Farm Safety-Beef Cattle The majority of beef cattle accidents
occur while the victim is handling the livestock. Many of those
accidents involve horses and are the result of a rider being
thrown or falling from the horse. (See related article on horse
safety.) Bulls, too, are involved in a considerable number of
farm accidents, especially aged bulls that were docile as
calves. One veteran Hereford breeder learned the hard way just
how dangerous a pet bull can be. While he was out checking
cattle one day, he found he needed to read the tattoo of the
herd bull. It was a bull he had raised himself, and it had even
been a family pet as a calf. He told his hired man that he'd
just walk over and get the number. He figured that even though
the bull was three years old, it had never been aggressive, so
approaching it wouldn't be any trouble. When he got to the bull
and reached for its ear, it lowered its head and turned it
abruptly upward, slicing the stockman's leg and femoral artery
with its sharp horn. The ensuing