Nose ring in a steers nose

[OH Breeder]

  OK PPL, stop and think about this. How do you think that they put a ring in a calf's nose, magic? The ring splits open, push through the nose and a screw is put back down through it, wah la. So yes , you can of coarse take them back out. Brent

Ours always had a screw as well. We never cut anything out. We never used one on a steer. The spring loaded one's work well.
But, to me if they are that strong headed and you have to ring them they dont belong in showring.JMO. :-\

 

[DLD]

We've never used a ring in a steer, but I don't see any problem with it.  We have sometimes used the clip in nose leads - usually a few times with that and they get over whatever the problem is.  There's nothing wrong with an exhibitor, especially a younger and/or smaller one, using it for a little extra help.

There's more than one way to skin a cat, and certainly more than one way to halter break a calf.  Just because someone does it one way and it works for them, does not mean it's the only right way and the way everyone must do it from now on.  Everyone that's done this for long will have a system that works for them.  Personally, I like to tie them up with an innertube the first few times.  They learn quickly to give their head to pressure from the halter, and usually lead better and quicker, imo.  I do sometimes let them drag halters, but just overnight a time or two, and don't believe that it has any adverse effects. 

 

[kanshow]

Personally, I think every calf is different.  What works for one may not work for another.      We have two that we haltered for the first time yesterday, one of them already gives to pressure and is starting to follow, the other one is going to take a different approach. 

We had one heifer two years ago that we kicked out because she was the first one that was virtually impossible to halter break - her unforgivable sin was multiple attempts to take whoever tried to lead her

 

[mikey]

  My daughters shorthorn has a nose ring. He is not mean, but is scared to death of strange people. He would try to leave the country when scared. The only time we have ever used it is in the show ring. If he acts up in the ring my kid will get his attention and he straightens up. I am more scared of ring men with little or no cattle experience. Saturday at a show I told the ringman not to slap Michaela's steer on the butt. He gave me a look and didn't  respond. She was trying to get the steer started walking when the man made a quick move to his rump. My daughter was telling him not to come closer and he still kept walking. The steer jumped foreward and spun around and my daughter had to walk him out and begin setting him up again. He is usually pretty well behaved when you have intelligent men working the ring. The West Texas Fair ring caused several near misses there too by walking up and slapping calves on the rear.

 

[RSC]

So RSC is that just a normal rope halter tied to the donkey's halter?

I put a steel loop on the halter so the halter would release on the nose or buy one from Sullivans made with the loop.

RSC

 

[inthebarnagain]

   My daughters shorthorn has a nose ring. He is not mean, but is scared to death of strange people. He would try to leave the country when scared. The only time we have ever used it is in the show ring. If he acts up in the ring my kid will get his attention and he straightens up. I am more scared of ring men with little or no cattle experience. Saturday at a show I told the ringman not to slap Michaela's steer on the butt. He gave me a look and didn't  respond. She was trying to get the steer started walking when the man made a quick move to his rump. My daughter was telling him not to come closer and he still kept walking. The steer jumped foreward and spun around and my daughter had to walk him out and begin setting him up again. He is usually pretty well behaved when you have intelligent men working the ring. The West Texas Fair ring caused several near misses there too by walking up and slapping calves on the rear.

I hear you there.  My daughters first year in, when she weighed a whopping 50 pounds her heifer was every bit of 1300 pounds.  I was following her into the ring because the ringman was up at the front of the ring, I was just trying to keep her going.  The ringman started her way, which was good because I didn't want to be out there and as he came towards us I said, don't touch her head, just get behind her and she will keep going.  He heads straight for her head, grabs the halter and when the heifer snorted and shook her head, SLAPPED HER ACROSS THE NOSE!  This was all because she didn't want to walk.  Luckily my brother in law headed for the ring to be the ringman when he saw what was going on and got the heifer settled down and was able to give her back to Caitlin.  She has learned to speak up for herself since then and tells the ring steward what to do, and definitely lets them know if they aren't doing it right!

 

[ploughshare]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROuvvubFQrc&feature=player_embedded

Mark Pearson, also the narrator for this piece, leading a steer with a nose ring.  Hard to see until the 2 min. 33 seconds into the video.  I don't think the ring hurt the steer's appearance at all.