"Character" horses

[Kato]

Anybody here have a horse that's a real "character"?

I've got one. He struck today, and left my husband laughing for hours.

My horse Ziggy has lived with cattle all his life. His old horse buddy died a few years ago, and he has now decided the cow herd is 'his' herd. Well, today, while my husband was feeding the cows Ziggy decided to go and visit the neighbour's horses across the road and a half mile down the creek. He takes a notion to do this once or twice a year, and always comes right back (because thet's not 'his' herd .... he's a cow after all :? )

Sure enough, just as the last bale was fed, Hubby looks up and here comes Ziggy, head up, tail up, racing across the field just as hard as he can go! Right in front of him, running like the devil himself was on their heels, and they were about to die, was at least 20 deer. The deer crossed the road, jumped the fence, ran directly through the cows, out the other side of the pasture, and when last seen were still running full speed headed north. There were cows everywhere! Ziggy ran through the gate, did two big laps around the cows, snorted, and went for lunch.

I wish I'd seen it. :wink:

 

[Jinglebob]

Kato;

I had a horse years ago named Dan. I may have posted a poem about him on here, but can't remember.

When we got him he was a colt and he was as wild as a deer. We kept him in the corral and fed him good hay and some cow cubes. He got to be real friendly. Whenever he saw someone walking around he would circle around behind them and walk up, looking for cubes. He'd do this in the night when you were walking thru' cattle, checking during calving and scare the stuffing out of you when you felt his warm breath on your neck!

He also jumped fences and I have seen him go from the lot, out to visit the other horses in the pasture and then maybe another pasture with greener grass and then back to the lot. He could open any latch we had and if he couldn't he would on occasion just turn around and kick a gate until it broke so as to get out.

Our old horse barn had a spring loaded latch on the door, that when you pushed it down, would release. The door was tight enough that when the latch popped open, the door would open an inch or so. Dan was real good at operating this. One time I was milking the cow in the aisle of the horse barn. I could hear something outside and when I looked I could see Dan's bay hair on the other side. He must have smelled the grain that the cow was eating. He started to bang on the door with a front foot so I just hollered'"Don't beat the door down, just come on in."

He went to rubbing his head on the door and sprang the latch and worked it open with his nose. He looked inside and scared the cow away and went to eating her grain. All the time with me cussing him for almost getting my bucket of milk spilled.

When he got older, he couldn't quite jump a fence any more as he was a lot heavier, so would just get the front half a cross and be stuck. I found him quite a few times where he must have stood like that for several days, by the looks of the manure piled up. He would side pass between the posts and eat all grass to the roots while waiting to be free'd. I don't know what he did for water.

Once my Dad looked up and saw that Dan had a front foot between the wires of a barb wire fence. Dad was in a foul mood so just hollered at him, "You can just stay there you damned old fool!"

Dan acted like he knew exactly what Dad had said and picked his foot up and released himself and walked away. Dad swore he was laughing at him!

Oh he was a dandy and helped to train me and some of my kids.

 

[sw]

I've got Benny, he will bang on a gate, the Powder Rivers with the fall down latch, until the latch stays up and he can hit the latch till it comes open, and he now has the colts banging on the gates, they think they can free themselves also. Can't get mad, he is the toughest horse i have ever seen. Rode one horse that was nearly as tough, but he was too herd bound. Best part about him though, I road him for months in the feedlot, give him back to the cow boss and he would buck him off. I would get the horse back to ride pens, he had a grin on his face (the horse). Ride him awhile and give him back to the cow boss, he'd buck his ass off again. It was hilarious, I could hear him snorting, braying, and the cussing from the BOSS. That JACKASS " mistakenly" fed that horse poison oats for the gophers, held one of the best horses I have ever ridden as he died.

 

[Jinglebob]

SW

Great post. It's tuff to lose the good ones. Especially like that!

 

[Brad S]

SW, Cowbosses that accidentally poison horses need an accidental asskickin.

 

[Faster horses]

"Accidental poisioning" for them might be better.