[Pennymercantile]

where the horse is to PUSH the cow to make it go. I am unsure of what the previous owner of my mare said but Josey was bought by that woman from the ranch she was born and her job was to "push" the cow if it refused to move?

Does anyone know? It is not reining because she doesn't do a stop very well.

[Super Step]

I am not sure what you are asking.
Is this in an event, or ranch work?

[lovemyshy]

Cutting?? Team penning??

[Pennymercantile]

It is for ranch work? I am not sure I understood her either but she said Josey was used to pushing cattle that would not budge or something like that?

[Slowrider]

You mean a horse that works in a feedlot sorting cattle??

[Pennymercantile]

That might be it as well....I got the impression she was on a ranch but what does a horse do in a feedlot?

[Peg D]

I think she is asking for the proper term/word for "push" in a ranch horse.

[John]

My guess is that she simply means working or moving cattle.

[horsegent]

Now I am far from an expert western rider but I have done practical work gathering cattle in open country. I think that perhaps the previous owner might have been referring to a good temperamental quality in a horse.

When I was last in the USA gathering cattle I rode a superb quarter horse who totally knew his job (just as well one of us did!) and we had several occasions when we were on to bulls or beligerent cows with calf which quite basically stood and faced the horse to resist going where you wanted them to. My horse never ever backed off and did not need any encouraging at all to continue to move the indignant, insolent bull where it needed to go. Now a lot of horses won't do that at all or they need a lot of encouraging to face up to and move forward a bull that is clearly thinking about being aggressive.

I'd suggest that the lady meant that in a practical working environment that the horse you have had the temperament and ability to do that sort of work and to continue to push onwards.

Its a good quality as it means the horse is confident and forward and willing.

In the UK its a quality we look for in our dogs - we never gather cattle with horses over here!

[dockeramb]

Any good cow horse will work a cow no matter what the cow is doing. Whether it's a stubborn cow that faces up, or one that breaks away from the herd, etc. Sounds like Josey is a ranch horse, and has done a little of everything. As for her whoa, sit deep in your seat, and ask for the whoa at the same time. You may see a difference in a quicker whoa.
And a good cow horse knows how to read a cow. They usually know when a cow is going to make a move before you do!! I can read cattle pretty good, but when I had Docker, he would sometimes read the steer before me, and stop it in it's tracks!!! He'd have that darn steer cut back into the herd before I knew what happened!!! LOL He was great. And there's also the rating of the steer, that's where a horse stays behind the steer, doesn't get to close or too far away from it, and tracks that steer. You need that for when you are doing Team Roping, break away, or calf roping. I hope some of my info. helped you. It's early in the morning and I haven't finished my first cup of coffee yet!! So I'm afraid I might not make sense yet!!!!