It sounds like we have a lot in common. I have still got lumps in my head from falling off horses I was riding bareback and also being kicked. However I was never chased by a bovine critter or even kicked by one. But cattle like people can behave differently depending on what type and the personality of the heard. Our bulls were docile, if they were eating you could crawl all over them. Cows can be protective of the calves at times. We had to be careful when I was young all of our cattle had horns and they could poke you by accident if you were trying to lure them somewhere with a bucket of grain, or if you were in the middle of a bunch of them and they got spooked.
We had a bunch of deep mud on our property and occasionally a horse would get stuck in it. We actually lost a couple that way. But a cow could be floating in mud and still be trying to eat whatever was near it. We would get behind it and whack it with something and they could always extricate themselves.
I agree that people today have little understanding of farm animals for the most part. I have a couple very sad stories relating to this.
Yes, the. Memories make me laugh. That darn horse. I rode it “indian princess” one time. No saddle, no bridle, no shoes for me. Horse took me out to the only sticker patch in the field a reared up so I slipped off his back. and I was stuck. There. On butt and on bare feet.
Where you grow up?