Off With His Head

Graphic images will follow.

Steaks was too big for the garage!  His head and front hooves were on the floor.

#2 used another come-a-long, tied to Steaks' front hoof, to jack him up toward the ceiling at an angle. This gave us room to work around his head and neck.

I cut through the skin and muscle around his neck. Then #2 sawed through the neck bone with the reciprocating saw.

After the head was off, he sawed through the sternum and up the chest bone.  I cut through the neck, around the esophagus. 

There he was, ready to finish skinning and hang.  He was still just inches off the floor.

I didn't think about measuring him until after I had him gutted, hung, and skinned.  Dad suggested my horse tape, which gives us a weight of 821 pounds.  Horses and cows are built differently though, so I searched online for a way to convert.  I found this formula:
heart girth X heart girth X length  / 300
(65"x65"x59") /300
=830.9 pounds

I'll have to remember that for a more accurate measurement in the future.