Which do you Love? Cattle or Horses?

Like many girls, I wanted a pony when I was growing up. That was a long time ago – in the ‘50s, when the Sears catalog was the internet of the day. When the 400-page catalog arrived, I would search for the page advertising a $200 pinto pony that, if ordered, would be shipped to my house in a crate. I wonder if Amazon would do that.
In the 50 years I’ve had cattle and horses, I’ve discovered that cows are equally fun without as much work. For instance, horses need dry, not dusty, hay to eat. With four stomach chambers, cattle can eat any hay safely. Cows tend to tolerate flies that would drive an average horse mad. I’ve also discovered that cows can be as useful as horses.

Back in the day, horses were the go-to form of transportation, pulling carts and wagons. Cattle can do the same work but are slower. It’s been said that a team of horses can do in one day what it would take an oxen team to do in three. But horses, because they’re fast, run away when spooked. Most cattle are lazy and take a gentler approach.
I’ve read true stories of horses being spooked by the rattling of milk cans, a man tipping his hat, a passing train, a hog in the road, and a wind-blown scrap of paper. They bolted, often dragging a wagon or carriage through town with or without the driver. A team of cattle probably wouldn’t be fazed by any of those provocations. But if they were frightened, they would just walk away until laziness would overpower their fear and they’d stop. That’s my kind of runaway!
I’ve trained, Owen, a 3-year-old Scottish Highland steer, to pull a cart. Owen might not be as fast as a horse, but he is more reliable. Passengers sit in the cart, steering him with reins and using a buggy whip to encourage him to walk on. So far, he’s been patient, consistent, and slow as he hauls visitors around the farm. I like the slowness because I usually walk with him during the tour, and I don’t walk as fast as I used to.
But mostly, it’s the nature of a cow that has captured my soul. Curious Bleu, a fourteen-year-old Scottish Highlander steer, doesn’t question why I put a saddle on his back. He’s happy to walk around the barnyard with a rider on his back, snatching the occasional carrot as a reward. Finn, a 2,000-pound Highland steer, stands without complaint while I yoke him and cooperates when I ask him to haul a log from the woods. My cattle are willing partners, and my mission is to share this joyous experience of cow communication with others.
You can experience a cart ride with Owen or sit on the back of a 2,000-pound Highland steer named Curious Bleu at my Ultimate Cow Experience. Check out MilesSmithFarm.com to learn just how reliable bovines are.

Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, in Loudon, N.H., where you can have an Ultimate Cow Experience and even sit on gentle giant, Curious Bleu.