Saddle Cows?

[mamahen]

I was talking to a neighbor the other day who was telling me when they were kids, they would pick one of the dairy cows in the back field, jump on & ride her back to the barn. That got me thinking..

I know I've seen pictures before of people training cows to ride, plus oxen or steers to do farm work. Just how old does the cow/steer need to be to be backed? I remember when I was first married, we would set a small child, under 50 lbs on our steers back. The steer was about 6 months old. He never even flinched & let me lead him around. Unfortunatley he went to the freezer.

How big/old would a bovine have to be to carry, say a 150 lb person around?

Tricia

[Goat Freak]

I am not sure, but i would THINK that about 500-600 pounds would be bigenough/strong enough to carry a 150 pound person, if not heavier.

[lgslgs]

We started working with our calf at one week old, but just with us standing in cow riding position.

At 5 months old, we "ride" with me using my feet as training wheels, and on uneven ground she has lifted me off my feet for a second or two. Standing, if she is standing with good balane, she can hold my 150 lbs easily for 5 - 6 seconds. She does this comfortably for my 162 lb husband for 3 - 5 seconds.

At this point, we are still working on getting her used to the position and the feeling of weight, but not asking her to support my weight for any length of time. As she grows a bit more, she'll need to take more weight as only my tip toes will be able to touch the ground. We expect that once my feet are off the ground completely, she will be capable of supporting me for short rides on even terrain, and then we'll go from there.

As long as we keep working at a gentle pace and have an animal that is showing no apprehension about our daily "rides" (and willing coming up to us when she sees we have the halter) we figure we are working within her abilities.

Time now for our evening halter hike, foot handling, and a bit of cow riding training.

Lynda

[uncle Will in In.]

Lynda, you need a pair of inline skates. By the time your wheels are off the ground it can carry your weight. Meanwhile you can teach it to steer with reins.
When I was little we had a jersey cow that would let my older brother and sister hop on and ride while they were driving the milking herd home from pasture. If they were out where there was brush, she would try to scrape them off by going under anything she could.

[Haggis]

There are quite a few folks out there riding cattle!!

http://www.ridingsteers.com/home.htm