Teaching a balky ox to work

[Crabapple Farm]

I’ve been having difficulties with a new team I got this spring, the nigh ox is balking at any moderate to heavy load, and is just generally not willing to work. They are 4-H trained, and owned for six months by someone without a lot of experience before I bought them. They definately know the commands well, and with a light cart or just in the yoke I can get them to respond well. It’s when I give them any load that the nigh one starts to balk. If the load is light enough, he’ll walk along a few steps behind the off ox, staying just ahead of being dragged by the yoke, but not contributing anything. With a heavier load, if he steps into it and feels a load in the yoke he backs up. With a chain, he backs over the chain and dumps the load, so I’ve been only using a forecart, which even if I can’t get them to pull well, at least I don’t have to re-hitch them after every false start.
Note that none of the loads I’ve asked them to pull are particularly heavy – a spike tooth harrow, a sled with a few small logs. The off ox, who’s willing, has been able to pull them all by himself (and drag the nigh ox too), but I don’t let him go far like that ’cause it’s hard to control and doesn’t seem helpful.
I’m assuming that he’s been asked to pull something in the past that he really couldn’t, and so got reluctant to put in the effort. I’ve been trying them on really light loads, hoping that I can slowly work him up to reasonable work. I’m afraid to over do “making him work,” that if I use the whip he’ll just turn more reluctant, but I’m not sure how else to get him to move forward. Unfortunately, it’s the time of year when I have lots of real work around the farm to do, so it’s hard to spend the time and be patient.
I’ve been thinking about making a single yoke in their size, so that I can do some real work with the willing one, and so that the unwilling one doesn’t have someone to let do his work for him when I try to get him to work. Of course, as far as I know they’ve never worked single, but they lead nice so with a halter and rope it ought to go okay.
I’ve mainly been dragging things behind the forecart, but will also try out a dump cart I’ve almost got finished, and see if he behaves differently with weight on wheels.
I’d be glad to hear any suggestions or techniques others have found helpful.
-Tevis

[Carl Russell]

Tevis, where do you drive from? Try stepping back by his rib cage and sticking him in the ribs with the butt of your whip. Most steers will move forward from you if you get behind the shoulder. I would rather have the balky one near than off, so I can get at him. You should be able to use the whip on him also, get him near the tail head, and step back to get yourself behind his energy, so he’ll go ahead.

You will have to encourage him, and find a way to get him to move without getting him too alarmed, but remember there is no reason that he can’t move those loads, he just needs to understand that. He may have been a very fast mover before, and was made to slow down, which has confused him, and he’s erring on the side of slow. Once you get him going you may have to move fast too so that you don’t let him slip back into this routine. He’ll slow down once he gets comfortable with his strength. I’ld rather have him moving fast than backward.

Also there’s a chance that the bow or yoke are bothering him,but with the loads you describe, I doubt that weight would cause any real discomfort.

Once you find a way to motivate him forward (I like poking him in the ribs) do that as you are readying them to pull. Warm him up, so he knows you mean business,and that you’re nearby, so he puts his energy where you want it.

Good luck, Carl

[Crabapple Farm]

Thanks, Carl.
I’ll try the whip butt in the ribs technique. I think I’ve probably been mainly driving from about even with the yoke, I’ll try to get behind the shoulder as you suggest.
I’m not entirely satisfied with the yoke fit – it’s a yoke I made for a previous team who never had any problems with it, but it seems to ride high and far back on these boys. Adjusting the bows didn’t fix it, I’m going to shim down the ring to lower the hitch point a little to see if that helps. Unfortunately, with them not pulling even, it’s hard to tell how the yoke really fits when working. But I’m pretty confident that the yoke is not the cause of the problem, though it might be making it worse.
-Tevis

[Carl Russell]

Tevis, yeah you’ll want to make sure that the point of draft at the bottom of the staple where the ring swings is about 2/3 the depth of the bows so that the yoke tips forward when they pull. That way they can get under it to lift, otherwise it will ride back and up under their necks. But I think that your description indicates that his biggest problem is between his ears. Have fun, Carl

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