Pack Hereford

[Nat(wasIxy)]

Here’s my lovely herefordX heifer, Peach, learning the ropes as far as packing goes. She’s an extremely affectionate, easygoing character, although she is a bit bossy and cheeky if you let her be, quite a different attitude to the steers – definately sees herself as more of an equal to me! The panniers are simply two baskets tied with rope, slung over a woolly rug. It’s very, very simple and any kind of rough terrian or sudden movements would see it off! So, when we do a bit more I’ll need some sort of girth&britchen arrangement…

[dominiquer60]

Peach is lovely, how old is she?
My Herefordcross heifer is the same, she thinks she might like to be my equal, but knows the only way to get a taste of grain each evening is to back up a few steps, shaking her head of course. She is super affectionate and likes time with people.

Erika

[Nat(wasIxy)]

She’s about a year now 🙂

[Tim Harrigan]

Do you have horned herefords over your way?

[Nat(wasIxy)]

I don’t specifically know of any breeders close to me, but we have them in the country, along with polled and traditional, which also have horns.

[sanhestar]

Hello,

nice!

You’ll also need a system that offers more padding along the spine and/or a thicker girth that connects the baskets. This right now is putting direct weight onto the spine on a very small section.

[Nat(wasIxy)]

It is literally only the weight of the baskets though – this was her first time!

[sanhestar]

I know! Just wanted to mention that you need to make changes there, as well, as soon as you put weight in the baskets 🙂

[CharlyBonifaz]

Ixy,
are you using a sheep skin or a flokati rug?
I use flokati all the time 😀 ;
you may even want to look for an old harness saddle and simply weave your string through; it should rest in its proper place by itself with the baskets and a belly band.
got my ox a used pack-saddle. when we tried it for the first time…..well, no he didn’t spook with the sides packed (for exercise a bale of hay on each side) but:
I forgot to get out of his way 😮
so when we entered the field through the gate in the fence he sure enough passed me as I told him and whacked me in my back with the bale on the side so I stumbled and fell into the electric fence;
the very fence that I had put “on line” in case he would dash for an escape….;) smart thinking 😉

[Nat(wasIxy)]

It is indeed a flokati rug!! 😀 We do produce sheepskins, but we sold out, so I used the next best thing…Good idea about the driving saddle, will get one.

Your ox sure showed you! lol

[clayfoot-sandyman]

Hi Nat,

Are you finding her easier than your steers? – I’m interested because I’m seriously considering getting a pair of heifer calves in to train – my steers are fine with me, but with the special needs guys I work with they spot immediately who they can take advantage of when they’re being led around and I keep having to step in…..maybe it’s just an age as they’re just past a year??

Hope all’s well by the way, Ed

PS. I’ve got a heifer called Peach too!

[Howie]

I think my cows had more patience than my steers do. The steers are fine if I am in sight but if not then they have to try the strange driver.
Just like a kid, they have to see what they can get away with.:p

[Nat(wasIxy)]

Interestingly, the guy at Weald & Downland who I visited the other day finds his cows much easier to get on with than his steers. I’ve not done as much with Peach as with the steers, but I have to say I find the steers better to work with and wouldn’t pick another cow out of choice, Peach was just special and an experiment! Me and Peach seem to have a little bit of a competition going on, I dunno if it’s because we are both female, and therefore both in with a chance of being matriarch, and we’re both dominant characters 😀 She certainly pays me much more attention than the steers do, picking up the tiniest of movements and cues and reacting very quickly. This goes either way – when she’s being good, she is sweeeet….when she’s bad, she’s very bad!

I find Angus acts up with me more than other people, but there’s nothing behind it he’s just joshing around being silly, it’s not a power struggle – but he seems to sense when people are nervous or unsure and will calm right down and be good as gold! However, I wouldn’t leave him unsupervised with anyone – don’t trust anyone that far! Or him!

[Nat(wasIxy)]

I would say though Ed that I’m sure your steers will calm down with age – they are at their most curious and playful at the yearling stage. They’re not mature until they’re past 4 at least.

[Nat(wasIxy)]

I converted Angus’ ‘chestpad harness’, that you might remember from the christmas tree collection thread, into a better arrangement for the basket panniers for Peach – she’s just about big enough to fit it and it provides a thicker band for the baskets to rest on, and stops them going forwards or backwards with the chest pad and a rope under her tail.

We then tested it to destruction, going through narrow passageways and up and down steep climbs (we have no hills, only piles of earth or rubble!) – she bucked a little and went up and down near vertical, and it stayed on! She seems absolutely fine with it, and none of the climbing phased her at all, I’m always amazed at how sure-footed they are.

[Author]

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