Farmer Marc Stewart of Thisledoe Farm in Bedford, Virginia stood on a hillside and methodically groomed his beloved Scottish highland cow, Hamish. While trimming Hamish’s gorgeous red coat, Stewart talked about Hamish’s enormous build and gentle nature, noting how the enormous bovine tilts his massive horns in order to avoid accidentally hurting Stewart as a sign of respect.
Fortunately highland cattle are one of the most docile breeds of cows in the world. You’ll notice a lot of times they’ll turn away from me when I’m brushing the hair around their head. That’s basically a sign of cow respect. he’s getting the dangerous parts away from me.
Stewart followed up on that video nearly two years later. He was again grooming Hamish in the same field and talking about a Highland cow’s horns.
The Highland uses their horns for digging up under the snow to get to the stuff he wants to eat, knocking over trees…pulling branches down…but one of the biggest benefits of those big horns is that the fact that they are full of blood and in the summertime, there’s blood coursing through those horns and they act like giant radiators and it helps keep the Highland cool.
Hamish came to Stewart through another farmer who was retiring.
Hamish Duncan McCallum Sandiland Stewart is a 9-year-old Scottish Highland steer. He’s a big boy and weighs in at about 2,000 pounds, give or take a few pounds. He came to live on Thistle Do Farm after a local farmer announced his retirement from raising Highland cattle with his son. Knowing how much Hamish’s soon-to-be daddy loved Scotland, the farmer offered to let 10-month-old Hamish move to the farm. Offer accepted and Hamish learned how to be a cow while his new daddy learned how to take care of one.
via Boing Boing
