Oxen Cart Tips Over --- Spooks Ox

But....Whoa! is Good
Time spent training the oxen to stop on command is time well spent.

How to Make an Ox Yoke Fit Again



What a difference eight-months makes in the fit of the yoke on a yearling steer!

 In August the yoke was comparable to a shirt two sizes too big; by March Scout the Ox is looking cramped in his single-ox yoke. The neck piece has been let out to the bottom holes. The plastic spacers I had taped in place to "tighten things up a bit" have been removed from the bows.

The problem with the yoke now, is that it is too narrow across the withers (over the top of the neck), which is causing it to pinch the neck under load where the neck begins to widen into the withers.

The narrowness of the yoke over the neck prevents pressure from being distributed evenly against a wide area. Because the yoke cannot sit back against the withers the bows cannot lay on the angular musculature behind the shoulders (at the sides of the neck, sometimes referred to as "in the shoulder sockets.")

In the video below I show how I have widened the seat of the yoke, allowing it to rest back against the withers again, and allowing the bows to rest once again on the angular musculature above and behind the shoulders.

Video: Refitting a Single Ox Yoke on a Growing Steer

After widening the yoke seat, pressure from pulling is distributed over a much wider area as seen in the photo below.
  

Disclaimer: The yoke is experimental in nature. I am attempting to combine some of the best elements of the traditional shoulder yoke and the ox collar. Upcoming will be videos of the newly adjusted yoke in use. My hope is that others can learn from my mistakes as well as from my successes. Comments are welcome.

Tillers International Oxen Plow Inner City Garden

Team of oxen from Tillers International used to plow inner city plot for community garden. Click on link: Kalamazoo News, April 10, 2011, 10:30PM

Maple Sugaring with Oxen: Hardwick, Vermont

Dutch Belted Oxen Team and Teamster Dan Laggis

Video link courtesy of WCAX.com, Vermont's Trusted News Source for 55 Years

Storybrookeripples: OX and dog blog is not endorsed by or affiliated with WCAX.com.

Deutsch Reitkuh! German Girl Goes Off-Road With Her Cow

Video: Somewhere with Elly and Luna

Click Here to Link to this Video
Videos produced by Giniblaxxx
Lunshen1 Production

There are a number of other home videos of Luna here: Lunschen1. Congratulations Regina on your achievements with Luna. Do you really want a horse???

Regina Mayer und ihre Kuh Luna

Regina Mayer and Her Cow Luna.

Two readers, Leauxra, and Bitzi, sent me reference to the above recent general interest news report. Thanks readers!

 

Reitkuhenergie! (Riding cow power!)

Kuh Luna als idealer Pferde-Ersatz

The cow Luna is an ideal replacement for a horse.

Very nice photos here! Click link below to view:
http://www.kleinezeitung.at/nachrichten/sunnseitn/multimedia.do?action=showEntry_detail&project=48842&_vl_backlink=%2Fnachrichten%2Fsunnseitn%2F2716025%2Freitkuh-luna-stellt-alle-pferde-den-schatten.story

Ox and Dog: Crossing the Flooded Plain

Reminiscent of conditions travelers may have encountered crossing the Red River Valley on unimproved ox cart trails, Scout the Ox and Harry the Dog take the snow-melt in stride.  Here they are with me, skirting the edges of a low spot in the trail as evening falls, April 2, 2011.

Ma Wishes They'd Have Kept the Ox

There may be blossoms on the cherry trees in South Carolina, but up here in the more Northern Latitudes we're still enjoying winter. The boys decided to take Ma to town to get sugar and flour, on the way there Ma said, "I wish they'd have kept the ox."

Video link courtesy of retromobilis.
My title and story are fictitious.

Ox Pulls Cargo Sled and Woodsplitter

When my lawn tractor had a flat tire, while I was splitting firewood, I went back to the garage and threw the jack and tools into the cargo sled. I hitched Scout the Ox to the sled and we went to retrieve the flat tire. I took along the forcart (pair of wheels) that I use when Scout pulls the garden cart.

In lieu of finding time to get a larger, wooden sled built, I had bought this rugged, plastic, cargo sled at the farm store as an intermediate size for pulling firewood from the woods. (It's proven itself useful for a variety of tasks.)

In this picture Scout the Ox, Harry the Dog, and I head back to the woodpile to retrieve the wood splitter. Hitched to the splitter, Scout the Ox did a fine job of pulling it back to the garage.

The next time I split wood, I skipped using the garden tractor and used Scout the Ox instead. At the woodpile I tied his lead rope to a piece of firewood, and he nibbled tall grass nearby while I worked.

See also:
How to Convert a Garden Cart Into a Small Wagon to Pull With a Single Ox

Ox In Training: Feeling His Oats!

As Spring approaches (March 5, 2011) the snow has melted enough to allow us a walk in the woods. Scout the Ox stopped to scour his horns on some bushes while Harry the Dog and I continued on ahead. I was ready with the camera when he decided to catch up.

I consider this an important part of training --- just out having fun together. It's a time to be part of the herd, a time to strengthen bonds, and a time to lay to rest any negative feelings that may have been generated in more vigorous training sessions.

Ox Team's Yoke Weighs Over 90 Pounds



Oxen's Yoke
Copyright 2008 Elaine Meinel Supkis
War and Peace Blog
(used here with permission)

Elaine Meinel Supkis holds her oxen Chip and Dale’s yoke, which weighs over 90 pounds.




Oxen Team Chip and Dale
Copyright 2008  Elaine Meinel Supkis
War and Peace Blog
(used here with permission)

"They were very loving, loyal beasts," she wrote on her March 4, 2008 Blog entry, "The bees, cats, dogs, sheep, horses, oxen, chickens, turkeys, ducks, the wild animals, all were part of the circle we had going, and all were needed."

Beautiful Yoke of Oxen at Watering Trough



Pair of Oxen at the Clinton Fair, 1913
Leon Hampartzoum Abdalian, photographer
Some rights reserved
Boston Public Library



Ox Bows and Ox Yokes For Sale (circa 1890-1899)

Ox Bows, $7.50/dozen
Undated illustration from
Hibbard Spencer Bartlett and Co. Catalog
Chicago, Illinois

The Iowa Farming Tool Co. of Fort Madison, Iowa, USA, was producing 1200 ox yokes a year in 1891, according to the Iowa Bureau of Labor Statistics of that year. The company also made pitch forks, hoes, rakes, scythe snaths, and grain cradles. The ox yokes and other items were manufactured by convicts who were leased from the Iowa Penitentiary of Fort Madison for fifty cents an hour. The workshops were located in the prison.

The two inch diameter ox bows were sold by a Chicago distributor, Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co., for $7.50/ dozen (sixty-two cents each). Heavy lumberman’s bows were $16.00 a dozen.


Ox Yokes, $6.60 each
Undated illustration from
Hibbard Spencer Bartlett and Co.Catalog
Chicago, Illinois

A complete medium sized ox yoke (ironed and bowed) sold for $6.60. If you wanted that in the large size it was $6.75.

Ox and Dog Interspecies Play; Toy or Tool?

In the first half of the video Scout the Ox and Harry the Dog play with a section of garden hose; Harry the Dog then switches to using the hose to poke at Scout the Ox ---at which time the ox attempts to take the hose away from the dog. It's all in good fun; as regular readers of this blog know, the ox and dog are companion animals and best of friends.

Is this further proof that the notion, tool use makes humans unique, is outdated? This was completely self-invented use of a garden hose, first as a toy (is a toy a tool when used to engage another?), and then as a pseudo-horn (tool?) to poke at the ox.

Interspecies Behavior: Grooming & Affection (Ox and Dog)

Pit Bull x Newfoundland Dog Licks Ox's Nose
(Horned Ayrshire Steer)

Scout the Ox gets his nose washed. Though not terribly uncommon, interspecies behaviors always fascinate me. (see Interspecies Ear Washing)

Ayrshire Ox Grooms Dog's Face

Harry the Dog gets a face wash. Getting the video was a matter of being in the right place at the right time. I sometimes see this behavior at a distance from the window of our house. This time I had just finished shooting a video of putting the halter on Scout the Ox, and the camera was still on the tripod, when they started grooming each other.





Ayrshire Ox and Pit Bull Cross Newfoundland Dog
are Interspecies Companions

Harry the Dog is a herd replacement companion for Scout the Ox.  But, you might also say that Scout the Ox is a pack replacement companion for Harry the Dog  (just as people have been pack replacement companions for dogs throughout the centuries). The ox and the dog were raised together and they have a special interspecies affinity for each other.

Cat Edits Video on Computer

At the end of this three minute video you will see Squeak the Cat editing the video on the computer before publishing it to YouTube.

An Ox and a Horse a Poor Team Doth Make



Ox and Horse Team, Main Street, Groton, New York, USA c1920s 

It takes two to fight. It also takes two to make a team. At times oxen have been asked to fill in for a missing horse when a team was needed.  In this photo the missing horse's collar has been turned up-side down allowing it to be fitted onto the ox.

It has been said that different species cannot associate comfortably or pull pleasantly ---when yoked together. While the mismatched team in the picture seem to be faring quite well, it's not hard to imagine differences in strength and gait, say nothing of temperament and character.

If their differences escalated into fighting, the horse might be more wily (and able to bite), but would be at serious risk of being gored at the horns of the ox.  

A Horse Collar Doth Not an Ox Collar Make

Horse Collar vs. Ox Collar

There are substantial differences between horse collars and ox collars. The power of the horse is transferred to the collar primarily through the lower region of the neck while the oxen's power is transferred to the collar primarily through the upper region of the neck --- the collars are made accordingly.

Horse collars have been used on oxen by turning them upside-down, but not with good results. They may suffice for light cart work but for heavy pulling they are not satisfactory. They can cause discomfort and possibly sores for the ox. 

The ox collar itself has not found widespread favor in most regions of the world. The wooden ox yoke seems to be the most common choice for both farmers and competitive ox pullers. Germany and Switzerland may be a possible exception. Ox collars also hold some appeal when a single ox is used rather than a team.

Pineywoods Breed of Ox Pulls With Sweatpad/Hames Combination

Golem Kennels of rural Pittsboro, North Carolina, use a pair of ox hames padded with a sweat pad (made for use with a horse collar), for hitching their single ox.

Asked if they are happy with the results they replied that they like the sweat pad/wooden hames combination.

"He is comfortable in it, it takes no time at all to put on - just as fast or faster than a yoke," they said, "He's comfy and his movement is not restricted."

Working in the tight spaces of a small wooded farm, they don't want things sticking out that could snag on trees. "His horns are bad enough, but he turns his head and figures those out himself."

Click here to see Albert the Pineywoods ox in padded hames.

Click here to see Albert pulling a hay bale with the combination.

Pineywoods Cattle Registry and Breeders Association (PCRBA)

Ox Collar with Nearly Straight Hames





A Woman and Children in a Wagon Pulled by an Single Ox
Saint-Antonin, Québec, 1918
Marius Barbeau Collection (1883-1969)
© Canadian Museum of Civilization

   

Adjustable Three-Pad Collar for Oxen

 

Richard Roosenberg discusses the merits and demerits of the three-pad ox collar in Tillers International's 1997 Online TechGuide:

 Yoking and Harnessing Single Cattle.

illustration
 Adjustable Three-Pad Ox Collar
Steiman and Boss, 1934

 

Swiss or German Three Point Harness for Cattle






Three Pad Harness for Cattle
from
 Harnessing and Implements for Animal Traction
by Paul Starkey, 1989

 

Paul Starkey elaborated on what he saw as some of the pros and cons of the three point harness in chapter four of his 1989 book Harnessing and Implements for Animal Traction. The book is available online in it's entirety on the Animal Traction Information Gateway website. It can be downloaded in French or English. 

Flexible Three Pad Collar for an Ox





Flexible Three Pad Collar for an Ox
from
Cow-harnessing in Germany, Steinmetz, 1936
World Association for Transport Animal Welfare and Studies (TAWS)

A key feature of the three pad collar is that  each side (hame) swings independent of the other, keeping it in constant contact with the for-and-aft movement of the ox's shoulders. (A work horse's non-flexible collar rests on the horse's breast which remains stationary during locomotion.)

For a more detailed description click on Harnessing and Yoking - German Harnesses for Oxen by Jörg Bremond World  Association for Transport Animal Welfare and Studies (TAWS) website.

Padded Ox Collar, Ox, and Hay Cart: Murray Bay, QC, Canada




Ox cart, Murray Bay, QC, 1896-1900
Wm. Notman and Son
© McCord Museum

  


Detail from
Ox cart, Murray Bay, QC, 1896-1900
© McCord Museum

 

Padded Ox Collar, Ox, and Cart: Quebec City, Canada c.1890




Ox cart, St. Jean Deschaillons, QC, about 1890
Gift of Mr. Stanley G. Triggs
© McCord Museum

    

Detail from
Ox cart, St. Jean Deschaillons, QC, about 1890
Gift of Mr. Stanley G. Triggs
© McCord Museum



Single Ox Training: Gee and Haw

This is a question from YouTube comments on my video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1YJ_7jufYA. (Getup and Whoa with long reigns on a standard halter.)

Q.

This is great! I have a Jersey/Swiss bull that I want to do this with. Just wondering, how do you train him to Haw and Gee?

Stainesa1


A.
Greetings Stainesa1 ---


I find that Scout the Ox is more responsive to physical cues (touches and tugs) than he is to verbal commands. This makes sense as cattle are largely non-verbal creatures except when stressed or hungry.

With reins attached to a standard cattle halter I am able to direct him to right or left. (Bits or nose rings are unnecessary and not recommended.) When I see he is about to respond correctly I add the verbal gee or haw so that he will begin to make the association. You can see this in practice on this video where he is responding readily to corrections made with small tugs on the reins: http://storybrookeripples.blogspot.com/2010/08/ox-training-long-reins-and-verbal.html

My training got put to the test about a month ago. I was riding in the ox cart (converted garden cart.) I slid way to the back to take a picture and the cart reared up. Scout spooked and started running. The tipped-back cart was fishtailing wildly and I was hanging on with one hand, while trying to protect my camera with the other. Things were well out of control when I decided to yell "WHOA!" Scout stopped immediately for which I was well pleased.

Training one ox hardly makes me an authority on the subject, but I am of the impression that single oxen present a few challenges that teams are less prone to. Single oxen are more free to follow their own whims than they might be if they were yoked to a team mate. However, there is ample evidence in the historical record to suggest that single oxen were trained to be reliable enough to pull passengers in carts.

Single ox pulling ladies in ox cart near Newport News, Virginia, USA (estimated c1900-1920).

These prim ladies keep their white petticoats high above the muddy road near Newport News, Virginia. Their mighty ox appears to be completely under the control of the driver who holds the reins in her hands.

(Note the bed of this cart has been leveled. I've noticed ox carts often were tipped back. I wonder if it was because they were built to fit a younger animal who often out-grew expectations.)

Women and boy in ox cart pulled by single ox -- c1910, southern USA. 
Single ox yoke, reins.

This woman and her son appear equally at ease with their sleek ox pulling a tidy oxcart on the road of a southern USA town.

Older man in rickety wagon pulled by a single ox in a southern USA town c1910
Single ox yoke with dropped hitch points.

Being seated on kitchen chairs in this rickety old wagon would suggest that this older gentleman has a great deal of faith in the reliability of his single ox.

This single ox yoke is a nice example of a yoke with dropped hitch points. The dropped hitch points pull the yoke down into the shoulder --- a straight yoke, as in the first picture, tends to roll back.

One Very Large Steer!

Wouldn't it be fun to train this "big ox" of a steer for riding, or for pulling a giant ox cart! See photos and read about him at:

Mail Online/News  UK.
(click)

So Precious! Oxen Team and Young Girl



Oxen and Girl

Photo from JimElong's photobucket album titled: Rendezvous

Grandkids Wild Ox-Cart Ride

Traveling 1st Class in Northwestern Minnesota (via Ox Cart)

Single Ayrshire Ox Pulling Ox Cart with Wooden Ox Yoke

With all the tempting vegetation in the roadside ditches covered with snow,  it is a good time to get Scout the Ox used to the idea of me riding in the ox cart. In the summer he quickly learned that as soon as I got on the cart he could head to the ditch and grab a few mouthfuls of grass.....the little stinker!

Single Ayrshire Ox Pulling Ox Cart with Wooden Ox Yoke - Minnesota Winter

At -15 degrees F. (-26 degrees C.) Scout the ox grew a white beard and I an icy white moustache. On January 22 the sun sets about 6:30 PM CST,  but dusk lasts quite a while longer. 

Single Ayrshire Ox with Horns and Yoke - Exhaust

It was a beautiful, silent evening with stars beginning to show in the sky. The 5mph wind dropped off to near zero and the steam rising from Scout the Ox's breath  reminded me of the exhaust from an idling internal combustion engine. Getting the pictures and video without frost-bitten fingers was tricky though.

See in video format  --- 29 seconds.

Snapshots; Haul'n Wood with an Ox

Hauling Firewood with an Ox

Turning the Ox Yoke

20/20 Hindsight

1. When walking backwards make sure you have a clear path so you don't stumble.
2. Avoid hitching to anything so high that the chains can pass easily over the ox's back.
3. Hitch oriented in the direction you want to pull so the ox doesn't need to step sideways to get lined up

It is also possible for a team of oxen to turn their yoke. If they both turn 180 degrees, but in opposite directions, the yoke has to flip. Said another way, if they swing their tails apart until their tails meet again, the yoke will be forced to turn.

Single or team, turning the yoke is obviously to be avoided; it could result in bruising the oxen's neck or throat.

Civil War Era Currycomb

A Currycomb Patented by Sarah Jane Wheeler, 1861

"Included in the New Britain Industrial Museum collection is a curry comb recovered from a Union army supply barge, the General Meade, which exploded and sank at City Point , Virginia on the James River . The comb was patented in 1861 by Sarah Jane Wheeler, who was the first woman in  New Britain  to receive a United States patent."

quoted from

Connecticut Explored

Currying Favor with the Ox

Snow, ice, mud or manure in the coat of the ox robs the fur of its insulating value.  The currycomb is the ideal tool to keep the ox's coat clean and dry. While many a feedlot steer may survive without ever being touched by a currycomb, its frequent application certainly adds to the creature's comfort.



Grooming the Ox with a Currycomb

 As an added bonus currying replicates the grooming behavior seen amongst members of a herd of cattle. The use of the currycomb can be a bonding tool between teamsters and their oxen. If you've ever been licked by an ox you know the roughness of an ox's tongue has much the same feel as a currycomb.