Intelligent Horsemanship

Started today by learning that since a horses eyes are positioned on the side of its head it has a blind spot directly in front of its head. Although they are able to see you when you stand near them, they cannot focus on you unless you are more than 6 feet away. It also has another blind spot directly behind it. I was told by Geoff that horses are not particularly good at anticipating where a handler will appear. For example if you disappear from one of its eye sight lines it will think you have gone as it cannot see you in the other eye. Therefore many horses get frightened if a handler appears on the opposite side as this was for them unexpected. Therefore with a horse that Geoff knows (i.e one that he feels safe with) he will gently stroke its rear as he walks past so that the horse knows that he is still there, so as not to startle the horse. However it is important to remember that with a horse that you are not confident with, you should, if you have to walk behind it, stay out of range of a well placed kick.
I started with some more leading work, and then Geoff suggested using a invisible leader. Here I held the leader in the outside hand and held my arm that was nearest the horse across my stomach. This was to prevent my arm from swinging and knocking the horses nose, with the possibility of the horse taking this as a punishment and moving off. I behaved in the same way as with a leader, ensuring that when I stopped, and the horse stopped at my shoulder he was praised.
Horses learn very quickly and it only takes three times for something to happen before this becomes learned behaviour and so it is important to avoid bad habits forming as it will take so much longer for these habits to be undone than they were initially learnt.
When attempting to lead with a leader it is important that it remains in the outer hand, the hand furthest from the horse as you approach so that it is not the first thing that the horse sees as you approach. This is particularly important with mistreated horses who could have been hit with leaders, and so it is much more calming for the horse to have a comforting hand approaching first rather than something that the horse could see as a weapon. However once more we must remember to do this in stages. It is important to ensure that you put pressure onto the horse by walking up non threateningly, but then release this pressure again by walking away. This can be done many times, depending on the horse, to ensure that they know that you are not going to harm them with the leader. The more you do this the more confident the horse should become with the leader and will therefore more likely tolerate being lead.
When speaking to Geoff he told me that he will always ask the vet or farrier who may be working with a particular foot on a horse where they would like him to stand.
He usually likes to stand on the opposite side to that which the vet or farrier is working on. For example if the vet is working on a abscess on a horses front right foot, he would stand on the opposite side at the front left foot, allowing him to pull the horses head towards him if there is a problem and thereby taking the front foot that could kick out at the vet away from the vet so that he is now out of harms way.
Another important point that Geoff told me was that if you are having to do work on the foot of a horse, to always ensure that your legs are positioned so that if the horse kicks out, your knees will bend in the direction that they are supposed to and legs will not break.
Once more it all comes down to the Intelligent Horsemanship rule that everything is done with safety in mind.

Dairy.

Learnt today that the dark patches on many of the cows teats when milking are not always pigment but more often damaged blood vessels with the suction from the milking bits. This is much the same as with us if something such as the hoover is pressed against the arm for a length of time. This does not have an affect on milking performance, instead simply making the teat have dark patches in certain areas.
I also asked today about the process of putting the numbers onto the milking cows rears. This, I was told, is done in a process called freeze branding. This is carried out with number brands being dipped into liquid nitrogen and pressed onto a area on the cows rear that has coloured hair. Then after a while the scab that forms will drop off. The hair that grows back to replace it will grow back white, thereby showing up on the cows coloured rump. This can be a problem when the rump is entirely white, but I was told that the majority of farmers, unless they have a particularly large herd will be able to identify and come to recognise these cows from both their behaviour and their general appearance.

Dairy Work Experience

When the heifer that had mastitis was checked on today, it was noticed that the teat and the udder on the infected teat side were very hard when compared to the other side. When the teat was massaged to remove any fluid, very little emerged and blood began to appear. As I said in my last post this means that the teat will almost definitely be unable to be used in terms of milking and it is now necessary to try as much as possible to limit the risk of the mastitis spreading to the other teats. If this were to be the case, the heifer would loose her value as a milking cow as less teats could be used and therefore less milk produced.

When calving today I asked the farmer about twins in cattle. Interestingly, which I had not known, if a cow has twins, and one is female and one is male, the female will be useless in terms of both going into calf and milking. This is because the female has male hormones, and this will occur in most if not all cases with cattle and is something that I would now like to know more about in terms of why this happens and how.

A cow that I helped to deliver a bull calf this morning was milked today, but, it is essential that the milk does not get passed through the system with the rest of the milk and is instead milked into a separate container. This is due to the fact that the milk contains high levels of colostrum to help make the calf strong and healthy but is not required for humans. Therefore the milk is collected and is used to raise the calf once it is separated from the cow so that the calf can make use of the colostrum in the milk. generally the cow will be able to be milked for human consumption after the fourth milking after the birth to ensure that these high levels of colostrum have passed from her system.

Dairy Work Experience

On our rounds today the farmer pointed out a cow that had had tetanus previously. This can cause a cow to have lock jaw meaning that they are unable to eat. Cows remove excess methane through their mouths and so without the mouth being able to open the methane cannot be released and this can lead to the methane accumulating, making the cow bloated. In this case the vet performed a operation to remove the methane by going into the cows flank where the rumen is easily accessible. This allowed the methane to slowly be released and although the wound took a long time to close up, it is now only visible by a light line on the cows flank.

On the rounds in the fields we noticed a young heifer that had a very swollen teat. The heifer was herded up and brought into a small bull pen where two of us were able to hold her down by pinning her head back over her shoulder and with her on her side, holding a leg up to her stomach to prevent her kicking to get herself upright. The quarter could now be examined. It was clearly infected and felt slightly hard at the top of the teat. When this teat was squeezed a thick cream fluid emerged. This was followed by a spell of milk and then the thick fluid once more. If blood were to be seen at this point then the quarter will not be able to be used and the heifer would milk on 3 teats. Blood was, at present not seen and so this action was not needed as the symptoms had been spotted early giving maximum time for treatment to take place.
The udder was cleaned with a sterile wipe, specifically the teat showing mastitis. A cream was then applied which acts as a sort of 'deep heat' to lessen the swelling, before Cobactan (a antibiotic) was inserted from a syringe into the teat canal. Cobactan is for the treatment of clinical mastitis in lactating cows. The treatment has a with drawl period of 84 hours or 7 milkings. This means that the cow cannot be milked for this time period, to allow the drugs to clear from the system before the milk could come into contact with humans.
Treatment will proceed as necessary with the heifer being checked on regularly and Cobactan being administered if and when it is needed.
This case has really raised my awareness of mastitis and it is something that I would now like to know more about.

Dairy Work Experience - Bulling and Calving

Today I learnt about the process of bulling. We can tell when a cow is ready to be bulled if she is mounted by other cows, since she is still and stationary which is evolutionary behaviour to allow the bull to mate with her. Another way we can tell is if the farmer or dairy worker can smell the hormones that are released at this point in the cows reproductive cycle. Another factor to look out for is other cows curling up their lips to smell the hormones that are being released by the cow ready for bulling since other cos can sense when a cow is ready to bull. Therefore, chances are that a cow that is showing this curling of lips behaviour is smelling the hormones of a cow nearby, allowing the search for the particular cow to be narrowed down. The farmer can then double check that the bulling is due by checking the cycle of that particular cow and when it last bulled.
These behavioural characteristics stemmed from days gone by when female cows would signal to the males of the herd that they were ready to mate.
These useful things to look out for give the farmer the maximum chance of getting a cow into calf if it is bulled around the time that these behaviours are noted.

On arrival to the farm this morning I was told that a cow was calving but she needed help as she was delivering backwards. I was able to get the two back legs out allowing the farmer to fit the calving aids, which are effectively little lassos, attached around the legs. A metal bar is looped through these to give a handle on each aid to pull the calf out. The calf came out relatively easily, however, just before the head emerges it is important to support the calf's body to ensure that it does not fall from a significant height if the cow is tall.
I noticed, after ensuring that the calf had taken its first breath (this is done in much the same way as with lambs), that the feet are extremely soft and are almost like silk to touch. This is to ensure that there is no injury to the cow as the calf is being delivered such as tearing the uterus or vaginal opening.
I then applied iodine to the remains of the umbilical cord and the surrounding belly area ensuring that it was fully covered to prevent infection.
Unfortunately the calf was a bull and so is of no real use in the dairy industry. It will be kept with the cow until the following day and will then be shot by staff from the local hunt kennels on the premises who will butcher the young bull and feed it to the hounds. In this way the farm gets rid of unwanted stock and the dogs at the kennel get fresh meat. This is all due to economics and the fact that it is not economically viable to keep bulls when they obviously do not produce milk and cannot go into calf. Occasionally, if both the mother and the father are good pedigrees then the bull could be shown, but this only occurs in rare cases as a bull simply costs too much to rear.

Intelligent Horsemanship-Handling

Spent today with a trainer who deals with difficult and injured horses with Intelligent horsemanship which was developed by Monty Roberts who is better known as the Horse Whisperer.
We began with him telling me why, according to BHS (British Horse Society), we mount the horse from the near side as opposed to the offside. This is because the society was set up with army horses in mind and so, with the majority of soldiers being right handed, their swords would be on their left hip meaning that by mounting from the near side the sword will not get caught up in their legs. However he told me that this is not always the best side to mount a horse. For example it may have had a injury on its near side and so it is important that one can train a horse so that it can be mounted from both the near side or the offside (also often called the Indian side). The horse will then not see it as a threat or something against the ordinary when someone approaches from a different side.
One of the important points that Geoff teaches is not to lead at the shoulder, as effectively it is not you doing the leading but the horse, as its neck is in front of you meaning that you have less control.
I was then shown the lead rope that he uses. Where the majority of other horse owners use a 6 foot leading rope, he uses a 12 foot rope. This has many benefits which I was able to notice first hand when walking the horses.
If you are leading from the horses shoulder and something behind the horse spooks it, you have no time to react and the only option is to let go of the leading rope. However if you are a step or two in front of the horse and you can feel it making a move, on a longer leading rope, there is time to take a step aside and brace yourself for the rope going taught. The horses momentum will then turn it back towards you and you will still be in control. The step aside is important to ensure that as the horse comes past if it cow kicks out sideways it will not catch the legs.
Also on a longer leading rope, if the horse rears, the rope lengths can be released, allowing the horse to make the movement without pulling you under the front legs, which would occur with a shorter rope. When the horse is back in contact with the ground the rope can be recollected and the horse is back in the handlers control, allowing him to make the decisions.
Geoff then introduced me to the 'Dually' which is a head collar devised by Monty Roberts. He uses them for training purposes on difficult horses. When the head collar is on the bit across the nose sits much higher than a normal head collar and has a rope section which tightens. If the horse makes a sudden movement to run, this section will tighten, giving the horse a slight jolt. If the dually is fitted correctly with the rope section across the boney part of the nose, this will cause no pain.
Geoff then told me, when approaching a horse, to never give it direct eye contact as this is considered by the horse as threatening. Body language is also important and it is essential to have a relaxed posture and not to be tense, as the horse senses this fear which can put it on edge.
A horse which is relaxed will have upright ears, soft eyes and its head will be lowered slightly, whereas it is important to look out for the signs that a horse is aggressive or angry, before close contact is made. Examples of this are ears flat back, head held high, and, occasionally teeth are bared.
I was then shown the process of mirroring with regard to catching the horse to allow the head collar and lead rope to be attached. This involves not approaching the horse directly, but mirroring its moves and approaching gradually. Even if the horse starts to trot or canter away it is important not to run after it, as this will distress it. When one is close enough to the horse contact can be made by stroking with the back of the hand. Geoff told me that he never puts the head collar on immediately, instead gently stroking and then stepping away. This is repeated until the horse is open to the contact of the head collar, and prevents it from becoming stressed by urgency. He also told me that he never pats the horses that he works with, as many of them are unable to tell a pat from a aggressive slap.
After watching Geoff lead the horse it was my turn. He told me to keep slightly in front of the horse and to ensure that there was a smile in the rope, i.e a loop hanging down, which in theory should not go taught. I then practised leading from both sides, ensuring that my head was slightly bowed and I was aware of the horse in my peripheral vision, allowing me to act should the horse make a move. I then practised stopping with the horse, ensuring that it remained just behind my shoulder in a steady stance. If the horse did not stop behind my shoulder I was told to halt it and take it back a step to show that it that it was not the one making the decisions. When the horse performed a action well it was important to gently rub its nose between the eyes to reward it.
Next I was taught how to lift the leg to pick out the feet. The horses I was working with were trained to lift their foot off of the ground with a gentle touch on the back of the leg. The foot could then be supported whilst the mud was picked out. It is important to start from the top to the bottom of the hoove, being firm to remove the clumps of mud but being extremely careful to avoid the frog which is the area of the foot which cushions the foot as the horse moves, and so it is important that this area (a V shape from the open end of the U shaped hoove) is not picked out as this could cause serious damage to the horse.
Another thing I was told is that it is important that you as the handler are always in control. For example if the horse wanted to put its foot down when you still hadn't finished picking it out, the handler must support the foot and prevent the horse putting its foot down, thus showing that the handler is in full control. If this was not done the horse would come to learn that this was acceptable behaviour and it would become increasingly difficult to pick out feet, which would be a real problem, as it is a important job in the caring of a horse.
I was then introduced to a horse that has not been ridden for many years. Geoff is currently working to get her back to being ridden. He is having to ensure that the shoulders and back of the neck are regularly touched and that the belly is regularly rubbed to ensure that she will be comfortable with a saddle again. She is currently wearing a coat so that she gets used to a buckle like the girth touching her belly. He told me that it is a long process but really worth it when you can make a difference to the horses temperament or general behaviour.
He told me that the problems in 99% of the horses he deals with are as a result of humans-either from a lack of knowledge or maltreating them which is a real shame.
I now understand that the main reason for using the Intelligent Horsemanship method is to ensure the safety of the handler as well as the horse as brute force is not used at all. It will therefore be a useful skill to have with myself wishing to do veterinary as a basic knowledge of the principles of Intelligent Horsemanship, will I feel, allow me to work with the horses much more confidently and effectively.

Animal Health and Welfare

Today was spent in the office department of Animal Health.
I watched the AMLs being put on the computer database so that the department has a record of each movement. Each AML takes about 3 days to come through from when the movement was performed and they are each kept and filled for reference. This has enabled me to see the animal movement process from beginning to end, and I now realise its real importance in disease prevention and management.

I also discussed with the Senior animal Health Inspector about the Animal Welfare Regulations 2006 and the Welfare of farmed animals 2007, both of which are important from a veterinary point of view. After discussing these I was shown a number of videos of cases that occurred, and we discussed the issues that arose from each one, which I found very interesting. One case involved a hobble, which is a device, with straps attached onto each back leg and linked by a chain. This helps to provide support for a cow which has a weak pelvis or other muscular defect, which prevents them from slipping and ending up doing the splits which can be dangerous for the animal. The hobble chain had broken and the strapping was digging into the leg of the cow and had rubbed through the skin, through the muscle and the Achilles tendon leaving the bone visible with the animal clearly in pain and lame. Appropriate action was then taken.

We also discussed the By-Products law which acts to ensure that dead animals are removed from a farm or holding area as soon as is reasonably achievable, and are not buried or incinerated on site- instead at a registered site which will do this which is something that I was already aware of from my period lambing at Shipley.

Simply by talking to the inspectors I now know the full process that occurs, from a initial complaint, the inspection and then the action taken with the possibility of a court case.
I have also learnt how the Inspectors rely on the DEFRA vets to help them in their cases as they are not veterinary professionals. They therefore work closely with these vets and often use them as professional witnesses to back up statements regarding the welfare and possible suffering of animals which have been brought to the attention of the Inspectors.
I noticed today as well as my other days with the department, the importance of making note of everything significant that happens throughout the day. This allows the Inspectors to have a record of what occurred during the day so that there is evidence that a action was performed. For example if, 3 weeks down the line, it becomes apparent that a number of the sheep which had been seen by the Inspector at the mart have a disease, the inspector will have a note of this, and be able to say he looked at the sheep and no disease symptoms were noticed. This would either mean that the animals had the disease but were not showing signs, or that the disease was not contracted until after the mart that the inspector was at. This would allow the location that the disease was contracted in to be identified.

Having seen the work that the inspectors do, I feel that being a vet on this side of the profession is something that would really interest me, and, I hope to be able to get some further experience with the Health Inspectors or DEFRA vets in the future.

Animal Health Inspection Work Experience-Aklington Mart

I have spent a few days with Northumberland County Councils Animal health Inspectors.
Today began with a visit to Acklington Mart. I asked the inspector why they visit the marts.
I was told that there are three main reasons. To evaluate the health and livelihood of individual animals and evaluate the health of larger groups for disease prevention. However I was told that the most important reason that Marts are visited is to speak to the farmers and buyers present. It is here that the inspectors can learn about the 'goings on' on other farms from the farmers and so it is essential to have a good rapport with the farmers that attend the mart, as often it is only through these individuals that the inspectors will be made aware of an issue.

We moved through the sheep holding pens, looking closely at the stock. The main things to watch for are lameness, in terms of welfare, and checking that all ear markers are present, as it is illegal to move animals without this form of identification.
We saw a Scottish Black faced ewe who had a deformed foot, with a elongated hoove, however, due to the fact that it was clear that it was not suffering no further action was needed to be taken.
We then moved onto the pens which were receiving sheep from the farms for sale that day. It was here that I became aware of the 6 day movement prevention. This is in place to prevent the spread of disease. The theory behind this is that after this period of time a farmer should be able to see the signs of disease in the animals so that further action can be taken, thereby preventing the spread of a particular disease to other animals.
I was also introduced to the AML, the animal movement licence. I saw how this was filled in on arrival with times that the animals had arrived, number of animals transported and where they came from. It is the legal requirement that farmers bringing animals to a mart must have their licence indicating movement. These documents are essential if a disease in the particular animal becomes apparent, as Animal Health Inspectors will be able to see where the animals have previously been, so that these premises can be inspected for the disease.
I noticed that at this point the Inspector helped the farmers with the unloading and movement through the holding pens. The Inspector told me that although the farmers think that he is helping, the unloading of the animals is the best possible time to identify any issues with the stock such as first signs of disease or lack of ear tags.
The Inspector then checked a number of the AMLs for the morning so far, making a note of the ones that were checked in case aspects of the forms were not correctly filled in.
After this we moved to the turntables where the lambs were being separated into selling groups and then weighed. It was at this point that we stayed for a while as the inspector had heard rumours that a farmer was maltreating the sheep, however this was not apparent on inspection.
There was over 3500 ewes and lambs at the mart, and selling was going well with prices the best they had been in the area for a number of weeks which was good for the farmers and this was clear to see.
When we were confident that the sheep were all fine, we moved onto the cattle which were just beginning to arrive for the afternoon sales. I was introduced to the cattle passport which was of chequebook size and detailed the individuals age, sex, the owner, the animals individual number as well as the mothers individual number so that she can be tracked down if need be.
The cattle then move through a narrow gate system where I assisted in adding a sticky substance to their back, so that numbers can be added. I saw a 2 year old bull come through, which although good looking was small even compared with the cows nearby. I was told that he could not be feasibly mated with any other cow, as the offspring would be too small and so their value would be depreciated.
I was able to see the cattle which were separated to be culled immediately and these will go straight to the slaughterhouses. Any main cuts such as fillet and steaks which can be taken off the animal will be whilst the rest will be used for processed meat and other products. At this point I was told that Morrison's is the best buyer of produce at the mart and indeed all over, only buying the best animals which fit their standards-they will only take certain breeds of lamb and they must not be over 45kg for example. Therefore if your stock is brought by Morrison's, the inspector told me that you can consider your stock in the top 1/3 at the market.
As we moved through the pens I noticed another group of cattle which were kept separate. When I asked why, it was because they were from a Parish that had had TB in a herd due to a farmer buying stock from the Devon/Cornwall area which apparently is rife with TB. They must be checked for TB either once, twice, three or four times a year as a result. I was told that DEFRA have announced pre-movement testing in England and Wales from 2005 to help to prevent the spread of the disease between herds.
Bovine TB is spread primarily through the exchange of respiratory secretions between animals which are infected and those which are not. Therefore since this will occur when animals are close together, animal density plays a large part in Bovine TB transmission. I was also told by the Inspector that it is now a statutory requirement that all cattle over 42 days old moving out of a herd which is tested once or twice yearly, must have tested negative to a TB test within 60 days prior to movement unless the herd or movement meets an exemption.
I was also shown a bull which had a in turned horn which was beginning to press against the skin. At present the eyelid still moved normally when the animal blinked and so it was clear that the skin was not yet trapped by the horn pressing, however the Inspector approached the owner, ensuring that he knew about the situation-asking him to keep am eye on the situation. I.e, to cut the horn if the situation worsened. A note was then made of this, so that the Inspector could go back to his records and know that the farmer was told about this on a particular date.
When we had looked at all the cattle coming in for the market (66 in total today) we moved out into the car park to inspect the wagons and ensure that everyone had complied with the Wash and Disinfect act. This states that a wagon or vehicle must be thoroughly washed down and disinfected regularly, but can be done at their farm. Farmers are able to move for 24 hours between the same two points, e.g to pick up another load for market. However, as soon as they plan to make a journey to a third point, the vehicle must be disinfected, ensuring that the spread of disease is kept to an absolute minimum and this is essential to make sure that other outbreaks such as the foot and mouth in 2001 do not occur.

Morwick Dairy Work Experience

Today began with leading out calves for the first time and also moving cows to new fields where the grass was better.

I then helped the farmer to deal with a cow that had had the outer cleat on its right hind leg cut off as it had become infected. The farmer had originally gone to clip the nail which was very long and found that it was hollow and an infection had spread up to the joint. First it was necessary to get the cow into a position where we would be able to treat the injury without the cow being able to kick. For this she was placed in a cage like device that help her head, whilst a strap was fitted under her stomach and winched up to prevent her from sitting down, as otherwise it would be very difficult to get her back up again. A pulley was attached to her leg which was carrying the injury and this was also winched up to prevent the cow from kicking. At this point the old bandage and dressing could be removed. It was clear that the wound was beginning to heal nicely and was clean as well as not smelling. Warm water was applied to the area where the cleat had been removed to clean away any dirt that could have become lodged under the bandage. The next step was to add a syringe of Excenel (a Antibiotic) to a wad of cotton wool, this was then applied to the area and a soft sponge like material was then applied over this to cushion the area from any bumps. On top of this sticky surgical tape was then added holding everything in position until the dressing could be removed in the next few days. Before the cow was released I applied a syringe of Excenel to the jugular as well, to ensure that the risk of infection again is kept as low as possible.

I was told that this can be a fairly common problem in dairy cows, particularly old cows or those with very large udders as they will tend to walk around them, thereby placing the majority of their back weight on the outer cleats leaving them open to problems associated with this. One way that a cow that has had a cleat removed can be treated is to strap a wooden block to the area that the cleat was in simply to give more support for the cow, however in this instance the cow was walking fine on the leg and so this action was not necessary.

The extra care and treatment cost for this cow was important and economically viable as this particular cow was one of the highest yielders of the herd and so it was important that she was in a fit state to continue to produce milk.

Cleaning of equipment is a important daily job in the dairy industry, and indeed any farm environment, as a visit from the health and safety inspectors can occur at any time. Therefore late morning and early afternoon was spent cleaning the milking shed equipment ready for afternoon milking.

I then fed the cows that were heavily in calf with a mix which is high in calcium. They were given 1kg each and this high level of calcium in theory helps to prevent Milk Fever which is effectively a calcium deficiency which can have serious consequences for the calves. When leading these cows to their shed, one was leaking milk, and I was told that this is a sign that the cow is about to calve (in fact she did in the evening).

Next job was to wash down the shed where the cows which had been milked will go to feed. The shed has yokes on each side, high yielding cows on one side of the shed and low yielding cows on the other. This is due to the different food mixes that the cows receive due to their milk productivity. Once the shed had been cleaned out the milking shed was prepared for the milking. Initially the shed is sprayed by a robot before we led the cows in to the holding area. After this the shed is sprayed with a fly killer that literally had the flys falling out of the sky within seconds.

The shed is set up with 16 positions on either side but only 16 can be milked at any one time. The cows are let through a gate at one end, which is automated, closing after 16 have passed through. When the cows are in position each cow has its teats wiped with wet disinfectant cloths. It is important to start with the front teats and then the back to ensure that any muck is not spread to the other teats therefore wasting time. Any cows that have teats that are particularly mucky have a frothy, soapy liquid added, which softens the muck and makes it easier to come off and make the teat clean . Once the teats are clean it is important to remember to draw each teat. This involves using the thumb and index finger to gently pull the teat and ensure that each one is producing milk before the milking bits are applied. By making this process feel like the suckling of a calf it makes it easier to produce the milk, as naturally this is how the milk would be taken. Once this has been done, the milking aid can be added. A button is pressed which starts the vacuum and each individual bit is added to each teat. A pumping action is used, which sucks and then releases, sucks and releases and so on. This helps to prevent the teat becoming sore from a continuous pressure being felt.

Once all the milk from each cow has been removed the milking aid falls off. This can then be added to a cow on the opposite side who is ready to milk, i.e teats cleaned and drawn. When the milking aid is off, a disinfectant is sprayed onto each teat to prevent any infection spreading as the period after milking when the teat channels are open is when the cow is most likely to catch a infection. This is also why the cows are fed in yokes immediately after milking as it prevents the cow from sitting down for the time it is eating, ensuring that it has least possible chance of catching an infection before the teat channels close off slightly. The cows then leave the milking shed, allowing the next 16 to enter on each side. In this way I helped milk a total of 176 cows.

Afterwards it is essential to clean every surface for the morning milking. This involves the use of a power hose and brushes to clean the walls whilst water is used to clean each milking aid before they are used again the following day.

The milk is pumped off to a large holding tank and the filter is cleaned, again ready for the morning milking and to prevent a build up of unwanted products such as any muck or dirt that was missed with the teat cleaning.

With the cleaning over the day was finished. I really enjoyed my first day and can't wait to go back tomorrow. With each cow producing a average of about 30 litres of milk a day it is a hectic process and industry, but a experience that I am truly enjoying.

Cheetah Conservation Project and Cheetah Anatomy

For many years cheetah numbers have been declining. One of the reasons for this is conflict with humans. Therefore the Spier Estate Cheetah Project is promoting a Turkish dog breed to improve the situation. The dogs are placed with farmers stock, such as sheep or goats from the age of 6-8 weeks. This means that they will protect the flock from danger, as, having been brought up with the flock, they will defend it. The Cheetah is a cat that is more 'flight' than 'fight' and so the dogs loud bark is enough to frighten off the cheetahs, thereby reducing the numbers of free roaming cheetahs which are shot or trapped as a result of stealing the sheep or goats.


We were then shown a cheetah skeleton. The first thing that one noticed about the entire frame was that bones were long and extremely fragile looking. These bones are very light, helping it to reach the high speeds characteristic of the cat.

The hips and collar bones of a cheetah are free floating. This allows for a much longer stride of between 7 and 8 metres, as effectively the legs are able to stretch out beyond the position that other cats can achieve. A cheetah has a long tail which acts as a rudder, allowing for sharp turning when following prey as well as acting as a means of providing balance.

The head is small and streamlined, reducing drag, which would slow the cat and be counterproductive to hunting.


A cheetahs claws are, in general, not sharp. Instead they act as traction, in the same way that studs on a rugby boot work. On each paw they have one long claw, which is not in contact with the ground, which they use to trip up their prey when they are in close enough range.


It is important that a cheetah times this attack to perfection, as one wrong move could leave the cheetah injured from a horn or hoove, meaning that the cat cannot hunt and would starve to death.


It is important that a cheetah is able to get to within 30 metres of its prey before it commences its chase, as although they are the fastest animal on the planet (speeds of up to 120kmph) with the fastest acceleration (0 to 70kmph in 3 seconds), they are unable to maintain these speeds for long periods of time as a antelope such as the impala and springbok are capable of. Therefore chases usually last about 20 seconds at most. Beyond this time, exhaustion begins to set in and the cheetahs body can overheat to near fatal levels. As a result of this, when a cheetah catches its prey it must rest for up to half an hour before it is able to feed, simply to ensure that its body conditions return to normal. This is considered one of the many reasons that numbers are falling, as during this time period the cheetah is prone to have its meal scavenged by hyena and other carnivores since cheetah are not adapted to fight for their food, having little sheer muscle when compared to these other carnivores.


It is clear that they are a well evolved species, and this is evident through every part of their anatomy, adapted for speed and acceleration. However these adaptions have meant that strength and muscle have been compromised which can affect their survival when they are having to compete with other larger animals for food.

Bird of Prey Encounters

Whilst on a rugby tour of South Africa, I was able to learn a great deal about the rearing and handling of large birds of prey at the Spier Estates in Stellenbosch.
The bird of prey centre there is dedicated to helping birds which have been affected in many ways. Some by human means such as poisoning and shooting, others through neglect and cruelty in captivity and as pets. The centre has a 60% success rate of release back into the wild. 10%, birds which were reared in captivity, are kept as zoo birds in order to educate youngsters on how they should be looked after as well as educating the next generation how problems for these birds can be improved.
I was also able to see the importance of a natural and balanced diet for the birds. Images were shown to us of birds which had been raised on inadequate diets. For example, one image showed a barn owl which should have reached maturity, yet was still the size of a chick and was all bone with deformed features. This was all due to a diet of raw mince.
The birds at the centre get fed on pieces of dead mice, chicks and other small animals, which are raw-simulating the food that they would catch for themselves in the wild.

Our guide also told us of the importance of exercise for the birds. All the birds at the centre are flown daily, and this is essential to ensure that the bird does not become stressed and do itself harm from boredom. It is common for birds to deliberately pull out their own feathers, simply for something to do in captive environments.

Our guide has his own hunting birds and tries to stimulate a proper lifestyle for the birds that they would have in the wild. For example he flies the hunting birds on a Saturday where they will catch themselves a hare, rabbit or even small antelope and eat it their own catch. They will then not eat again until the Wednesday to allow for full digestion of the prey-which is exactly what would occur in the wild after a good feed. I feel that where ever possible it is important to keep conditions as close to how they would be in the wild, allowing, for, where it is feasible, birds to potentially be realised back into the wild after their period of rehabilitation.

Particularly with smaller birds of prey such as kestrels and falcons I learnt that it is important to have softer netting as the enclosure. This is because their eyes focus past the netting and they feel that they can fly through. By having a softer netting, it prevents serious damage to the birds, which often happens in homes where birds are kept, since cages and enclosures are not suitable for the needs of the particular bird.

I was also able to learn about how different birds are adapted for the different ways in which they catch their prey and for their way of life. For example falcons such as Perigrines have very pointed wings, allowing them to dive at high speeds to catch their prey. They have incredibly sharp talons, allowing them to catch birds, such as pigeons in the air as they fly.
Contrary to this Eagles have large wings, although this means they are able to easily soar and glide, they use large amounts of energy flying for long periods of time by beating their wings so their flight time is limited.
They too have sharp talons but catch larger prey. They therefore have extremely strong leg muscles, it is easy to feel how powerful they are by simply stroking the leg of these huge birds.
A Eagles grip with its talons is very strong and is capable of holding a small antelope in its talons with ease.

Another interesting bird related fact that I learnt was about Vultures and also storks. Since they often live in very hot environments, they deficate on their legs. This makes their legs white, and helps to regulate temperature by cooling the birds down. This is because the white staining will reflect light from the birds legs.