Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Conclusion
Beef Unit: Tractoring and Trailering
Horse Unit
I have an inherent fear of horses. So obviously I was putting off this lab until the very end of the semester. Horses, and horse people just don’t mix well with me. The funny thing is, I used to be an avid rider when I was younger. I rode both English and western for about 6 years. However, after being thrown from a horse and hitting the fence that just happened to be next to me, that all came to a screeching halt.
Needless to say, I forgot everything I ever knew about horses, and was subsequently traumatized. Horses to me are just large accidents waiting to happen. They are smart and fast and really scary.
Upon arrival at the horse unit, when Angela instructed us to go into the pasture and catch a horse, I nearly dropped dead of a heart attack. Luckily Angela helped me out by giving me some extra help when it came to catching and leading my horse.
Once I had caught my horse, Diesel, and had secured him with a halter I was feeling quite a bit better about the situation. Familiar things were coming back to me, like how to hold the halter and how to lead the horse, but I was still pretty nervous the entire time.
We lead the horses up to the barn, without injury, and learned to tie a quick release knot. We also practiced leading out horses and tying them in cross ties. Then came my favorite part: Grooming.
I remembered grooming well from when I was riding because it was my favorite part. It’s almost therapeutic, and the horses are restrained so I was a lot more comfortable with this. Throughout the whole process of curry combing and brushing, I was becoming more and more comfortable. True, I was still scared and my fear is not completely gone, but I am so glad I made the trip out to the horse unit to face my fear of horses.
Beef Unit: Preg Checking
Beef Unit: Ultrasound and Freeze Branding
Spring Break: Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Day 2
After leaving the Belgian Blue show on Monday, I was told to come back on Wednesday morning. I had no idea what I was going to be doing, or for how long, but I was in now way going to turn down an opportunity to work. So I showed up bright and early on Wednesday morning, was immediately handed a walkie-talkie, and introduced to the Livestock Committee.
I had arrived in the middle of the biggest movement of livestock that takes place throughout the entire month long Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo: Junior Heifers. 4-H and FFA kids from around the great state of Texas travel to Houston by the hundred to show their heifers at the world’s largest livestock show.
I have grown up around cheer moms, dance moms, and even basketball moms, and I know how competitive they can be. However, nothing compares to the competition that rages within junior livestock shows. While a cheer mom will just yell at you and not take any action for fear of ruining her wonderful French manicure, a livestock show mom just might take a sorting stick and hit you up side the head with it.
These kids were coming in droves, unloading huge pickup trucks and trailers full of show material, along with prized heifers, and it was our job to direct, assist, and move them along as quickly as possible. And this whole ordeal is taking place within a space the size of four football fields.
I don’t think I was walked that much in my entire life. Up and down the stalls, helping in section E and then two minutes later, running over to section J. It was a madhouse, and we moved over 3,000 heifers into the conference center by the time the day was over, 5 ½ hours later. I have a new found respect for the people who work year-round to make sure the Livestock Show goes smoothly and according to plan!
It was amazing to see the dedication and effort that these kids and their families had put into these animals. After seeing all the equipment and hard work it takes to move and show these animals, I can understand why emotions run so high!
Spring Break: Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Day 1
Over spring break I went to Houston to visit my family, but I was also lucky enough to get to spend some time interning at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Dr. Greene used some of his amazing connections and got be set up to volunteer with the livestock committee at the show, who are responsible for everything from chickens to show heifers.
The first day I showed up, I was immediately thrown into the show ring assisting with the Belgian Blue exhibition, and I even got to hand out the awards. Prior to this I had had no experience with livestock shows, and it was very much a learn on the go situation.
Even though I was only handling the line-up of the animals and the award distribution, just being in the show ring, near the judges and state officials, I learned a good deal about the rules and etiquette of the show ring, and also about the physiology and the desired traits of Belgian Blues.
They are such rare animals, that there were only about 50 or so present at the show, and within these 50 were a wide range of ages and body types. From Cow-calf pairs, to prized bulls, I was able to see clearly, the strong traits that define this breed.
I also learned a lot about what is undesirable, by the judge’s comments. However, more informative than the judges or any personnel, was Pierre. Pierre was a native Belgian, who also breeds Belgian Blues, and had travelled to Houston for the sole purpose of watching this particular show. His English was a bit off, so we conversed in Dutch in order for him to get his point across more clearly. He pointed out the differences between European and American Belgian Blues to me and gave me a little more history on the breed.
I never thought that living in Holland would help me in the world of Agriculture, but in this case it really paid off!