Horse Whisperer to Cow Whisperer
I’m Susan Allen this is Open Range for Thursday August 19 . Horse Whisper to Cow Whisperer, why and how after the break. Herd animals have communication dynamics that are much different than say a predator species like a cat or dog that most people are familiar with . Couple that with the fact that the advent of computers and ATV’s have caused livestock management techniques to become more hands off than those used fifty years ago when a rancher spent more time in the saddle and there is a disconnect. One reason horse trainer Cute Pate, a consultant for Robert Redford’s movie The Horse Whisperer has switched from whispering to horses to helping ranchers learn to think like cows. When Pate moves a bull for example he says he works "the eye", meaning he uses eye contact to move the bull the direction he wants it to go. Like Temple Grandin famous for her techniques in communicating with cattle, Pate also adheres to the belief that you need to make sure cattle see you and you don’t shout or use loud noises to move them. Most importantly you never rush them. Ranchers who decline to follow those simple guild lines run the risk of stressing out livestock and that results in lower production rates and higher incidences of illness. Pate is currently teaching his techniques at ranches throughout the US. His clinics are funded by The Beef Checkoff Program and are part of an industry wide initative to re-educate ranchers on livestock techniques in wake of recent negative publicity generated by an undercover video of abused dairy cattle.