Featured Video: The Friendship Between a Steer and a Stallion

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Gizmo is a three-year-old Miniature Hereford steer. Sturgis is a 33-year-old pinto stallion. Both animals were given to Sweet Farm, a California organization that works to promote humane treatment of farm animals and provides education on other agricultural topics. It is also a rescue organization that rehabilitates farm animals.

According to Sweet Farm’s website, Gizmo was a local girl’s 4-H project. Typically cattle are sold to auction at the end of a 4-H member’s time raising them, but Gizmo had endeared himself to his family so much that they couldn’t bear to send him to slaughter. Instead, the charismatic steer came to Sweet Farm where he has befriended many of the other animals and charms human visitors.

Cow and Horse

Sturgis was given to them by his owner after her pasture flooded. Because he was a stallion, he couldn’t be turned out with the mares and at his advanced age—32 at the time—he had few options. Based on the video above and reports from Sweet Farm, he’s enjoying the companionship of his new, non-equine animal friends, especially Gizmo.

Find out more about Sweet Farm’s animals at www.sweetfarm.org


Leslie Potter is a writer and photographer based in Lexington, Kentucky. www.lesliepotterphoto.com

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Leslie Potter is a graduate of William Woods University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Equestrian Science with a concentration in saddle seat riding and a minor in Journalism/Mass Communications. She is currently a writer and photographer in Lexington, KY.Potter worked as a barn manager and riding instructor and was a freelance reporter and photographer for the Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar and Saddle Horse Report before moving to Lexington to join Horse Illustrated as Web Editor from 2008 to 2019. Her current equestrian pursuits include being a grown-up lesson kid at an eventing barn and trail riding with her senior Morgan gelding, Snoopy.

8 COMMENTS

  1. AWH so glad that they have each other, the young helping the old! Although Sturgis looks like he can be very active for 33 years old! Good for him!

  2. Gizmo is adorable and wow is Sturgis in great shape for 33 years old! Still got good body mass and very energetic for his age! So happy to see this!

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