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Vicki
ParticipantI sympathize with you, Rod, about difficulty yoking with pain of arthritic shoulders. The pulley system sounds good. One benefit of short oxen: don’t have to lift the yoke high. I had some tall shorthorns with very heavy hardware on that yoke and it was tough lifting that end up over the off’s neck which was almost higher than my shoulders.
Not only does the type of wood contribute to yoke weight, but the hardware can add a lot. I like an old-fashioned two-pronged staple; the plate type adds so much weight. Unless you need a plate type for adjusting sideways or for very heavy pulling. . .
ParticipantEspecially in training: Don’t say the command “whoa” unless you can be sure of compliance or you can enforce it. For instance, if they start picking up speed on the way back to the barn and get away from you, (am I the only one who has ever had this happen?)wait until they have to stop at the gate, then say, “Whoa.” That way in their minds Whoa ALWAYS is linked to stopping.
ParticipantSounds like you’re off to a good start.
The three adults I know who ride their oxen regularly, constructed or modified “saddles” for them.
I had dreams of riding the tall shorthorns I had bought. But I’m not a horse riding gal. So I got up on the hay wagon, had hubby (against his better judgment) bring up the big sweet shorthorn. I slid a leg over and somehow got on the ox’s back just behind the withers. Wow, it looks a long way down from up there! Hubby led the ox and I was trying to keep my balance up there, so full of myself, but boy the fur is slippery. The ox was relaxed as could be, in fact so relaxed he put his head down for a bite of grass. It was like a water slide, with horns at the bottom! Happily I didn’t slide down his neck, rather made a quick and not-so-graceful exit off the side. But I never tried again.
ParticipantAbout safety when working: a post on RH reminded me of this: be prepared to get the bow off an ox in a hurry in case of accidents. Tim Huppe says he always has a sharp hatchet with him when working in the woods. I understand from Howie that an advantage to wooden bow keys, especially working in hills, is that they can be broken off quickly with a blow if the team gets into trouble.
There are safety concerns about a log or drag or sled of maple sap going down the side of the hill or slipping off a skidpath, taking out an ox’s legs, or breaking a neck.
ParticipantRod, you may consider yoking and unyoking a few times a day just to teach them what you expect from them during that. Decide on a routine that works for you, and drill it over and over, so you and them make it a calm graceful “dance.” Let them know no goofing off and moving all around, and any horn infraction merits a crack.
ParticipantCarl posted about his ox powered sweep on the Rural Heritage Front Porch forum. You may want to read it there.
ParticipantGreat post, Tim. I’d like to hear from others on this.
I’m fortunate that my team stops when I fall, which happens occasionally in the mud or snow on our woods trails. They do it on their own, I didn’t have to train them. But I always praise them to reinforce this.ParticipantI have one carved by a fellow ox drover, from cottonwood. Traditional yankee style like Carl describes. I used it for a couple years twice a day to carry 2 5 gal. buckets of water to my small duck flock. I now use it at fairs and festivals to fetch water and to carry baskets of apples or anything else.
ParticipantOne of our Midwest Ox Drovers Members is working on an ox powered sweep to generate electricity for 12 volt batteries. I’ll see him at the MODA Gathering in June as he is a guest presenter, and get a report on this if he does it. I’ll see if he’ll agree to take a call from you if you’re interested.
ParticipantYa gotta do whatcha gotta do. I had a nice 2 yr. old Holstein was a fine ox, but no use or room for him and no one to buy him, so he went for beef. You can’t keep them all. Sounds like this one needs to go to the freezer. Start over with another calf.
ParticipantOK, Gulo, you’ve got me wanting a pair of water buffalo for myself!
Where are you located, and from where did you obtain yaks?
ParticipantBecause you’ve already successfully trained calves, you should be fine training an older one. Gain trust, then respect. Depending on the animal’s disposition, it could be pretty easy. I think water buffalo are generally pretty tractable and quick to learn; the ones at the MODA Gathering were and the ones I saw in India were. Since you cannot as easily physically overpower an older calf, just try to be smarter than it and set up the situations to help achieve the response/behavior you want. Sounds like fun.
ParticipantAlso, do you think that “hot feed” contributes to the panting? Maybe Green grass in the rumen in spring can cook up more internal heat than dry haY, and generate gas pressing against the diaphragm? Give them time to rumenate and burp away gas before working hard?
ParticipantThis has happened with my ox team too. The fattest one was not panting, and the nigh thinner one was puffing. Mostly out of condition, and still carrying a lot of winter black coat that really sucks up the solar heat.
I’ve also read about nitrates and other stuff that can be in green grass which temporarily restricts the amount of oxygen the blood can carry, or something like that. (I’d have to refresh my memory on the details.) Spring is the time I notice this most often, which is also when they are beginning to get spring grass after a winter diet of totally dry hay.
Tim or others of you feed scientists might know more about the fresh forage effects, and if it could be happening in spring (as I understand nitrates are more a problem after droughty periods.)
It may make you worry less about anything permanent to know that later in the season, when worked consistently, my springtime-puffing ox was fine. But if yours had pneumonia, its lung capacity could be permanently diminished.
ParticipantThank you for the good translation of this informative human interest article, and the pictures. Let’s hope at least a few young people keep on driving oxen. I’ve had a taste of rakija in people’s homes in Elbasan, Albania–strong stuff for strong folks! But I didn’t see any oxen in my short time in central Albania, only donkeys.
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