Table Manners

My boys would find a hay bale distracting also. The easiest thing is probably to just avoid the situation. But easiest is not necessarily what you’re going for when working with animals (for “easy,” just use a tractor or atv or something just like everyone else).
First off, it’ll be much easier if they have full bellies than if they haven’t eaten recently. I wouldn’t try asking anything of my oxen before breakfast. And I’ve found that in the afternoon, the closer it gets to feeding time, the more they act up. But I don’t work them enough to have developed better habits.
If you want feeding hay to become a regular thing that the oxen help with, you could build a box for the sled, so the hay isn’t just sitting there in the open calling to them. or throw a tarp over it. They’ll still smell it, of course, but it might be less distracting.
-Tevis

@Carl Russell 3867 wrote:

Food will always be a distraction, whether it’s a bale of hay on a sled, or brush in the woods. I think it good to expose them to it, so that you can insist that they stop and stand and work for you regardless of the distractions. You aren’t going to let them put their heads down and eat grass every time you stop them in the summer. They’re young, and will try anything until they get your guidance not to. Things seem to be going great. Good job Matt.
Carl

Have never really fooled with any real oxen. Did train a show steer to pull a cart one time, but I couldn’t answer this with anything approaching the understanding that others have.

That said, I do something with my mares that you might find interesting. I feed them in a tie stall, USUALLy (but not always) tied. I let them see me put the feed in the troughs, but I do not let them eat before they are released. Sometimes they are haltered, other times not. Either way it is “walk” right up the edge of the shed, “whoa” to a full stop, “steady” for a minute or so, then “step” one step and hold it, “step” repeat until they are just about a foot or two from the trough, then “back” or actually “b-a-a-a-c-c-c-k-k-k” stretched out real slow. I stop them with another “whoa“, hold that for a minute or so and then “click-click” to release them.

Sometimes I do this individually, sometimes as a team. They know that once we start this they will NOT eat until they go through this exercise, which I usually do 3 or 4 trimes a week. Poor Maggie will actually be blowing saliva bubbles before she gets to eat! Point is she will hold until I tell her otherwise.

Have never left for any long period of time to test how long they will stand there without going after the feed. I do know that I have put out feed and then taken them to the round pen to longe, or otherwise train. Bad idea. They wanted to push through every “whoa“, “steady” , “walk“, “trot” or whatever. If I give them a partial ration first or don’t measure out their feed at all they tend to respond much better. Here again, maybe there is some value though in setting up a training exercise when they know the feed is in the trough to teach them to focus on what we are doing.

Not sure if any of this would transfer to an ox or not; my guess is it would not. At least I am reasonably sure I couldn’t get any of my beef cows to do anything similar.