Working with livestock can be stressful for the most experienced handler, as well as the animal. Improper handling can cause an animal to be stressed and decrease the amount of food and water it consumes. A stressed animal will take longer to gain weight, which ends up costing the producer money.
“It is important that producers complete the job they need to do, but it is also important to do it in a way that is safe and does not negatively affect the animal’s future performance,” says animal handling expert Curt Pate. “You have to get animals to respond to pressure in a way that will make them work better, but not in fear.”
Raised on a small ranch, Pate has always had an interest in horses and taught horsemanship clinics. He combined this with his cattle experience to create the stockmanship principles he believes work best. For over 20 years, Pate, who lives in Ryegate, Montana, has been teaching clinics and workshops to help producers learn these techniques effectively.
Three types of pressure
Pressure is what causes animals to respond to producers. According to Pate, there are three types of pressure: driving pressure, drawing pressure, and maintaining pressure.
Driving pressure is used when stockmen are trying to get animals to move away. This could be done while loading livestock into a trailer to create a sense of push. To avoid stress on the animal, use driving pressure sparingly.
While driving pressure moves animals in the opposite direction, drawing pressure is used to draw animals toward producers. An example would be holding out feed to get their attention and luring them in.
Maintaining pressure simply keeps the animals’ attention. Producers use this to calm the animals while positioniong themselves to drive or draw.
The important thing about applying pressure is ensuring you position yourself correctly. Pate says it’s a common mistake he sees among producers before and while they are moving animals.
“If you are out of position, the cattle will do the wrong thing and learn bad habits,” Pate says. “As a result, people get frustrated and resort to force. Even though this might get the job done, it affects future work and performance.”
Applying too much force creates fear in animals, which is when the profits start to be a factor. While cattle in a good state of mind make the most of the nutrition available, the ones that are scared, agitated, or nervous do not gain as much weight and are uncomfortable no matter the environmental conditions or feed availability. In extreme conditions, stress can affect the immune system and lead to a higher risk of illness.
“This is such a simple concept, and we all know it, but we get so busy we forget the basics of being a good stockman,” Pate says. “If you do what the good old stockmen did in the past and combine it with all the great tools we have today, you will really improve the opportunity for profit with livestock.”
Increase profits
His message to producers is that implementing good principles doesn’t cost money. Instead, it takes time, self-control, and the willingness to work hard.
“Good stockmanship can give you more pleasure and help you increase profit potential more than anything else I know,” Pate says. “It can change your quality of life, and that is very powerful.”
