Whole Nine Yards – True Story

A story about when I went the whole nine yards at the expense of losing my life.

Some twenty-five years ago we were doing a TB test on cattle, it was at the time of the year when bulls were not running with cows, the off-season for breeding in dairy herds.

Most of the cows had just about gone through the little prink that they get under the tail, that they get when being tested.

My husband said to me to “go and get the two bulls in the paddock by the house”, I thought that was a bit unusual as he would usually do that.

So off I when armed with a Waratah Standard (used for fencing in NZ), as a stick, {as I thought if I had to use it, it wouldn’t break), to get those bulls moving out of the paddock.

Would you believe it?

One of the bulls turned and started charging straight towards me, I was petrified, I knew I wouldn’t survive if he hit me.

I started screaming at the top of my voice, as sometimes noise halts them but not this time, he kept coming straight towards me, up went the Waratah Standard and hit him in the centre of the head, he reeled back and nearly fell to the ground.

I wasn’t giving up on him, I came to do a job and I hadn’t finished, so here I go, still shaking like a leaf, I could hardly walk, my legs felt like jelly.

The bull had got such a shock when I hit him, he only just managed to stand on his feet a bit wobbly, he turned and walked to the gate with the other bull, and I got them back to the shed to get that test done.

I often think about this even today, how lucky I’m to be alive.

I sure went the “whole nine yards that time”, but I nearly lost my life that very day.

Strange to say, I’m not afraid of bulls even now, I worked with them every day, when we lived on the farm, and have no problems, I must have caught this old man having a bad day.

Sometimes it just the scent of fear that will get a bull charging, whatever I never show fear with bulls.

How do I avoid that “Just don’t look at them”, go about doing that you have to with them, just never show fear as it gives off a scent from your body, that bulls will react to straight away?

The photo above is not the bull that charged at me, he was a Ayshire bull, the one above is a eighteen months old Angus bull, you cannot trust them either they can get very (towhee – agile meaning mad) also.

This is what a Waratah Standard looks like.

Photo Credit