Soule: Tame Cattle Won’t Gore You

"Look at that bull! He's going to come over here and stab you with his horns!" The boy, about eight years old, was sharing his knowledge of horned cattle with his younger brother at the Deerfield Fair. It was early morning, and I was acclimating one of my black Scottish Highland working steers to the fairgrounds. The boy didn't know it, but my one thousand pound steer named Topper, with "horns out to here," was more likely to turn and run from the lama walking by than attack anyone.

That's the thing about horns; the sight of massive horns terrifies everyone. All of my Scottish Highland cattle have horns. Yes, cows (the girls) and bulls (the boys) have horns.

I don't ignore the horns; I respect them. Topper and Finn, neutered bulls, who work in a yoke, pull things like logs and stones, and even kids standing on a sled have massive horns, about five feet. "Look at that bull! He's going to come over here and stab you with his horns!" The boy, about eight years old, used his knowledge of horned cattle to bedevil his younger brother at the Deerfield Fair. It was early morning, and one of my black Scottish Highland working steers (oxen-in-training) was settling in at the fairgrounds. The boy didn't know it, but Topper, my 1,000-pound steer with a 5-foot spread of pointy horns, was more likely to turn and run from a passing llama than gore anyone.

That's the thing about horns: They look scary.

All my Scottish Highland cattle have them. Yes, females, too.

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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 also coaches humans, helping them achieve the impossible a little at a time.