[Vicki]

Andy, it’s important that you are thinking about safely turning with heavy loads, but I’d say don’t overly sweat it. The way I think about the turning issue is that what you have been doing is building a bond and a language with your oxen. Don’t underestimate the value of that in future fine-tuning and application of driving. Now you will work on “teaching” one ox to step away from the chain or pole under a load. I am pleasantly surprised at how “smart” most steers are at getting this concept after a short time of practicing . For me, the practice was a slow controlled series of small moves to redirection their fronts, then setting one out, then taking up the slack with a step or two, repeat… My oxen don’t do much heavy like yours and Tim’s do, but now they “know” how to do this and I don’t have to give all the interim commands whenever we drag a stoneboat. My observation has been that in general, younger teams want to hurry to “get it done” and will be sloppy and risk getting hurt with the chain or pole, so you have to teach them to go slow and subtle and include their back end movements. They figure it out and I find I do not always have to micro-manage their movements when they are experienced. Using a pole or slipping PVC over the chain makes it easier at first because it prevents backchaining.

Maybe you could watch video of distance pulls to see how they turn the loads at the ends. Often there they will readjust chain length to give more chain on the pivots.

The 4 year olds I’m working with seem to have not learned to step away. I have to work on that with them. Since I can’t reliably get then to set out all the time, it will be challenging.

[Vicki]

Carl, what do you mean by “working cadence”?

Andy, you are making great progress and seems like the steers are doing well under your leadership.

[Vicki]

Nice photos, Andy. The oxen look great and you are working them! Their heads look very low to me in the photos. It makes me think the bows are likely too low, but like Tim said, cannot see well from photo. You could try bringing the bows up; lower them only if they cough. Bows too low is a common “mistake” according to Doc Collins and Howie. My hunch, for what it’s worth, is that the steers’ under-conditioning at this time is contributing.

My shorthorns used this yoke for hauling sap. At first the neck seats were rather flat, and the off always held back and twisted a little. Bud Klunich reshaped the neck seats to a greater front-to-back elliptical curve. In the second sugaring season the off was more comfortable and they pulled even better.

[Vicki]

Countymouse, I am going through much the same as you are now with the pair that Hale Farm bought.

I greatly appreciate your conversations with Tim, here, and I am taking it all to heart as I work with these steers. It is challenging me! Even though the steers are big, I suspect mentally they are “young”, not to mention in a new environment with no one they know. In hindsight, I think we may have pushed the steers yesterday past their frustration point, but actually after that they were angels, so I hope it was that we went past their testing our determination point.

Your description of interactions with your ox is exactly on! I must go slower and build a lot of good behavior on simplest things before moving on to “new” commands, and watch for mental tiredness, too. I want to build their confidence and trust.

As for goads as they relate to that “conversation” with your ox that can escalate into fear/naughtyness, I find that a supple red osier dogwood or an ash stick is great. I got a white oak goad common in Maine, the ones they wrap with electrical tape,and it handles like the ash switch. You might want to try one. They have a long buggy whip where I am using their new steers, and it creates the problem you describe–not attention-grabbing enough, or ratcheting into fear mode.

They were trained, yes, but I’m pretty sure they didn’t feel a yoke for many months before being sold. Then they cam to their new location where they were let into a large pasture, and had lots of nice hay thrown over the fence to them for many weeks, without ever being touched or tied.

Countymouse, your oxen can get to the point where all that’s needed is a feather duster, or nothing. Eventually you can practice commanding them without a goad, just waving your hand, or moving your body. The bond can be that powerful. Especially if you start them yourself, but simply with many hours together, the ability to read one another is astonishing.

Working without that foundational bond is going to require my utmost attention, consistency, and wisdom. I’m glad you’re telling us about your progress. I like knowing you are experiencing some of the same challenges with yours as I am with these, and we’re getting other experienced folks to weigh in. Thanks everybody.

[Vicki]

Ixy, as encouragement to use the dehorned Jerseys, let me tell you that two active members of MODA have dehorned steers that they work. A vet and her family have nice Brown Swiss, and another man has a dehorned Holstein. You can use brichens on them for wheeled work.

For hitching carts, a quick hitch is a T-pin through a hole in a tongue having a backstop, or dropped at an angle through the ring so the ring acts as a backstop. Another way that I prefer is to have two rings in the staple. The front ring holds the tongue with backstop; the rear ring which can be a grab ring holds a chain connected to the cart or to the rear of the tongue. The tongue in that case stabilizes the load but the draft force is in the chain.

[Vicki]

Hi Kevin. Any of the clinics mentioned would benefit you. I have taken a tax deduction for the cost of one of these classes.

As oxhill said, you may get more for your time and money from the advanced clinic at Tillers than from the Basics.
You have generations of ox experience to draw from in the Sanborn Mills folks. Couldn’t go wrong there.

I agree with oxhill that the MODA Gathering is a great resource. There are many experienced folks there who use oxen in various ways and contexts and you would be able to see and drive various animals; probably see/use various pieces of equipment/machinery. You’d sure get an array of suggestions, advice, tips, perspective, encouragement from many different experienced people. Meeting others is a benefit. Tillers farms with oxen, and helps others around the globe farm with oxen, and innovates low-capital technologies, as well as keeping a museum of farm tools and machinery. This June we will feature small-scale hay-making. But you can do/try/explore almost whatever you want. You would probably meet international guests and interns there too. The Gathering is free.

I have attended MODA Gatherings since 2000, and have taken advanced clinic at Tillers. Wish I could go to Sanborn Mills. Yes, it’s a difficult choice.

[Vicki]

My young friend trained a single Guernsey. He is really big noway about 8 yrs. gorgeous, was sold to a woman who rides him. Guernseys make nice oxen, in my opinion, but some get pretty large.

[Vicki]

I made 4″ and 5″ bows from gray electrical conduit pvc for baby yokes. Filled with sand, warmed with a heat gun (made to strip varnish from wood) then bent around coffee can. Made white pvc ones too with MODA at Tillers, formed around a wood template for 6″, 7″, 8″ bows. Put wooden dowel into ends of those to strengthen . This is just how we make pvc bows in Uganda in our Peaceharvest projects. Fill the pvc with sand/dirt, heat over open fire, bend around a jig, shave dowels to strengthen sides, drill bow pin holes. Sand not only keeps the pipe from flattening, but I think also holds and evenly disperses the heat for bending.

[Vicki]

Abbott & Costello may be a little rusty, and they will have to get used to the nuances of your movements. They should get better quickly as you spend time together. Not unusual that the small precise movements are the sloppiest right now, because they are trying to figure out exactly what you want, and what you are doing may be signalling something else to them that you are not aware of. You all should improve quickly.

Gee will be more difficult as long as the off wants to go faster. You may have to stop them, gee them, then move ahead for awhile. Practice…

If you were merely walking in the yoke or with very light load when the off was always ahead, he might settle in well under a load. I’ve found it common for one to try to be ahead when just walking, but work together under a load. Let us know.

[Vicki]

Congratulations on your new ox team. Yes, they were from Abby Richmond’s 4H club in Ingham Co. if my recollection is correct. I saw those steers a few times when they were smaller, at the MODA Gatherings and their young trainer. It’s great when steers can find a new home where they will continue as oxen. It sounds like they are well trained and you will do well with them.

[Vicki]

I would tie and feed in a.m.; do barn chores or go back in house for 45 min. to 1 hour; then lead each to water for drink, then retie, brush (always reinforcing set out/put in, pick up feet), yoke, train/work. After session, retie to unyoke, brush briefly, then release. I recommend establishing a routine for how you yoke and expect them to be still for it. I let them free during the day.

Howie always said don’t try to train hungry calves.

Usually evening was when I trained the youngsters so I followed the same steps, after they’d come to feeding area for supper. Then I left them tied overnight after session.

[Vicki]

That’s good work for your steers! It is a milestone you can take pride in. Nice photo.

[Vicki]

About the puddles in the driveway: Cattles’ eyes perceive contrast more acutely. The way light reflects or images reflect can make them scarier at some times than others. Walk through them yourself, give the calves time to see that you do not fall in, bring them through, a little at a time, learning to trust you, so they learn that puddles there are not holes. You could work on coaxing them through one at a time on the halter. They will learn that puddles in routine areas are no threat, and you shouldn’t have problems with them balking or stepping around there, though they may shy from puddles in unfamiliar places.

One of my steers always startled at a certain spot; eventually I figured out that he saw reflection in a window there. We took time to go to the window and check it out, then he never startled again. There may be occasions when white concrete meets blacktop, dark manhole covers with echoing sounds underneath appear in light road surfaces, and similar contrasts, where you can patiently enable your steers get beyond their perceived dangers.

I really appreciate the insights from Tim and from Carl here. After twelve years, I still am sometimes not totally clear inside myself on how much to work “with” in contrast to how much to “force” my cattle. We work quite well together, don’t misunderstand. They respect my leadership and are very responsive. I don’t want them to think they can call the shots, but I also do not want to damage the trust that keeps them looking to me as leader. I’ve found that I cannot force my steer to do some things in some instances, and I don’t always understand why he is adamantly resisting. Getting him into the trimming chute at Tillers is what comes to mind, Tim; you were there. We did force him by dragging him with a rope. That is the first time I have ever forced him like that.

[Vicki]

Rod, it sounds like you’ve come up with your solution; and I learned a lot by reading about it. So I have no tips for you, only to say that yes, I think the running off with the boat is conditioning from pulling training, which you are easily modifying now, and I do think they will slow down on their own after three years of age.

I had a similar problem with a 4H team I bought that had been trained for cart class. They were fine in almost every way, except that whenever I hitched them to the cart, they took right off to the races without my command!

[Vicki]

Dear Tim, I am terribly sorry! Condolences on your loss of your faithful ox.

Vicki

[Author]

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