[Oxhill]

He is actually not far from New York city but yes we knew he was starting a acting career.

[Oxhill]

I think whip vs goad is a very personal thing. You need to try both and go with what works for you. For me I prefer a goad as long as I can reach everything. Once a team gets too big for a goad then I need a whip. I prefer a goad because they are simply easier, more versatile and more accurate. You don’t need to fiddle with the lash and there is no lash to get snagged on anything. With a good flexible goad you can very easily go from making all the same movements without touching them to a tap to as stern as you want to be. I know you can be very accurate with a whip with practice but I don’t think a whip can ever be as consistently accurate as a goad. Also I have the perfect goad but was never able to find the perfect whip.

Do you have any pics Chris?

[Oxhill]

They look like Devons to me. That is one of my favorite pictures. I have seen great pulling teams of all the typical breeds used for oxen. I am guessing but I think what breed dominated the pulling ring would depend on what time period you looked at. Devons probably dominated at least the lighter weight classes at some point when the population was high. I think the Chianinas came on the seen in the 70’s and have been gaining in popularity ever since. The good old Durham is probably a bit of a constant. The Chianinas and their crosses certainly dominate the free for all class because of their size but why do they dominate any of the others? Is it their naturally lean and athletic build? Do they typically have more heart than other breeds? From what I have seen most of the top pulling teams don’t appear to be what I would consider a handy team. That goes double for the Chianinas. I have wanted a pair of Chianinas since I saw my first team of them but they just don’t fit what I want to do.

[Oxhill]

Here are a few more good pulling pictures.

Avert your eyes if you are offended by working cows!

Andrew

[Oxhill]

Brithchens are always handy but I almost consider them a must have for a single ox. I have never had a ox without horns but I would think a britchen would be a requirement to properly back or hold back a load. Here are a few more pics of britchens. In the first one the trace chains are too long because it was a timed contest and the driver chose not to take the time to adjust them.

Andrew

[Oxhill]

I found a few more galleries at the same site.

http://www.robcolclaser.com/Events/BF-2010-Oxen-Pull-2800/13574144_K8sVW6#!i=989857745&k=5MkTV

http://www.robcolclaser.com/Events/BF-2010-Oxen-Pull-3200/13575571_cwQStp#!i=989969521&k=jgFbU

http://www.robcolclaser.com/Events/Big-E-09-Ox-Pull-Unlimited/9778843_DdVs4z#!i=663131956&k=txqVs

http://www.robcolclaser.com/Events/BF-2010-Oxen-Pull-Unlimited/13584633_zLjTxQ#!i=990764952&k=QZXGt

Some of them show them pulling lighter weight and so the pulling technique is more true to what you will see in field work.

These are also good images of proper yoke and bow fitting. Notice the bow fits inside the shoulder and isn’t hanging low.

Funny thing is I have hundreds of great ox photos but finding a good one of oxen in mid pull is a challenge.

Andrew

[Oxhill]

@dominiquer60 33012 wrote:

In this case I was looking for a picture of oxen pulling a load…

Here are four good pages I just found.

Andrew

http://robcolclaser.smugmug.com/Events/Big-E-09-Ox-Pull-3200-lbs/9752176_JT4JDC/3/660584509_WADq6#!i=660585613&k=RaTbN

[Oxhill]

If you are experienced and currently have a team I would think that the more advanced class would fit your needs better than the basic class. However the MODA gathering is a great resource. In addition to the Tillers staff you will have access to several other teamsters and can observe many different teams. If you are experienced then you will have your own list of questions and will have an idea what to look for. You can treat it as a self taught class of sorts. The MODA gathering is normally structured so that you can make it what ever you want. I know Tim Huppe and Dr. Drew Conroy also teach clinics periodically. I have never attended one but if they are teaching it I am confident that it will be beneficial to you. I am sure I probably haven’t been much help in making your decision but I don’t think you will regret attending any of these clinics.

[Oxhill]

I think the lower one at this link might be what you are looking for.

Looks like it is just a simple mountable scabbard to hold your saw in its factory plastic scabbard.

I have no experience with it.

http://www.psep.biz/store/universal_atv_chainsaw_rack.htm

[Oxhill]

They are a striking team! Congratulations! The gee turn is a little more difficult to teach than haw. As a result you turn haw more often because you default to it whenever it doesn’t mater what direction you turn. If you force yourself to always turn gee in those situations you can sharpen them up.

[Oxhill]

The “Silver Bullet” is what you find to work for you. Every teamster has his or her own experiences and reasoning for what they do. Every teamster and every animal is different so some details don’t work for everybody. Even my dad and I are a little different. My dad and uncle where as different as night and day. Your routine will always be evolving. A lot in the beginning and less and less as you get more experience but never quit looking for a better way to do things. The best thing to do is to pick as many brains and ask as many questions as you can. Find out how they do things and why. If it makes sense to you then try it and if it works well then keep it in your routine. Drew Conroy’s and Ray Ludwig’s books should both be considered as required reading. However there are many many little details or nuances that you will never be able to pick up without watching another teamster. Since you are in Indiana anyway the MODA gathering this summer in Kalamazoo MI would be a great place to get ideas. If you watch you will see that no two teamsters are exactly the same.

[Oxhill]

Ours are on pasture 24/7. They are bribed to the barn twice a day with a small treat. Once before work and once after. They get at least one training session a day or two when my time allows. Make sure their needs are meet before training. Food water or flies. If you don’t they will be distracted. If you feed or water them only after training they will become barn sour. Training sessions don’t need to be long. In fact when they are young it is better if they aren’t. It is more important that they are trained regularly. At the moment I take them maybe a little over a hundred yards and turn around and go back to the barn. Then keep going ten yards or so past the barn the other way before finally returning to the barn so they don’t get barn sour.

[Oxhill]

They should fruit by age ten from what I read. Also only the females produce fruit and there is no way to sex them till then. It also sounds like cattle frequently choke on the fruit.

[Oxhill]

If you can find some most people will give you the fruit. When I lived in Pittsburgh I didn’t think any Osage grew in the area. After I learned what to look for I found a lot of it along the road in what used to be fence lines. Now peoples yards and even a golf course. I collected about 30 gallons of fruit and left it out to freeze and thaw over winter. The next spring I started separating the seeds but the problem is it is a messy pain separating them from the fruit. When I grew tired of separating the seeds I mashed the rest of the fruit and added water to create a slurry. I dug a trench and filled it with the slurry and covered it over. From the looks of it I had little to no luck with the slurry. the seeds that I did separate seemed to do quite well started in flats and then transplanted to pop bottles and Finlay planted.

Someplace on the net is a site all about them with a tutorial of how to plant a hedge. I cant find it now but it went something like: Plow a furrow, fertilize with manure, plant slurry, mow them off a couple of times and weave them together as they come up. I think it said it would be horse hight bull strong and hog tight in seven years.

I would be sure you want them before you plant them. They have large sharp painful thorns that make multiflora rose look good!

Andrew

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