Chad wrote yesterday about our ambitious plans for this week which will likely impact the blog in the coming days. This afternoon’s post is just a brief update on the sanctuary’s bovine residents.
Every year, the hoof trimmer swings by to give the cattle their spring “pedicures.” Bovine hooves grow continuously like human fingernails and a trained professional must trim them on an annual basis to minimize the risk of injury and disease. Dr. Erin and Sofia also take the opportunity to administer their annual vaccinations. Ideally, we try to schedule this trimming before the cattle rotate out to pasture for the summer and become even more difficult to corral in the lower paddock.
Yesterday, our friend Gates brought his specialized equipment to the sanctuary with the intent of getting all the cattle taken care of in one brief visit. Meredith bravely entered the chute first and got her hooves cleaned and trimmed, then Honey followed without issue. Nutmeg proved to be more difficult; the massive steer has actually grown too tall and wide for the hydraulic device that Gates uses to safely restrain the cattle. Betsy also missed her appointment after declining to get into the pen altogether. Because of these challenges, we’ll have to schedule a follow-up visit once we’ve made some adjustments to our setup.
Importantly, all of the cattle look just as healthy- if not healthier- than when they arrived (which isn’t bad for a bunch of reality TV stars from California). Evidently, life in the mountains has been quite good for them, and we’re happy to have them mowing the sanctuary lawn.
After the hoof trim event, the crew took a walk around the property to discuss our fencing and grazing plan for this year. It was exciting to see the more secluded areas where the cattle will be spending their summer!
It never dawned on me that Nutmeg might still be growing. Wow! I am curious about how much wieght he has gained in a years time due to his growth (no need to answer, just my brian swirling with curiosity). Fascinating to me. Poor Betsy. I can see how all this would seem a little suspect, even if you did witness your friends going through it with no issue. If you’re not a fan of confined spaces, yikes, that would be stressful.
Thank you Anthony for sharing the Annual Hoof Trim with us and for giving us a peek at our bovine friends. Appreciated your pun (as always) and the time spent knowing how busy things are for you. Good luck with Round Two when the time comes!
Cow + pun = cowpun = an Anthony blog:smile:
How about that?! Meredith the scaredy-cat went in first, no problems!
Nutmeg said he’s okay waiting, just make sure to get him one that’s good to lick
There is a you tube channel called “The Hoof GP”. The man is a professional hoof trimmer. It might behoove you to go and check it out.
Just had to try out my cow pun Anthony.
I’m giving this post a thumbs up!
That’s udderly hilarious!
Aww, the sweet cattle. Thank you for the pictures Anthony.
Thank you, Anthony, for today’s update on Betsy, Honey and their children. I hope that Cy will find the courage to give those four another look before they moove over to their summer paddock.
Such a beautiful place you have, I never grow tired of the photos, so thank you all for that. As for us Betsys, I have no explanation.