Rob and Roy Retun
70.5”
Visitors and guests often ask if Highland horns fall off or keep growing. This leads into one of my teacher diatribes about the difference between antlers and horns, of which there are several. I won’t bore you with all the details but will address that oft asked question.
Highland horns do not fall off but keep growing as long as the cow, bull or steer is alive. Rob and Roy are seven year old steers. Last fall Roy’s horns were 68” tip to tip. Today that span was 2.5” longer, now nearly 6’ across. Rob's horns are just a tad shorter, but both boys' horns are still growing. Next measurement will be in the fall when they return home.
It was moving day today for Shat Acres Rob and his twin brother Roy. This is never a simple task. Weighing over a ton a piece with that massive apparatus on top of their heads, they must first be haltered and then convinced to elevate their 2000+ pound heft into a 16' trailer for the mile ride to their summer pasture.
We used to put both boys into the trailer at the same time so they would not have to be apart, as they have never been separated. It was like sardines in a can, a pretty tight fit. We now move the boys one at a time. First Rob or Roy, whoever cooperates first, is loaded and delivered to summer camp. The second twin is pretty eager to be reunited with his brother, so loads a bit easier. (I'll add a video at the end, to see why we decided that just one steer at a time would work better. Do not be alarmed--Ray is fine. That video is from a couple of years ago)
Before heading out for their summer sojourn, the boys required a bit of cleaning up. The lanolin next to Highlands' skin is a magnet for dirt and dust, and during the winter months Rob and Roy accumulate dust in their coats from the hay and winter-feeding area. Their heavy winter coat needs to shed out for their lighter summer cover, and in doing so gets matted and tangled. Rob and Roy love their spa day, when they get thoroughly combed out and blow dried. They will be combed many more times during the summer, but the blow dryer stays at the barn. The boys will need to wait for another blow-out until they return home in the fall.
To everything there is a season. The grass in their summer pasture had grown lush and green. Time for Rob and Roy to move to their summer home. It is always a lot of work, but these boys are the most majestic, gentle giants who we are blessed to have dominion over. We know Rob and Roy will not live forever. Their massive weight is hard on hoofs and joints. Roy is beginning to show some signs of arthritis in his hip. We will monitor him and his twin brother and continue to give them the best quality of life we can. Rob and Roy bring so much joy to our Highland House Farm Stay visitors and guests who feed them carrots and apples all summer long, as well as the hundreds of passersby on the road near their pasture who stop, gaze in awe, and take picture after picture of these gigantic, prehistoric looking creatures.
We are the lucky ones to have Rob and Roy in our lives. Another trip around the sun for all of us has returned them back to their summer home.
Done. And Blessed.
Greenfield Highland BeefHighland House Farm StayVermont Agency of AgricultureMid Atlantic Highland AssociationFarmstay#farmlife#gratefulheart#grateful#gratefulthankfulblessed#seekandsavorvt#highlandcow#fuzzycow#farmher
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