This is my first message. I am new at this.

[Amanda]

Hey,

My name is Amanda and I am a student at Green Mountain College in Vermont. We have a team of Guernsey oxen and I am doing an independent study working them. I am currently training them how to drive from behind. Does anyone have advice about how to go about doing it in the best manner? My farm manager & I have began training them together. They certainly aren’t the easiest team to work. We have had inconsistent management on our farm resulting in poor oxen training and working. I took on the independent study because nobody makes time to work the boys. They are about 5-6 years old with bad habits that they have developed over the years. I would love to hear back from multiple people. Thanks for your time,
Amanda

[Carl Russell]

Greetings Amanda, I think if you look at the oxen thread under “driving oxen” you will find discussion to this point.

However I will toss some stuff back at you. First I think it is important for you to think about why you need to drive them from behind. If they are difficult to deal with, then you will gain much more by working out in front of them until they are smoother, and follow your direction and commands better. This is also, I feel, the best way to train them to be driven from behind. As they develop a consistency of execution you will be able to step back and start following them, as you increase their ability to respond as well to voice as to goad.
Good luck, Carl

[Amanda]

Hey,

Thanks for the great advice. Unfortunately, there is so much inconsistancy on our school farm. Students volunteer many hours on the farm but still not enough, at least for the oxen. I took on this independent study learning how to drive and work them. I am leaving for italy in 1 week for 3 months to take classes on agriculture and work on a vineyard in the Alps. I am really excited and I’ll be back this summer to work the oxen; however, there is nobody to take my place. People might work them every now and then but i am currently working them every morning. I think it would be great to get them comfortable with me completely with consistency before teaching them. They have certainly become more comfortable with me since I started. I suppose there was no initial need to teach them to drive from behind except for a few small reasons. I think it was more of a good project on our farm to try out and see if I could train the team something new. So far, we’ve been able to get them around a loop by staying behind. We started by my farm manager with the crop behind saying the commands and I just walked along side them.

Well, I have to go back to the farm. Today I am teaching other students how to drive them in hopes that somebody will take my place when I leave for Italy. I really appreciate you taking the time to answer. I have so many questions and when I have time I will post them. Perhaps I could come to your farm when I get back this summer and see how you drive your team? Thanks for your time,
Amanda

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