highland cattle and brabant belgians

[KILT TURKEY]

Hey all,
So I was at work yesterday and as it was a holiday it was a relaxed or "down" day so there was time to brainstorm on what to do when I retire (though it will be a few years from now). I have come up with all sorts of ideas, though the most recent seem to raise a small herd of cattle and draft horses. I was thinking highland cattle and drafts are going to be brabant belgians. So the question I pose is what are you alls opion on those breeds. Are they as stout as they were claimed to be? How are they to work with? K well take care and hope everyone well.
matt z

[Finn]

Hi,
My family is looking to homestead in Alaska eventually. I've been doing the same sort of research.
I've settled on Highland cattle because their hardiness is renowned. I wasn't aware of those horses; I had been considering Icelandic. I'll definitely look into the Belgians.

[KILT TURKEY]

Hey again,
Aparently there are two types of belgians if you will. The "European" type if you will is the Brabant. Its a little shorter, and stockier than the "American" version which is a little taller and cleaner lined. I may not have used the correct terminology, sorry I am not gifted in the art of glib. well take care all
matt z

ps. i apologize for my lack of language skills but its something i have never been good at or really care to worry about truth be told

[cormacmacguardhe]

I don't know much about the Highland cattle, however my wife and I used to own a Belgian. Ours was a gelding, so we did not have any "stallion" issues. Ours was quite a character, the breed is for the most part, very easy going. The one we had was unfortunetly (sp?) somewhat spooky. He would startle at little things sometimes. Ours was the American, or more modern breed, bred somewhat for looks and confirmation, this means body shape and how the parts fit together. The draft breeds are what are known as "slow twitch", this means that messages along the nerves to the brain take longer to get the message across. Sometimes they do not respond at first to external stimuli. All in all I would rather have any draft breed then the other breeds.

[Phogfan86]

I am acquainted with a husband and wife near here (NE Kansas) who have tremendous success raising Heelan Coos. They say theirs seem quite content through both Kansas' bitterly-cold winters and triple-digit temperature, 95%-humidity summers.

I know nothing about horses. Scared of 'em. They just too d*mn big. Squash a short guy like me...

[Jock Scot]

I have a herd of highland cattle that wander around the place keeping the place untidy!.Actually they are no trouble,they live on whatever poor grass,heather,rushes and the odd bush that they can find.They are not keen on hay or what any cattle farmer might call "good food".They are hardy,they have to be, and despite their looks the are not "dangerous wild" at all,although they are not used to enclosures and narrow spaces. They are self sufficient and calve themselves with no bother. You will find that they are very,very slow to mature.

I know nothing about Belgian horses but we use the highland pony on the hill to carry the deer.Again they are docile(mostly), hardy and extremely useful.They carry one stag(weighing up to about 22 stone) or two hinds.

Down south I have a herd(the oldest registered herd in the world) of about 100 Herefords
and milk(well not me!) about 1200 cows,so I know a wee bit about them!Ask away if you want to know more.

[Donnie]

You can't go wrong with either animal. I raised Angus for 30 years. If I ever own any more cattle, it will be the Highland Cow. I work with draft horses almost every day and I would rather work a Belgan than any other breed. Never have gotten to work a Barbant, but, if it is a belgan it's gotta be good!

[vmac3205]

The nuns at Our Lady of the Rock Priory (www.rockisland.com ) have a Highland Cattle breeding program, as well as Costwold sheep. They are on Shaw Island in the Puget Sound, so they are raised in some pretty wet and wild weather. Check out the website. They can and will give you some grand advice about raising the cattle beasts.

[Jaggy thistle]

I used to have two or three Highland cattle in my beef herd very hardy and easy to workwith willeven go through a cattle crush if given time. you would be quicker growing trees!! .My father farmed with Belgian horses Paddy and Ginger both good workers but with totally different personalitys both very gentle

[Carolina Kiltman]

I remember than one of my Grandfathers had a team of what he called "Barbasans" (At least that is what it sounded like to my young ears) would that be Barbacon?

They huge things, with hooves the size of dinner plates, and as gentle as could be. We (my brothers, sister, and assorted cousins) would clamber up on the back of one or the other and ride around the field until she (the horse) would tire of the game and scrape us all off on a low hanging branch. Who said that horses didn't have a sense of humor?