Dixie and I cutting a cow...well, sort of

[Annie&Dixie]

My barn has an automatic cow that we can set up in the indoor arena. I've bugging them to set it up one day for a while, I really wanted to try Dixie out on it and see what she would do. We finally did it!

Dixie was completely terrified of it, She wouldn't go within 20 feet of the thing for a while. She started to get more confident at the end. The first other horse that you see in the arena is a Arabian named Diego...he had only been in there for a few minutes and he was already up there with the cow. Dixie and I were the first ones in there and it took two other horses playing with until she would go near!

I think she did great though for her first time. I also talked to the BO just last night and she told me that her husband said that Dixie was the most promising out of all of the horses...I'm so excited! I have always to get into cows! I would love to do some cutting or team penning.


Ok, so this is the first video of just the footage that I got...
YouTube - Dixie's First Encounter with the Automatic Cow


This is a video taken by the owner of the Arabian, Diego. The first part has Dixie running away from the cow with some funny commentary from the BO.
YouTube - Diego Cutting a Cow

[WashingtonBay]

Hilarious! I tell you, I had no idea there was such a thing as "automatic cows" but I guarantee you the first time Bay saw it floatin' around in the arena, we'd have been pulling him down off the arena ceiling. :eek:

You did good staying with yours that first big bolt. Wasn't sure if you had been expecting that or not. :D

[Dakota Sunrise]

Haha, that looks like fun!:D Nice job staying with Dixie when she decided the whole situation was getting too scary for her. LOL
I can just imagine Beauty if she saw that, she's be freaking. Dakota, I don't know. he'd probably just be curious. I would really love to try it with Beauts though, muhahaha!:D

[Horseaholic]

very very funny. Who knew such a thing existed haha. The bolt in the second video is priceless.

[HeartofSteel]

Lol thats like a horse eating cow! That looks like fun though, I would love to try it. Good Job at sticking to it

[jeezitsjacki]

great videos.. I have never seen those before.

good job staying aboard!

[Gypsy Rose]

He, he! That looks like a blast! Though at first, you can just imagine Dixie, "OMG! What's THAT?!!!"

[Vibe]

Haha very cute Dixie says "OOoooh no!! Im outta here. Hold on mom!!"

[cloedoll]

In all honesty, I'd be pretty scared of that thing, too. =P Good job with Dixie! I enjoyed thee video. ^_^

[EnglishGuy]

You guys have one of those at your barn too?

The first time I saw our barn manager set ours up I was so confused what it was. I was riding a school horse at the time and despite it being set up in the other end of the arena, my horse freaked out.

I think she did really well for her first time. You did an awesome job as a rider, not pushing her too far past her limits, but not letting her just run in terror. Nice work.:)

[JackieB]

OMG! I can guarantee that the horses weren't wondering whether or not that thing was a cow! Buster's worked cows for years and I'm pretty sure he would freak over that thing.

Smokin' good job with your seat in that second video. That was a hard bolt and you sat it very nicely. I don't think I could have done that myself.

Thanks for sharing and great job again, Annie. I watched Dixie's bolt in the second video like four times. I know there are plenty of people who can sit through something like that, even some who can do it bareback I suppose, but I'm not one of them and I'm impressed when I see it.

[Diane of Buck's Hollow]

Boy, that looks like so much fun. I would have been on the ground, if I had been on Dixie when she turned and bolted. Good job staying on!

[Annie&Dixie]

Dakota - Thank you! I'm so glad I stayed on! My BO said that the more afraid your horse is of the cow, the better a cow horse he'll (she'll) be. ;)

Shady - Haha. I, myself, love the bolt in the second video too!

HPH - OH I know! At any moment it could just run right down the arena and gobble poor Dixie right up! :hysterical:

jeezitsjacki - Thank you!

Gypsy - It was hilarious; when it first moved, Dixie's back was turned to it and then my friend and her 2 year old were in the round pen. My friend's horse started freaking of course and Dixie just stood there looking at him like, "What the heck? You weirdo, what are you freaking out at?!".....then she turned around...and starting pooping. So literally speaking, it scared the crap out of her.

LoveX - Haha, I think if I actually had fallen off of her. She would have been like, "What the heck, mom? I was trying to get us out of here! Can't you stay on!?"

Cloe - Hahaha. Yeah it can be pretty frightening. Thank you!

EnglishGuy - Awesome there's somebody else who has it! Have you done anything with it? In an english saddle? Thank you for the high compliment, I really didn't want to push her too hard, I wanted to push her just enough, and I tried to praise her as much as I could hold both the reins in one hand.

Jackie - Thank you Jackie! I was hoping you would see this (as always), I remembered how you work cows a lot with Buster. Thank you for the compliment about my seat! I can't believe I stayed on, it felt so much harder than how it looked in the video! Believe me!

Diane - It was so much fun! Thank you!

[EnglishGuy]

Yeah our barn has one but I've never done anything with it personally, just watched the western folks work with it.

I'd be interested to see how Tobey would react to it. He really has a pretty sensible head on him, but he can get spooked by silly things. For instance, a tarp flying through the air didn't scare him, but the semi-truck full of hay coming down the road freaks him out when its a ways away.

[42many]

Impressive spin! If I didn't know better, I'd think you were training a reining horse ;) Great stick!

[JackieB]

I can't believe I stayed on, it felt so much harder than how it looked in the video! Believe me!

Oh I believe you and then some! That was a full on, hard bolt. And she kept going after she bolted, too. I was very impressed.

I'm sitting here laughing at Dixie looking at the two year old in the round pen.

"You see Annie, that's the problem with these young horses. They just haven't seen everything yet. You're so much better sticking with a mature, reliable, rock-steady mount like me. The young ones eventually come around, but there's just no substitute for experience and maturity. It helps develop steely nerves. *meanwhile, Dixie's absent-mindedly turning to her right taking in the scenery as she continues her story* I can remember times like that when I was a young filly and not yet wise in the ways of the world. But I was never like that horse. More just alert with my ears pointed.... GAAAAAA!!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!! WE'LL ALL BE DEAD IN SECONDS!!!!!!!"

[Arrow]

Oh my! Dixie's first scamper--good seat, girl! Diego's a beauty, and so is Dixie! Dixie looks so balanced and good, she's such a nice horse! I've noticed than in situations like this--flight instinct, horses scared, every muscle taut--they look amazing--it's happened with Arrow a time or two, and he looks like...Super Arrow or something!

[Me'N'Chic]

Go girl!!!! Good job Annie! Don't know if I coulda stayed on or not! I loved JACKIB's interpretation-He!He!
If you end coming here sometime--we have cows! I want to mess around with CHIC and the cows sometime!

[Blue]

Haha! That's cute! I've never seen one of those!

[lovesfortune]

Wow. I've never seen one of those either. We have cattle in with our horses, but I can imagine how Dixie would be freaked out by that thing! lol. Good job staying on... I would have FOR SURE been on the ground in the 2nd video. Diego is gorgeous with all that Arab personality when he was spooked.

[Annie&Dixie]

EnglishGuy - Well, that might be an interesting experience to see how he would react!

42many - Thank you! I've always liked to think of myself as having a sticky butt ;) Dixie can actually work pretty well off of her hindend when she wants to, she can do a decent slow spin too...again, it's just when she wants to :)

JackieB - I am cracking up laughing at your interpetation of what Dixie was saying/thinking!! It sounds so much like her too!

Arrow - Oh I know, Arrow! I love they way they look when they're like this. I kept on watching this over and over and over looking at the way she moves, she looks so pretty, in the first video she had this nice floaty springy slow trot which I am now in love with! I'm sure Arrow looks amazing too! Super Arrow, I love that! You should get him a hat ;)

Mary - I would love to come sometime and work with cows!! We're supposed to get cows sometime this spring or summer but it's not a definitely yet. We still need to get together sometime, I've been so busy lately!!

JGH - Thank you!

lovesfortune - I love our automatic cow :) Thank you and yes, I think Diego is pretty with all of his arab personality!

[dustys_girlly]

wow i love your cow, i was going to make one once when i was really getting into cutting and cow work but then i moved and i had live cows to work with. most mechanical cows i have seen have had flags for the cow. one person even had a remote for it that fit on your hand while you rode so you could control it yourself. they are so fun to work with. but you did really good with that bolt, those are hard to sit.

[Annasmom]

lol love the commentary! :) haha I hate those fake cow things

[Remali]

That was great, and I love the ending with Diego shaking his head up and down like that!
You did really good by staying in the saddle, I would've probably been on my butt in the dirt....lol!

[painthorse72]

great job staying on ... loved the videos