Runaway advice

[robc]

A couple of weeks ago I had the boys (Zeus and Hermes, dutch-belteds, 6 months old) working well all week and so I hitched them to a stone boat. . .

My dutch belt off-steer (Hermes) has always been a lot more skittish than my nigh (Zeus), but mainly because he’s brighter. Well, he was reluctant to get close to the stoneboat initially (it was a new thing) and when we got to the driveway and the sound changed he bolted, along with Zeus and the stoneboat. After catching them across the road I made them pull it a few steps at a time until they settled down a bit, but, like an idiot, I tried to get them to take it back across the road which caused another runaway.

We haven’t gone back to the stoneboat again, but have worked a small sled, etc. with some loads. Yesterday, I had Hermes in a single yoke pulling the sled when he got scared and bolted again.

I’m at a loss as to how to settle him back down. He’s smart and follows the commands well, but just spooks easily, and unfortunately, has ‘gotten away with it’ twice. Drew Conroy’s book mentions putting them on a heavier load to cure runaways, but I’m not sure.

Any thoughts?

[bivol]

nope, pulling a heavier load in the beginning of their training will likely sore them off rather than cure it. also dr. Ox.

but, if if he already knows the concept of pulling, work him with a heavier load (it should not be so heavy he barely moves t, but it should still be demanding to pull for long), but so that he bolts, so when he bolts, he can’t run for long, and far. while he’s trying to run, keep up with him, but don’t yell or so, just be quiet and stick to him until he gets tired. if he changes direction, give a command for that.

make sure the load isn’t scaring him: no high, moving load, no loud clanking noises, etc.

when he gets tired of running about with a heavy load, and starts to walk, you either goad him to walk for just a bit longer, and then stop him when he’s obviously tired and he’ll stop. than you PRAISE HIM for his good behaviour.

after that, let him have a minute or so to rest, and work him a short session, a few minutes most (or more, depending on how tired he looks), so he doesn’t connect bolting and you praising him with end of work.
after work’s done lead him to the stoneboat and let him inspect the load.
do this couple of times until he’s obviously OK.

this approach should make him forget why he bolted, or that he even bolted. the trick is to control the situation when he bolts, and let him think you don’t notice, so he thinks he’s just pushing a bit more effort into wast you want him to do in the frist place. he’ll soon forget he was afraid. and coupled with the increased load he should be soon sored off running away.

“hey, master don’t notice, so there is obviously no danger!”

and

“Oh, i already know this! No, i won’t run this time, too tiring! Um, why did i run in the first place?” *Homer Simpson dis-focused look* “oh, well, time to go!” *pulls away*

just be careful, if he’s prone to bolting, be careful when introducing him to new tasks, esp. while he’s till young.

so much for me, it’s late, going to bed.

bye, and good luck!

[Tim Harrigan]

Rob:
For clarity, I consider bolting to be a reflexive response to a sudden and unfamiliar stimulus. That has been quite rare in my experience. Running, however, is a learned response and can quickly become a bad habit. It sounds like your team bolted once and might be learning that running is a suitable response to novelty. At six months, when they are learning to pull, they will encounter many new things so you need to be very attentive to keep them under control and introduce new things slowly. A stoneboat on gravel is a big one, but it could be crunching leaves in the fall, muddy or soft ground where footing is strange, or any new implement that you hitch to for the first time.

How much are they pulling? They should be pulling a stoneboat with a gross weight of about 250 lbs pretty regularly now so if they are not you should work toward that over the next several weeks. They can pull more for short distances but that would be typical if you can walk for .5 mile or so on an outing. If you are pulling an empty stoneboat made of pine that is pretty light and they will not hesitate to run with it. You want a load that gets their attention but does not discourage them. The goal is to get them to restrain their impulse to run because you are directing them to walk, regardless of the load, not stick them to the ground with a heavy load.

Do you have a halter and lead on them? If not, I would for now until you have confidence that they will not run. If the off steer is the instigator, run a lead from his halter up over the yoke and through the bow of the nigh steer. If he starts to run, dig in and let him jerk his head up and back. He will find it very hard to run in that situation and it will discourage him.

Work on focusing the attention of the steers on your directions, and at the same time refine your observation of them so you learn to see them beginning to ramp up their excitement level and head it off before they slip away. Now is a good time to embed ‘whoa’ deep in their response curve. Take them out and make them stop every 10 feet. Do it thirty times a day. It will only take a couple of days and they will stop on a dime. When you take them out in new situations and you sense they are getting jumpy stop every few steps. Keep them settled down and don’t let them ramp up. When you improve their response and your ability to read them, start exposing them to things that you know will challenge their restraint.

Any time you are going to hook on something new, lead them to it and let them look it over for a few minutes. That will raise their comfort level. If the off steer remains jumpy, introduce a new implement over a few days time. Look it over one day, hitch and take a few steps the next day and so on until it is not a big deal. Cattle can ignore just about anything they are accustomed to, but they distrust novelty. If the gravel road is near the hitching post, brush them and let them see and hear you drag the stoneboat across the road for a few days. That should settle them down some, but you will still have to be ready when they are hitched and come up on the road again.

You may want to put the off steer on the near side where you can have a little closer contact with him. That may help focus his attention and improve your ability to work with him.

Running is near the top of my list of bad habits because it is so dangerous for everyone involved. You need to think through this, rely on your instincts, be deliberate and do not react in anger. You have some time and a lot of options.

[CharlyBonifaz]

and do not react in anger

important!!!

[Anne]

If I introduce a new implement I do the following:

– First I place the new implement at their brushing place. Take them out and brush them as usual. While I´m doing this, they can watch it, sniff, lick…

– Than I free one animal. Take the implement (calm, quiet and slow) and pull it AWAY from the animal. It seems to me, that this is an important step. If I pull it away from them, stop, pull it away… They usually follow, jump a little, try to lick it and than later on to push it with their head. It makes them think, that the impement is afraid of them and tries to get away. If you pull it towards them, or fix it behind them immediately, they think it must be a predator!

– Than I pull it in a circle around the animal. I always stop if they want to lick.

– When they start to push it with their head, rub,… they are not afraid anymore.

If I hook it on for the first time, or after a bad experience, I choose my way carefully.
The first meters are the most critical. If you manage 200 meters without a runaway, they usually got it. For the first time I personally use a leading rope, treats, and walk 50 meters in a direktion where I THAN can choose: a fence (worst case) , a gravel walk uphill (everything is fine, but a little to fast), or a normal way. Some animals are very huggish to get treats. In this case I let them try to get one out of my hand while I´m slowly walking. If they concentrate on the treat, they forget the implement. And if they didn´t bolt during the first 10 meters, they usually dont bolt afterwards. Except, there is a new sound or underground.

I start each animal single with a light load. If they spend a lot of time in the stable, I let them run and jump around on the pasture before.

Good luck!

[Tim Harrigan]

Rob: Cattle have excellent spatial memory so you can bet they associate the place(s) where they ran (frightened) with uncomfortable memories. So when you get ready to take them across the road with a sled or stoneboat again you may want to do it first in a different place. And, when you get them settled down to that distraction, be aware that those places where they were frightened have special significance for them. They will remember it for a long time. You may find they are uneasy there even when they are not pulling anything. You may think the problem was the stoneboat, they may think the problem is the place. They may not separate that stoneboat noise from that place, they just think of the place as where something reached up out of the ground and tried to grab them. Not guaranteed to be an issue, and I am not suggesting you avoid it, but you will probably see them react to it.

[robc]

Thanks for all of the good advice. Mr. Harrigan-your predictions were spot on about spatial memory and load weight. I don’t have nearly enough of a load on them, and was allowing them to ramp up too much. I worked on lots of stops and a heavier load, but it’s clear it will take a while to get them back to where they were, so I’ll try to avoid being discouraged.

As far as the stoneboat: the only time they ever saw it was when it spooked them. Their paddock is large enough to drive them in, although it’s not spacious. Would it be smart to bring it in and let them see it for awhile where they are calm, or hitch onto it for the first time inside the paddock? I’ve tried bringing a chain in when I feed them because Hermes is afraid of those also (it’s now sounding more like he needs a therapist!) 🙂

As far as a halter: I ran a lead rope through the ring and laid it over Zeus’ shoulders, but it seemed to really make him more agitated. After I hung it up on the bows, he was better, so I may try another routing of it.

[Tim Harrigan]

This disturbance is an opportunity to move forward as a team, so do not set your sight on working to get back to where you were. Don’t think of them as problems or a source of discouragement, it is just a bend in the road. Keep your eye on the goal and move ahead. Keep it simple and work on one thing at a time.

It is not clear what you mean by ‘the only time they ever saw it was when it spooked them’ in reference to the stoneboat. They no doubt saw it when you hooked them to it. Perhaps they did not have a chance to inspect it? I do not think it matters if you take the stoneboat into the paddock or not. More important is how you re-introduce them to it. They need leadership and guidance so do not be rattled by every unexpected turn of events. If YOU are concerned that they will try to run next time they are hitched to the stoneboat and YOU will be more confident in the paddock, that might be best.

Do you have any idea why the chain is a problem? It seems like you might have to go slow with Hermes as far as introducing new things, but don’t let his suspicion determine what you do or do not do. If you back off from a new task or something they would rather not do every time they object, they are probably smart enough to figure out they can drive the team if you let him. You do not need to force them to do something immediately but you have to be smarter than they are.

The rope placement I suggested has importance. If you go from the off-steer halter across the front of the beam and up between the near-ox bow standards it will stay off both steers, it will not get tangled or caught on anything, and there will be little friction to inhibit the flash of satori that Hermes will experience when he starts to run and his head snaps up and back. If a steer can keep his head low he will laugh at you while he is dragging you around the farm. Low is where a bull’s head will be a fraction of a second before he throws you 10 feet in the air or alternatively as he puts his head on your chest and uses you as a slip scraper for digging a trench. So don’t give them that advantage.

So look what Hermes taught you this week: more weight; more stops and clear, consistent direction; great spatial memory; easy introduction to new sights, sounds and implements; calm, focused teamster; use and utility of a halter; clear goal with a plan, strategy and flexible tactics; keep your eye on the ball; keep moving forward.

Hermes will be your favorite.

Me and Will and Abe are off to the woods. The spice of life.

[Howie]

Notice. When Tim went to the woods with his steers, Tim was first, be sure to keep it that way. You must be the boss in this team.

[robc]

Thanks for the reality check. I really appreciate and value your advice with them.

Update: I made a small wooden v-plow for our new snow yesterday and the boys pulled it very well (while following the guidance to stay very focused and aware of their behaviors), pulled their loaded sled and got back to work with the stoneboat! I introduced it by dragging it into their paddock and putting a couple of flakes of hay on it.

I like your take on things as being opportunities rather than problems. Thanks.

[Tim Harrigan]

Good enough. Rock on!

[Tim Harrigan]

Hey Rob, how are those steers coming along. I thought they were testing you a bit but you seemed to have a pretty good handle on them. I assume they will be at the MODA gathering?

[robc]

They are coming along nicely. Hermes is still a little nervous, mostly about noises and strangers. Yesterday, when loading straw bales on the stoneboat, the noise from my big, metal barn door spooked him, but he stayed put, even though I was out of reach.

I’m finding that they are making me have to be more consistent with body language than I was wanting to be, but they’ve been oxen their whole lives and I’m only used to driving oxen the last 10% or so of mine, so I’ll catch on eventually! 🙂

We’ve been making lots of laps around the field with a loaded stoneboat and I’m seeing some real progress in walking a stright line. Not ready for a furrow yet, but progress.

I’m definitely planning on MODA for them, as of now.

Thanks for the inquiry.

[Vicki]

Wonderful to read about your progress with Z. and H.! Smart oxen are so much more rewarding than dumber ones. Like Howie says, it helps if the driver is as least as smart as the ox. My oxen have been helping improve my IQ to be sure!

I’ve encountered the spatial memory phenomena. So I try to anticipate potentially startling or frightening situations so I can control the “ramping up” excitement. You want the oxen to trust your leadership, and keeping them calm is a big part of that, or else a smart ox will try to think for himself about his safety and comfort.

I’m looking forward to seeing you with Z. and H. at the Gathering…

[Tim Harrigan]

You teach them a few things, they teach you a few things. Before you know it the three of you start to look like a team. 🙂

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