Large herds can be very intimidating, the day I got stuck in the field with the cows and calves there were about 50 of them. The matriarch was screaming at me and charging Isla (Oscar is sensible enough to stay out of the way), it was a very different scenario and this cow meant business, it wasn't playful charging, it was "you're dead meat!".

OMG

I'll be honest, I've never truly feared for my life like I did that day, Isla saved my life really as she distracted the cow which meant I could get across the field. That cow wanted me dead, I'd never heard a cow scream until that day and it will stay with me until the day I die!

I'll bet! That must have been terrifying. I have never heard a cow scream, thankfully.

I think farming is one of the occupations that has the most fatalities, I believe.

Yeah I think it is. What annoyed me more was the farmer saw me the week before as he was coming out of the field in his pick up. He stopped to let me know he was releasing some cattle behind us and to watch out for them. As it happened I left before they released them. It was only when I went back the following week that I stumbled upon the cattle they'd mentioned that contained week old calves! I mean they must've know how dangerous it would be for me to walk there with dogs, so why not let me know so I could avoid them????

I went back a few weeks later (yep I'm that stubborn! ) and the cattle pretty much ignored me and now the herd is back to it's usual beef bullocks and a few Highlands thank God. I always check fields carefully now before I walk through them though!

How very frightening. At least you escaped unscathed and the dogs were o.k. Poor Tess she must have been very frightened,

Omg how scary. I am so scared of cows after mu dad telling me they would trample me when i was a child, must say only nice cow experiance ive had is hand rearing babys

I've been chased by cows when we spent most free time down by the river and canals boating.

It was VERY scary. My then OH (a country lad, not a townie like me) insisted they are more scared of us than we are of them. He said if you are not afraid of them you can see them off.

I was NEVER convinced of this. I think you just have gut instinct about a situation that is dangerous. In fact I looked it up and found that it is not unusual at all for humans to be trampled to death by cows!

Here's some advice from Live for the Outdoors website (they say most incidents happen when you have dogs with you) it's from 2009 but still relevant (and has a little vid you can watch too)

http://www.livefortheoutdoors.com/Vi...field-of-cows/

They even have a poll - Should you be compensated for cow attacks?

Have to say that made me smile. Also have to say yet more proof that I was correct in my assumption that my EX OH mostly didn't have a clue what he was talking about lol!

I'm laughing now, reading point 5. of the 9 points How to deal with Cattle:

Friend sat in her back garden watched a jogger cross a footpath through a field of young cows.

One cow got curious and decided to investigate till the whole herd were thundering across the field after him. The bloke apparently just managed to throw himself over the fence.


Glad you're all OK.

Wasn't cookham was it? - was supposed to be out their yesterday

You have to learn to shout at them. My OH has had me in the middle of a field holding a string line attached to the trailer while he was separating the some of young cows to bring back to the nearer pastures to calf, the bull was not happy with this at all and was looking at me with death in his eyes and snorting and panting I really didnt know what to do and the OH shouted from the distance, shout at him and run towards him like a nutter (must have looked like something out of monty python) well I did and the bull was so shocked I had time to get into the tractor before he started to charge at it.
So most things hate it when you shout really loud at them