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So I went out with Bundy to help Dad get the bulls in yesterday - Their time with the girls was up and we had to cut them out and take them back to the bachelor pad. The first guy wasn't too bad - Took some getting out of the cows, a good 3/4 laps of the paddock at a gallop and some good opportunities to practice turning with him, then once he hit the fence he just trotted meekly to his paddock.
The second guy - Well, to put it nicely, he was a b*stard. He was trotting along the fence toward the cows to I took off to try and cut him off before he got there - Nope, he HAD to be the fast one, and I couldn't get past him. He was in with a mob of heifers so they all went mad as well. A lot of to-ing and fro-ing, a lot of galloping, and we got nowhere. There are old cattle yards in that paddock - Two square yards next to each other with an open gate gap (no actual gate) at the two corners furthest from each other and a gate in the fence seperating them. The yards backed on to the paddock we had to take the bull through to get to his paddock. There was a gate in the back of one yard, and a race with two small gates in the back of the other, all leading where we wanted him.
So we ran all the cattle into the yards. I went in on the horse and slowly split as many heifers off as we could - We ended up with him and just one other heifer. Dad couldn't get around them to open the gate - So he parked the bike in one of the gaos and we pushed the two of them into the other half and into the entry to the race. We opened the two small gates and tried to push them out - We were on the other side of the fence. The ****** wouldn't move! We were yelling, waving arms, dad was throwing sticks at his head and waving a stick... Nope he was challenging us the whole time. Then he tried to duck out the gap and I went to block him - THE CRAZY BULL CHARGED THE HORSE!!!!!! Scariest moment of my life - Thank god for Bundy. He yeilded sideways away quick enough that when the bull hit him with his head under his belly, we were moving in the same direction so the force was lessened. Lucky he didn't have horns! We moved sideways with the bull charging under his belly through one of the gaps into the other yard - Where I almost had a heart attack because I thought we couldn't get away - But we circled around with him following and got out the gap we came in by. Dad went around the outside and got the gate open and he went out.
Bundy was ok - But ordeal not over! We still had to get him through this paddock to his. We (A friend was there on her green pony - Not doing any close up work but helping out) hung back and pushed him along the fenceline toward the gate which was open. The stupid thing trotted straight past the gate - Dad rode to his head to try and turn him but he paid no attention to the bike and ran along the barbed wire. I went and tried to block and turn him, but the b*stard went to have another go at the horse, so I hightailed it out of there! So poor dad had to try and manage him by himself on the quad bike - He ran him hard for about half an hour and that bull would NOT turn away from the bike. He had him at a canter pushing into his shoulder so hard with the bile that the wheel wore a big bloody sore in his side and he STILL leant and refused to turn. He ran his sides up against the barb as well rather than turn of the bike. At one point he stopped and had a go at the bike - He actually got his head under the front and lifted the wheels off the ground. Dad got him to the gate and he stopped right in the gap - Dad had to keep revving the bike but carefully so he didn't charge - And got him to back through the gate. He FINALLY went through and dad rode up his heels and made him run on through.
Phew! Bundy was a lather of sweat. In all my years helping dad out i've NEVER seen a bull willing to take on a horse - They sometimes threaten, but I face up to them on the horse and get aggresive in stance and voice - And they turn and submit. But not this guy. I'm so glad that I had a good horse under me who got me out of the way but didn't freak out and ditch me!
The second guy - Well, to put it nicely, he was a b*stard. He was trotting along the fence toward the cows to I took off to try and cut him off before he got there - Nope, he HAD to be the fast one, and I couldn't get past him. He was in with a mob of heifers so they all went mad as well. A lot of to-ing and fro-ing, a lot of galloping, and we got nowhere. There are old cattle yards in that paddock - Two square yards next to each other with an open gate gap (no actual gate) at the two corners furthest from each other and a gate in the fence seperating them. The yards backed on to the paddock we had to take the bull through to get to his paddock. There was a gate in the back of one yard, and a race with two small gates in the back of the other, all leading where we wanted him.
So we ran all the cattle into the yards. I went in on the horse and slowly split as many heifers off as we could - We ended up with him and just one other heifer. Dad couldn't get around them to open the gate - So he parked the bike in one of the gaos and we pushed the two of them into the other half and into the entry to the race. We opened the two small gates and tried to push them out - We were on the other side of the fence. The ****** wouldn't move! We were yelling, waving arms, dad was throwing sticks at his head and waving a stick... Nope he was challenging us the whole time. Then he tried to duck out the gap and I went to block him - THE CRAZY BULL CHARGED THE HORSE!!!!!! Scariest moment of my life - Thank god for Bundy. He yeilded sideways away quick enough that when the bull hit him with his head under his belly, we were moving in the same direction so the force was lessened. Lucky he didn't have horns! We moved sideways with the bull charging under his belly through one of the gaps into the other yard - Where I almost had a heart attack because I thought we couldn't get away - But we circled around with him following and got out the gap we came in by. Dad went around the outside and got the gate open and he went out.
Bundy was ok - But ordeal not over! We still had to get him through this paddock to his. We (A friend was there on her green pony - Not doing any close up work but helping out) hung back and pushed him along the fenceline toward the gate which was open. The stupid thing trotted straight past the gate - Dad rode to his head to try and turn him but he paid no attention to the bike and ran along the barbed wire. I went and tried to block and turn him, but the b*stard went to have another go at the horse, so I hightailed it out of there! So poor dad had to try and manage him by himself on the quad bike - He ran him hard for about half an hour and that bull would NOT turn away from the bike. He had him at a canter pushing into his shoulder so hard with the bile that the wheel wore a big bloody sore in his side and he STILL leant and refused to turn. He ran his sides up against the barb as well rather than turn of the bike. At one point he stopped and had a go at the bike - He actually got his head under the front and lifted the wheels off the ground. Dad got him to the gate and he stopped right in the gap - Dad had to keep revving the bike but carefully so he didn't charge - And got him to back through the gate. He FINALLY went through and dad rode up his heels and made him run on through.
Phew! Bundy was a lather of sweat. In all my years helping dad out i've NEVER seen a bull willing to take on a horse - They sometimes threaten, but I face up to them on the horse and get aggresive in stance and voice - And they turn and submit. But not this guy. I'm so glad that I had a good horse under me who got me out of the way but didn't freak out and ditch me!
