Halter-training or halter-breaking a calf for the show-ring takes patience, time, persistence, hard work and dedication. No matter what breed or type the calf is, it's always best to start them when they're quite young and not as strong as they would be when they're almost full-grown. Halter-training cattle is similar to halter-training horses, except that you are dealing with cattle, not horses. Cattle behave and think a little differently from horses, thus you need to be prepared to handle cattle in a different manner.
Halter training cattle has slightly different methods in accordance to size and age. Young calves can simply be caught and haltered then lead around for a little, whereas older ones need more time and patience to get used to the halter and you. Majority of show cattle are started when they are weaned off the bottle or from their mothers. This is the primary method that is used to start cattle on the halter. It works for both young and older calves or cattle, even though it is originally written for calves that are not at weaning age (or at least 3 to 6 months old).
Steps
-
Once you've caught the calf, it's time to put the halter on. While still hanging on to the rope over the calf's neck, the halter, especially if it's a rope one, should be put on head/ears-first followed by the nose. Loop the calf's ears through the halter with one hand, letting the rope fall over the ears naturally instead of you just putting it on over the head and ears. The adjustable part of the rope halter (which is the nose portion) should be put as wide as possible so that the nose can also be looped in with the halter and the rope tightened to the calf's muzzle. [1] X Research source
- Leather or nylon halters would be put on the same way, and the head piece adjusted so that it is snug, not pinching. Usually with halter-training a calf, heifer or steer you would normally use a non-show halter first and foremost before introducing, and possibly wrecking the leather show halter.
- If you are working with an older calf, or a calf that is typically unruly, you may need to confine its head first with a head-gate or head-catch (usually connected to a squeeze chute or cattle crush) so that you can put on the halter without the risk of injuring yourself or the calf running away on you with the halter hanging half-on. The crazier the calf, the more likely you should put it in the head-catch.
-
Connect the lead. Snap the lead in a metal ring that is attached on the halter under the chin.
- With rope halters , this does not need to be done as a lead rope is already attached to it when the halter was made.
-
Turn the animal to the left by guiding its head to the left. It will swing away from you as you do so. To turn right, bring the animal's head around your left side.
-
Watch for signs of wanting to get away or turn on you. If the animal gets jumpy or excited and starts jumping around, calmly keep a grip on the lead and jerk the lead until he stops.
- If your calf bolts and starts to run, collect the calf again and bring it around to you. Do not let it get away, because if you do let him get away he will learn that he can get away from you whenever he wants. You do not want that to happen to you in the show ring! Even if it's a larger calf, make sure you hang on and don't let go. The calf should have already learned how to resist the pull of the halter from that time when he was walking around freely dragging the lead rope, and what pressure on the halter means, so even if he tries to baulk on you and get away, a pull or jerk on the lead will teach him that he can't get away even if he tries.
- If he does manage to get away on you, get him back in your control as quickly, but calmly as possible. Do not end the session on his terms, this way you are definitely teaching him bad habits.
Community Q&A
-
QuestionMy calf is 5-months-old and still doesn't like to wear a halter. Do you have any other suggestions?KarinTop AnswererYou may have pushed her too hard or rushed things and confused her as a result. You may need to start fresh, putting the halter on at first for only a few minutes, the removing it right after. Leave it on for longer and longer times, and REWARD her while it's on. When ever you put the halter on, give her treats, scratches, pats, and not always the same things in that order. She needs to start to learn that the halter is a GOOD thing, and not bad. She's most like not accepting it now because she associates it with stress or pain.
-
QuestionWhen I try to get my calf to lead, she starts sucking on my arm and she thinks she's going to be fed all the time, so basically she's not learning anything.Community AnswerAt least she associates you with feeding, which will make catching her easier. Try putting the halter on this time and getting her used to it. Let her drag around the lead rope, but do so for only a few minutes the first time. The next times you do it let her have it on for longer. This way, she will be learning something because she's giving you opportunity to start teaching her. Be grateful, again, that she has such a diminished flight zone as she does to make her easy to catch to start training her on the halter in the first place!
-
QuestionMy calf plants herself and won't move. What should I do?Community AnswerTry pushing the top of her tail or walking in front of her with the milk bottle.
Video
Tips
- Be around the calf as often as possible. The more often you're around him doing chores or just sitting with him doing nothing but reading or talking to him or just hanging out, the more comfortable he'll be around you.Thanks
- Reward as often as possible. Even for simple things like being caught or moving with you, reward with a rub to the neck or head, or a treat.Thanks
- For the first couple weeks, let him come to you. Don't force him into a corner, just let him learn about you and what you mean to him, and eventually he will come to you quite readily.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
- At the beginning of washing your steer/heifer, try to spray your hose at the hooves of the animal to warn them that they are going to get wet, instead of randomly spraying their body and freaking them out.
- Try to lead your calf every day. Even if you skip one day, they will likely forget what happened and be more stubborn.
- If your calf, heifer, or steer tries to get ahead of you, hold a stick out in front of its nose to make it slow down.
- I find that keeping my finger on the ring helps me move my calf forward.
Warnings
- Never underestimate the strength of the animal you are training to lead.Thanks
- Cattle are apt to bad behaviour like charging or trying to head-butt you. You may run into this problem while training your calf, heifer or steer. If this happens, you will need your show or sorting stick with you to teach him that it's not a good idea to be this aggressive with you.Thanks
- Never wrap the lead rope around your hand, especially when leading a large, weaned calf like one that is anywhere from just 200 pounds to over 800 pounds. You are more likely to be dragged around and injured doing that than simply looping the rope in your hands.Thanks
Things You'll Need
- Cattle halter
- Gloves
- Steel-toe boots
- Sorting or show stick