Bog Myrtle & Peat

Old Charlie the bull returned to his original home on Tuesday. I was glad to hear that he was so warmly regarded by his previous owners that they were willing to host him in his retirement years, and he has avoided the indignity of being cast and sent to the abattoir. In his place, the farm very generously agreed to swap him for his son, a four year old bull by the name of Caerlaverock Dominic.

Dominic is a very different kettle of fish. Where Charlie was ponderous and gentle, Dominic is direct and hands-on – you could almost describe him as “bullish”. This has taken some getting used to, and the heifers have borne the brunt of some decidedly pro-active wooing. Within half an hour of his arrival, Dominic had jumped one of the beltie heifers, cracked an overhanging branch off an oak tree and dug a shallow hole in the ground with his face. He is being no more aggressive than any other bull you might find, but the shift in gear between father and son has taken me by surprise. There’s no doubt that he is a really stunning animal, and his pedigree includes several of the most famous and celebrated bloodlines in the world of belted galloway cattle. The fact that he is a little “frisky” is only to be expected, and he is sure to settle down in a day or two.

I have fallen on my feet for perhaps the first time in my life, and I am really lucky to have the chance at such a fine bull in my first year. However, as per a previous article on riggit galloways, this involvement with belties is more by accident than design, and I will probably be hoping to sell Dominic on in due course – this will be another fascinating challenge, and I look forward to seeing how it works out.

Watching their behaviour, I now wonder if Charlie succeeded in getting any of the heifers pregnant. I doubt that there will be any problem with Dominic, and while I have lost a month waiting for Charlie to do the deed, the experience was so useful and informative that I don’t grudge the old fellow one bit.