STOCKMANSHIP with friends

As published in the Angus Australia Bulletin, Autumn 2025

When was the last time your heard someone say “Have a bloody look”!! Whether that be to

you or another person? 100% of the time I have witnessed or experienced this scenario, the

response was to stop ‘bloody looking’, and turn to stare the deliverer dead in the eye with

contempt. Why? Because the statement is not encouraging, nor is it supportive. It offers no

direction or guidance, in fact it’s quite contentious. Contentious not only because of the

language used and the directness of the statement but also because of the tone of voice.

Delivered with mild frustration that vibrates through the words, with a slightly heightened

pitch and moderately drawn out and elevated ending. Accompanied by frontal, tensed up

body posture and raised brow, widened eyes, and elevated arms. It’s a pretty clear expression of verbal and non-verbal cues that depicts a humans behaviour of frustration, impatience andmild disrespect.

For those of you who have spent a little time in the cattle yards you may be comparing this

scenario to telling your cattle to “have a bloody look” when they take that 5-7 seconds to

make a decision on a directional change, following your request. As we know cattle don’t

speak English, or any other language for that matter so the contentious statement identified

above is often just another example of the human condition; where we have minimal ability

to control our emotions or communicate in a way that suits anyone other then our own

important selves!

If I were permitted to speak freely, I’d say almost 80% of the time that we tell a beast to

“have a bloody look” it’s response would be to turn it’s head to look at where the sound came from, if not shifting it’s entire body to look the handler front on. Thus, achieving the exact opposite to what we intended, and moving away from the direction we wanted the animal to go, whether that be through a gate, into a race, crush or loading onto a truck. There are countless reasons as to why these scenarios pan out the way they do most of the time and it’s all founded on the animal’s behavioural tendencies. The foundation of which are it’s innate survival instinct, exposure to handling situations and novel experiences. Mostly their response or reaction to our interaction and handling methods all relates back to their senses and the way they receive our ‘communication’…

| SENSE OR SENSIBILITY |

Stockmanship is holistic terminology which defines the interaction and relationship between

stock and man. This three-syllable word literally speaks for itself if you break it down;

stock-man-ship.

It means creating a respectful relationship with livestock (herd animals) and overriding our

innate predatory instincts to create positive interactions with these animals. Typically this

results in creating voluntary flow in movement which is the fundamental to achieving

‘proper stockmanship’. Proper stockmanship requires trust; trust that the handler will:

- respond to the animals request for guidance

- recognise the slightest try

- release pressure, and reward the desired movement

The animal’s behaviour when interacting with handlers is a result of their sensory strengths

and weaknesses. When we understand the animal’s senses, we can interact on a level that they understand. Which is when we communicate nonverbally; with a clear Purpose,

an intentional Position and the correct Posture to suit the interaction.

What cattle crave:

- to see the source of pressure and destination in unison (to curve half around the

handler)

- to be worked from the left eye (due to lateralisation of the optic nerves and left /

right rain functionality)

- to go back to where they’ve come from (where they last felt comfortable and safe)

- pressure and release that doesn’t include noise or physical touch (cattle have excellent hearing and are sensitive enough to feel a fly land on their skin)

- to know where you are (work the globe of the eye not the shoulder)

- to be guided from the front and shown where to go (they have poor focus and

depth perception)

- to be allowed 5-7 seconds to make their decision (when rushed they will go back to

where they came from)

- to be worked in a calm environment where fight and flight isn’t instigated (in turn

releasing stress hormones and triggering the entire herd)

- to be worked in a clean, spacious environment

- to work as a herd with voluntary flow, not force motion

The application and perfection of understanding these animals and the application to

handling situations is a lifelong quest; stockmanship is not just about working with, and

understanding the animals. It’s about the individual mindset of the handler and their

contribution to a team working respectfully and in unison. It’s about working efficiently and

productively with pride.

Understanding and applying holistic and proper stockmanship sets these animals up for

success, to ensure quality health and well-being and in turn contributing high performance

for business functionality and profitability.

Next time you think of saying “have a bloody look”, hopefully this musing will trigger you

back into consciousness and you can think about what the animal needs to be confident in

making the right decision, based on the direction that you’re trying to communicate to it.

Happy handling friends.