Soule: Did you know that Bovines are Magic?

Topper galloped to the fence, his short legs pumping as he ran down the narrow cow path cut into the hillside. Finn lumbered along behind. He stopped at the wire fence where his bovine eyes peered at me from beneath his black bangs.

"No treats today, old friend. We have work to do," I said.

I opened the gate, and a 2,000-pound Topper walked through. When I called out, "Halt," he stopped and waited while I hooked the plastic handle in its loop to secure the gate behind him.
Topper followed me to the truck, where I put a halter on him, tied him to the truck bed, and collected his partner, Finn.

Both stood quietly while I slid the yoke over their shoulders, secured the bows under their necks, and removed their halters. It was time to work.

There are so many things a bovine can do, but the one that most amazes me is their willingness to obey. Topper's learning started the day he was born, May 2012. His mom, Maya, taught him that there were leaders and followers in the herd, and until he got bigger, she was his leader. He learned to follow her; he knew he'd be safe if he stayed by her; she'd protect and feed him.

At six months, after he was weaned, he sniffed my head when I leaned over and eventually took grain from my hand. I had become his new "mom."

That was 12 years ago when I didn't know how to train cattle. I'd trained horses but knew nothing about training cattle. At the Hopkinton Fair, I watched 4H kids work their oxen using only voice commands as the oxen pulled "sleds" with stones around an obstacle course. The 4H teamster didn't use a lead line or to get their beasts to obey.

They used a stick and voice to direct their oxen left, right, forward, and back. How was it possible?

Read More

Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, where she raises and sells beef, pork, eggs, and other local products. She can be reached at carole@soulecoaching.com. Carole is also now a certified Life Coach who helps humans achieve the impossible a little at a time.