Our Blog
Understanding Cattle
Telling Similar Cattle Apart
If you have begun watching cattle for cutting or herd work, sometimes it's overwhelming when most of the cattle in a herd are the same color. But it gets a lot easier when you start to put same-color cattle in subcategories. In this video, I share my system for how I...
Reading Cow Body Language
Reading cattle often falls into the category of elusive. It's like, "How the heck can you tell what that cow's going to do?" The truth is - you can't! (That's not a good answer- ha!) You never know for sure what a cow is going to do until they do it. But you can...
Identifying Common Breeds and Color
In this video, a Lesson from Barb's CowSmart Course, she walks you through identifying the colors and characteristics of some of the most common breeds of cattle (and crossbreds) often seen in cattle classes. Barb also suggests the following exercise to help you...
Seven Cow Behavior Facts Every Rider Should Know
Those pesky cattle! When you think you understand them, they surprise you! Here are seven facts about cattle behavior to help you de-mystify understanding their behavior and to help you predict how they will act when separated from the herd (in cutting and herdwork)...
5 Tips for Making Cuts in Tough Cattle
Rerun cattle or groups of wild or strongly herd-bound cattle are always a challenge because they know the “game.” They know where they came into the arena. They know where their buddies are standing when they get separated from the herd, and they intend to get back to...
Reading Cattle as They’re Brushed Off
All who show in cow classes (no matter how much experience we have) want to get better at reading cattle. One way is to watch cattle being settled for fresh cattle herd classes. You watch as they're settled, and then predict how they will act when they're cut during...
Speaking Cow Lingo
I clipped a piece of video for you from my "Cow Characteristics" video in my Cow Class II Program. In this segment, I talk about 'speaking cow lingo'. You: Good position as you travel … slightly ahead of the cow … your leg in the cow’s shoulder. Cow: Begins to slow...
How do you learn to read a cow?
I clipped a piece of video for you from one of my "Cow Classes" in my Core Confidence class. In this segment, I talk about how to 'read' a cow. I also included a clip about where do you approach a cow to turn it. You: Good position as you travel … slightly ahead of...
The Rhythm of Working a Cow
One challenge in working a cow, is to get all of the pieces of accuracy, form and rhythm to stay correct … no matter the speed of the cow. This video is a great example of the pretty form and rhythm we all aspire to achieve as we work a cow. Below the video, I explain...
’Reading’ a ‘Good’ Cow vs a ‘Challenging’ Cow
One challenge a rider has in cattle events is being able to predict what a cow will do as he or she approaches it on a horse. That ability to interpret current cow behavior as well as predict future cow behavior is called “reading” a cow. It’s a skill that takes...

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