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[RC] More loose animal stories - Mary HowellHi April - enjoyed your story. Cows here in eastern VA are a lot tamer! A few years back, someone's big black bull got loose and traveled 10 miles on rural back roads before ending up near my house. Hubby passed it on his way home and was concerned someone would hit it since night was fast approaching. While neighbors called animal control, I went out with a bucket of horsefeed and found the bull to be footsore, exhausted and delighted to snarf up the grain while hubby fetched my portable metal corral. They built the corral around me & the bull as he kept eating; this restrained him until the stock trailer arrived. Phew! Riding early on a Sunday morning about a month ago, I came across neighbors on foot having little success herding two dozen cattle who had escaped from a hole in their wire fence and scattered into a tall field of corn. My horse had worked cattle before, so I explained my strategy to the others and went around to the back of the field to begin driving the cattle in small groups in the correct direction. I was able to herd them in 3 batches, with the people on foot opening and closing the gate each time. The last few cattle were more stubborn. Facing off one of them (waving arms, my horse eyeball to eyeball) it finally turned tail and I saw it was a big black bull too! Glad I didn't know that beforeforehand... Growing up in an area known for its hog products (like Smithfield Ham) I recall the terror of trying to herd loose 400 lb sows through the peanut fields...much scarier than cattle if you ask me! I'm no where near the Wild West, but we also encountered loose horses several times as a child. I'll never forget the time my mom (not a horse person) made a loop of her arms and caught a 2 year old colt that was running towards Rt 10...he was had been handled enough that her contact on his neck was enough to stop and hold him until I could run up with a halter. Sometimes animals are glad to be caught! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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