Author Topic: An odd question perhaps but... (Read 1797 times)

GBov · « **on:** February 05, 2020, 08:40:54 pm »

As I have been watching that BBC series about farmers showing their livestock - can't think of its name right now - I have suddenly wondered...

Why are cattle led/controlled with a nose ring and horses are not?

Having worked with hunter jumpers in the states in my teens and twenties, I have met many horses that would have been safer with the extra jewelry.

Buttermilk · « **Reply #1 on:** February 06, 2020, 11:50:38 am »

Different conformation and escape mechanism. Using a ring or bulldogs on a horse would only end up with the horse rearing and tearing its nostrils. Whilst cattle will go up it is never in the same way, they do not go over backwards for a start.

Both are controlled using a head collar or halter.

Bits get put into horses mouths but a bovine mouth is shorter and whilst rope bits are used in some parts of the world this is not really suitable for the everyday handling that is done in this country.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #2 on:** February 06, 2020, 12:05:45 pm »

There's another issue about putting a bit in a bovine's mouth. Cattle use the tongue in grazing, so any damage to the tongue would be life-threatening.

GBov · « **Reply #3 on:** February 06, 2020, 12:41:14 pm »

How different from a ring is a twitch then?

These sorts of questions wander about my head when I can't sleep and google is no good at this kind of question.

harmony · « **Reply #4 on:** February 06, 2020, 12:51:25 pm »

A twitch is used to control the animal on the spot usually to administer vet care. A ring gives extra control but the animal can still keep moving. A twitch is used because an animal isn't cooperating. A ring comes into play when needed.

GBov · « **Reply #5 on:** February 06, 2020, 01:55:23 pm »

Quote from: harmony on February 06, 2020, 12:51:25 pm

A twitch is used to control the animal on the spot usually to administer vet care. A ring gives extra control but the animal can still keep moving. A twitch is used because an animal isn't cooperating. A ring comes into play when needed.

That is what I was asking in a nutshell, why does a twitch used on a horse work and not a ring in the nose as in cattle?

Sorry, I asked the first question at 2 am, last night was not a good sleep night.

Different animals are controlled in different ways and it seems really random and more culturally based than anything else.

harmony · « **Reply #6 on:** February 06, 2020, 02:16:21 pm »

Quote from: GBov on February 06, 2020, 01:55:23 pm

Quote from: harmony on February 06, 2020, 12:51:25 pm
A twitch is used to control the animal on the spot usually to administer vet care. A ring gives extra control but the animal can still keep moving. A twitch is used because an animal isn't cooperating. A ring comes into play when needed.

That is what I was asking in a nutshell, why does a twitch used on a horse work and not a ring in the nose as in cattle?

Sorry, I asked the first question at 2 am, last night was not a good sleep night.

Different animals are controlled in different ways and it seems really random and more culturally based than anything else.

The skin and noses on cattle and horses are very different as Buttermilk said earlier. Also their reactions. A twitch is passed around the upper lip of the horse and tightened. A cattle ring is attached through the bull's nose. A twitch is pretty much a last resort and there are a lot of alternatives to try first.