Teaching steer to lead techniques.

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fbrmom

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 31, 2010
Messages
56
Location
Knox, Pa
My daughter is 9, last years steer pushed her around because he thought he was a dog, didn't understand he was a cow.  We got him as a bottle baby and and lead him from the time he was little.  This years steer is already about 650 - 700 lbs and hasn't been lead yet or had a halter on. He is settling very nicely and is really coming around.  I am planning on finishing the fitting chute on Saturday and trying it out on him so I can get a halter on him and see how he does leading. When my older daughter showed her steer years ago, we taught it to lead by backing the tractor up to the door and tieing the steer to the tractor and driving up and down the road every day for a couple weeks until you could lead him with no problem.  I really don't want to do that with this one.  How do you guys do it? My barn is and old bank barn set up for horse tie stalls and so the stall he is in right now has 3 dividers in it.  I plan on blocking off part of the shed and creating a kind of show ring for her to work in this winter to lead him in and work him.  Is this a good idea? Will having the horses on the other side of the round pen panels help calm him when he is actually at the show with people around?  What are your ideas?  I don't want to leave his halter on all the time because he could get the lead caught on something and hurt himself so should I put a horse halter on him and let that on him?  We have only shown 2 steers in the past and they were both fly by our pants, no one to help.  Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks
 

linnettejane

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
2,233
Location
eastern ky
when i first bring calves into break that i have not raised, i will put a rope halter on and let them drag it for about 3 days before i even touch them...they learn that when they step on the end of it, it tightens up and they need to stop...self taught!...then i will tie them up for a couple hours a day, watching them of course, but it usually isnt a problem because they have learned that when the halter pulls tight, they are not going to go anywhere...while they are tied up ill start working on brushing them...always finding their favorite spot...make it enjoyable to be tied up...brush them, feed them, hay them, do something positive while they are tied and they wont mind it at all....but the trick is letting them learn the pressure of the rope from something alot stronger than a 9 year old girl...the calves own weight and board fence...after that they usually are pretty easy to lead...

course calves ive raised myself are a little different...because they spend the first month of their life in the barn getting desensitized or "pampered" as the hubby calls it...when it comes weaning and breaking time, ive usually been able to halter, lead and stick all in one day...but that was alot of hard work at the very beginning that makes it easy later on...

most importantly...#1 be safe...#2 be patient

good luck
 
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