Nigh ox hanging back

[clayfoot-sandyman]

Hello all. First of all thanks to all who’ve answered my occasional questions they’ve been most useful in the training of my pair of Dairy Shorthorns.

So, my nigh steer has a real tendency to hang back so they rarely actually walk neck and neck; I’ve tried goading etc which only works whilst I’m goading; not really a solution I feel. At the moment it’s only an aesthetic problem but can see that once they’re pulling loads it will be more of an issue…..

Any advice how to get them to walk properly side by side? Ed

[CharlyBonifaz]

have you ever tried to switch their places?

[Tim Harrigan]

How old are they? Does one walk particularly fast or slow, or just different? Are they pulling a load? When you speed the slow one up, does the other one speed up as well?

[bradley]

Mine tend to do that a little when they are not pulling a load, but as soon as they are hitched to something they pull together and I think I’ve heard some old timers say that’s okay. But now that I say that, when I give the nigh steer more room and don’t crowd his head he steps up a little.
Do you guys know when using the traditional names Star and Bright, which one is the nigh and off?

[Carl Russell]

Step back behind the shoulder and drive him from there…. see if that makes a difference.

Carl

[dlskidmore]

@bradley 21900 wrote:

Do you guys know when using the traditional names Star and Bright, which one is the nigh and off?

Little pilgrim, Volumes 1-3 – Star is the off ox in this story, and Spot was the near.

Farmer Boy – Star is nigh and Bright is off

The chestnut pipe: folklore of Shelburne County – Both Star and Bright are given as nigh names

[Robernson]

I am no expert by any means,but I am thinking that it might be a “comfort” issue with the yoke. That is just a thought on this,hope you get it resolved!

~~R:)

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