pretty poor), and got a pony when I was about 12. It was your typical shetland- a mean lil' sucker, and a stud too!- we didnt really know the difference between a stud or a gelding, or even a mare for that matter! Anyway, he wouldn't let me ride him of course, so a year later we traded him for a chestnut grade mare (beileved to be a mix of arab, QH and maybe Morgan)- I still have her, shes almost 30. I got into breeding once I found my first purbred mare, had her bred to a palomino QH, and she went into delivery like normal, when all hell broke loose; baby wasnt coming out, but tons of blood was- blood like I've never seen before. Well, she died, and no baby ever came. I was devestated- swore I'd never do that again, but I did. That mare died in 2001; in 2003 we had our dream colt born(out of the 2nd mare we ever bought)- I've never seen a colt like this- and his intelligence was unreal. Well, while he was growing up, I had found yet another mare to replace the one I lost; had my own stud by then (in addition to the great colt that was born)so I bred them. Well, Jan.of 2005, with only 2 months left to her due date, she colicked, and she had been straining so much that she literally ripped a 20" long hole in her intestines, and basically poisioned herself- she was dying, but we were able to euthanize her before she suffered too much.That foal died inside her. Then, July that same year, when my husband was off w/his trainer for OTR, our colt, who was 2 yrs old by then, I found him one morning, bleeding furiously out of his mouth and nostrils; long story short, he had a RARE (only the rare and freiky things happen to us!) disease- a fungus found its way onto his main artery in his brain/sinus area, and ate through, and he bled-out. We saved him for 2 weeks, but he had another episode (surgery would have run into the thousands), and I just couldnt deal w/it anymore- I said put him down- and they did, and I still cry over him b/c he was so perfect; I know of many people who have bred for 20 and 30+ years to get a horse like that, and we did it in 5. He just wasnt here for very long. I keep saying I want to get out of the breeding thing, and some days I want out of horses all together, but for some reason I can't. Its the only thing I know really, and I am just not ME unless I'm w/them. I guess we all have are own niches, now if I could only start making some good money at this! lol
I mainly trail ride- there is nothing like it. You can go places that nobody else can. I want to do more trips out west- never been to any mountains yet. We've done a lot of showing, but it is VERY political, and expensive. I just love to ride. You would do well with a Tennessee walker or Fox Trotter- they are SMOOTH-would be better for your body. I've never owned one, but I know many folks who have/do.

[RedRaven]

Who knows, maybe one day, I'll have the chance to own my own horse... If I do, I'll consider the horse breeds you mentioned...

I thought I'd share with you a few photos of my Holstein Bull, I owned, and raised. My accident happened when my calf was only 5 months old, and I ended up selling him back to the farm owner when he was 7 months old... I just couldn't care for him after my auto accident. Broke my heart to have to sell him. I had planned on him being on the farm forever. I was going to keep him as the farms breeding bull, and when he got to big, I would have made arrangements to retire him, and just keep him, out to pasture you could say...

But, life happens when your making plans, and things didn't turn out that way... The farm owner kept him another year, then sold him to another Dairy farm. I drove over an hour to visit him there, when I got the chance. He had changed... Unfortunately some farmers dont' treat their bulls like they should, and can be cruel to them. I think they broke his spirit. He barely allowed me to come to him, and pet him... Many farmers don't want the bulls to be friendly, because bulls, and even cows, will tend to head butt you, just playing. That's what they do to each other sometimes. So, it was a depressing visit. I did go see him one more time... But, it made me so upset, I couldn't go see him anymore after that...

Here are a few photos of my Holstein Bull... I know your probably not interested in Cattle. But, he was my pride, and joy back then... I still have his collar, that I kept on him as a calf, and a small name tag, I keep on my key chain...

Anyway, here are his photos...

This first one is him as a baby, he was 3 days old, and I let him out of his calf hutch, to have some fun, and run in the meadow... It was so funny to watch him... Luckily he came back to me, and I put him in his calf hutch pen... He enjoyed the freedom. I couldn't let him out with the other cows, so, I used to actually put a lunge line on him, and let him run around the meadow for a while each day, once I got done with work, and on my days off...

REMOVED BY ME

This next photo is when he was about a year old, doing his job, and checking out the cows... :lol: If you look closely he had a big heart shape of black on the left side of his neck... Meant he was a lover to the cows, not fighter... He really was a great breeding bull... I wanted to raise him with his horns, but, I was talked out of it by my friend I worked with at the farm. He said, that he would be worth more without his horns, should I have to sell him. Little did I know that's what happened...

REMOVED BY ME

This is the last photo I took of him, this is when he was sold to the Dairy Farm he went too, and where I couldn't bare to see him anymore... He was about 1 1/2 yrs. old... Here he was standing up for himself as the proud Bull that he was, letting the other bulls know, he's top Bull, and the cows belong to him... :wink: 8) It's not the greatest photo, and unfortunately the time of year I took this photo didn't allow for a better photo. If I'd been able to go back in a month, or two, they would have been out in pasture, instead of in the free stall barn area...

REMOVED BY ME

I can say it was a once in life time experience for me, and I am very grateful I got the chance to work the farm, and buy, and raise my Holstein Bull...