Has anyone trained a Brown Swiss to be ridden?

[kathy taylor]

Has anyone trained a Brown Swiss to be ridden? I am contimplating to do so. She is a sweetie. Would like to converse on the subject.

[SherrieC]

I remember seeing a video of a full grown jersey In Milk no less being ridden by a young lady, and they were jumping jumps, slowly but well. So Cute!

[RoyalOaksRanch]

Originally Posted by kathy taylor

Has anyone trained a Brown Swiss to be ridden? I am contimplating to do so. She is a sweetie. Would like to converse on the subject.

I would imagene that any animal can be taught to pack weight. Wether its you or pack... It would be easier to start with a young one. Why do you want to ride a cow anyway?? They are sooo boney...

[Don Armstrong]

Off-hand I would think they'd be better suited to pulling a single ox-cart (cow-cart?). I've seen many pictures of such. Of course, it would do no harm to have the animal used to be being ridden bare-back, but most use would be with it able to take freight around.

For what it's worth, here are some plans for inexpensive carts:

http://www.eng.warwick.ac.uk/DTU/pubs/animals.html

I once saw an ad for a steer that someone had trained to walk, trot, maybe even gallop! It had its own, custom saddle.

[uncle Will in In.]

If she's tame, you can ride her.. Tie her up and get on. She'll get used to it very quickly. We had a jersey that anyone could ride. Never did try to guide her. We pastured our cows almost 3/4 mile from the house. We had to walk down the gravel road to get them, but we'd jump on Old Briney and ride home. She was always the last cow in the procession anyway. When my wife was small her mother milked five cows out in the pasture. (not tied) during the summer. She would set my wife on their pet cow until the milking was finished.
Just get on her and pet her until she gets to liking it (Tied)
I've seen Jersey oxen driven with lines and bridles like horses. I don't see why it wouldn't work on a "Saddle Cow"

[wr]

Logistically, it's quite possibe. I have a friend that used a Brahma bull for his main "saddle horse" for years, there's a Longhorn bull that's quite noted for manners under saddle. You might want to try www.longhornshowcase.com they have a great section on training cattle to ride, drive and a few other special ideas. I know that some guys use a bridle with a good old fashioned curb bit, others use halters and there is a new fangled nose bit that's being touted as the in thing now. Good luck and keep us posted. My kids have ridden an old Jersey cow we had for years but it was more of a sit on Eleanor and let her go where ever she wants.

[RoyalOaksRanch]

Originally Posted by wr

Logistically, it's quite possibe. I have a friend that used a Brahma bull for his main "saddle horse" for years, there's a Longhorn bull that's quite noted for manners under saddle. You might want to try www.longhornshowcase.com they have a great section on training cattle to ride, drive and a few other special ideas. I know that some guys use a bridle with a good old fashioned curb bit, others use halters and there is a new fangled nose bit that's being touted as the in thing now. Good luck and keep us posted. My kids have ridden an old Jersey cow we had for years but it was more of a sit on Eleanor and let her go where ever she wants.

I would suggest a regular old snaffle, since a curb bit is something only a seasoned horse uses. Snaffles are more gentle, and the curb is meant to push up on the roof of the mouth and down on the tongue. If used too harshly you could proabbly hurt the cow. Snaffles apply some presure to the tongue but not as sever as the curb... Bigger the snaffle the less sever it is.. Also Im guessing youll be "Plow Reining" in which case a curb wouldnt work as good. .

[wr]

I was told that the reason a snaffle was not used is because cattle are not soft mouthed as a horse is an if they choose to walk through a snaffle they will but that came from the old boy that used the bull as a saddle horse so I really can't comment beyond his personal opinion.

[JanH]

Originally Posted by kathy taylor

Has anyone trained a Brown Swiss to be ridden? I am contimplating to do so. She is a sweetie. Would like to converse on the subject.

Some have recommended bits...*don't*. Snaffles and others are for horses...not cattle. Horses have a space where there are no teeth...that isn't the case with *cattle*. Tie a pen in your mouth for a while and see how uncomfortable it gets. If you must adapt horse equipment use a bosal or hackamore. I know one person who has a Longhorn broke and even team pens with it - he uses a "bit" in the nose - Dickinson Ranch in Calhan CO is the place and the bull is huge. YES a Brown Swiss can be ridden. I'd been around several that could be sat on with no problem. I've had Charolais - when I was growing up - that I rode.

[wr]

JanH, it's funny you mentioned that, we were just watching a herd sire video from Dickinson Cattle Co the same night I posted on this thread and Zhivago was one of the featured bulls. I was so happy to see him featured because I owned one of his daughters for years and just loved her. She had the same temperament the old bull did. Sadly, he has passed now. I think the 'nose bits' make a lot of sense but I wondered how easy it would be to convince someone to peirce the nose of a milk cow.

[JanH]

Originally Posted by wr

JanH, it's funny you mentioned that, we were just watching a herd sire video from Dickinson Cattle Co the same night I posted on this thread and Zhivago was one of the featured bulls. I was so happy to see him featured because I owned one of his daughters for years and just loved her. She had the same temperament the old bull did. Sadly, he has passed now. I think the 'nose bits' make a lot of sense but I wondered how easy it would be to convince someone to peirce the nose of a milk cow.

That was an amazing bull!! Probably on the average milk cow...no a nose bit wouldn't be an acceptable option. It'd depend on how much you needed it. With Zhivago...he was a *BIG* boy...it might have been a safety issue with him being in public and all. For around the farm...most I've seen can be controlled with a halter. After all, there's a great many oxen who work with *no* head control...just a stick to direct them. I'd think for occasional riding on a gentle animal a halter would be fine. From a structure standpoint I wouldn't use horse bits.

[Dchall_San_Anto]

Camel riders use a true bosal (which is called a hak'ma in their language: hence the British picked up the word, Hackamore (which looks nothing like a bosal)). Anyway, riders guide the camels by weight shifting on the saddle.

I think the 4,000 pound Chianina oxen pictured here are big enough to ride.

[Jackpine Savage]

Those are impressive animals! Are they yours David?

When I was a kid here in central Minnesota we had a neighbor that had about every kind of critter there was for pets. Bear, coyote, skunk, regular farm animals, you name it. He was someone that just had a way with animals. The last I heard of him he rode a steer down to Texas. Wish I could remember his name.

[Dchall_San_Anto]

Haha! I wish they were mine!! I just found them on an oxen website. Chianina are the largest cattle in the world, so their oxen make the largest beasts of burden. These were in competition for sheer pulling power as I recall.

To me those things look like they should be painted blue with Paul Bunyon nearby.

Can you say "rib eye the size of rump roast?"

[Don Armstrong]

Originally Posted by Dchall_San_Anto

Chianina are the largest cattle in the world, so their oxen make the largest beasts of burden.

Shh. Don't tell the elephants. They've always been under the impression that it was them.

[Dchall_San_Anto]

:haha: :haha: :haha:
Different worlds, huh! Forgot about those other big beasts.

I guess the Chianina would be the largest bovine beasts.