Parading
Training McBeast to parade is essential for the UniSchools UniSteer show. Of course it is difficult to get the animal used to being up close and paraded by a person, but with our strong determination we were able to do it. Our seniors began to get McBeast accustomed to being handled up close just weeks after we received McBeast.
We were all eager for our steer to be comfortable with us, and the seniors' dedication and determination was very welcome. McBeast was very stubborn at first and did not want to be pushed around though we kept strong, and slowly, week after week, he became more used to the sensation and slowly began to parade very well. We mainly used the cattle paddock to do our parading, and we allowed students with more experience to handle him first. The students also taught McBeast the actions of beginning to walk and stop, as well as turning around and standing upright with his legs evenly spaced.
As time goes on, McBeast has been wonderful to work with and parade, and all of the skills the students have taught him have been well engrained into him and he is very easy and calm to parade with. We started out slowly, but eventually the skills he has learnt is the most important thing.
We were all eager for our steer to be comfortable with us, and the seniors' dedication and determination was very welcome. McBeast was very stubborn at first and did not want to be pushed around though we kept strong, and slowly, week after week, he became more used to the sensation and slowly began to parade very well. We mainly used the cattle paddock to do our parading, and we allowed students with more experience to handle him first. The students also taught McBeast the actions of beginning to walk and stop, as well as turning around and standing upright with his legs evenly spaced.
As time goes on, McBeast has been wonderful to work with and parade, and all of the skills the students have taught him have been well engrained into him and he is very easy and calm to parade with. We started out slowly, but eventually the skills he has learnt is the most important thing.
Leading and putting the nose-dog in
There are firsts for everything, and cattle definitely do not like nose-dogs when they are put in for the first time. McBeast was no exception, he certainly didn't enjoy the nose-dog when we put it in. The first time we put the nose-dog in McBeast, we were extremely careful to not pull on it, even gently, as we just wanted him to get used to the sensation of having it in. Even while we began to teach him parading, we tied the lead with the nose-dog around his halter so that we wouldn't accidentally pull on it. Eventually after a few 'lessons' of McBeast being paraded, we started to hold the nose-dog lead in our hands, as he was then familiar with the nose-dog. Slowly introducing the nose-dog seemed to be the best way for us and him.