Working Steers

You did it just right. That's how it's done with horses, as well. Trying to wrangle the plow AND steer with the lines simultaneously is really tough if the horses aren't first taught where to walk in relation to the furrow. Far better to do what you did and show them how to use the furrow in the same way a train uses the tracks. Then you can focus on the plow.

Ah, I didn't see this first time around. Good to see someone working a team.

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I take my hat off to you!! You are a very good teamster, I have always wanted to do this ,and my yet, I have ten bull calves that would make oxen. The oxen are the ones that made this country what it is today. Most pioneers traded their horses in for oxen when they hit the mississippi while heading west. The oxen could pull heavier loads , plus they could live on the scrub growth and prairie grasses that the horses couldn`t. I have a couple pair of oxen shoes I have picked up. They need no more hoof care than a horse, maybe less, as long as you don`t go up and down the gravel roads everyday, you will be fine. Thanks For the wonderful pictures,> Marc

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Wow, what an inspiration you are! You have done such a great job with those steers. You have a stunningly beautiful place. I loved the backgrounds in your pics as much as the oxen!

It takes a special kind of a person to do what you have done. Not many people would have the patience or knowledge to get such results.
Good luck in the future.

At two years old now and steers, I'll betcha Amos & Andy are REALLY HAPPY that they are working animals and not the usual run of the mill steers.

Somewhere around here I have a book on draft animals, from what I remember the harness on oxen is a lot less complicated than horse harness, although I'm not quite sure why. Well, I went and looked, the book is "Work Horse Handbook" so no oxen at all. All their horses were wearing collars which fitted roughly in line with their big shoulder bones and had tugs (lines) on them to pull that kept the collar in line with the bone. Too low on the collar and the collar would cut into the windpipe. There were illustrations and photographs of up to teams of twelve. Guess you could get some friends for Amos and Andy and really move a lot of heavy things!

Good work! You and Amos and Andy have all done well!

Great job on the pair. For those interested there is a book by Drew Conroy on training oxen. He knows his stuff. Also, Tillers International in Michigan ( www.tillersinternational.org )has classes on training oxen. I attending one about 8 years ago and it was very well done. They are a great source for any animal traction training and all the necessary simple living skills. Great cause, they use the income from classes to fund their efforts in Central America and Africa taking simple animal traction skills to less developed areas.

Awsome thread, so glad you updated it. I don't know if I could have found it otherwise. But when I first saw it several months back, it put training an ox on my list of things to do when I am no longer working full time. I am thinking a dexter heifer that way I can have draft power and meat (and maybe a little milk too!).

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HT has a calendar that's put out every year - methinks one of your pictures would be a fine picture of the month.

Thank you for keeping us updated on your progress. What a great thing to be doing.

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That's really cool! Good job to you and them.

I wouldn't worry about the horns all our cows had them and we never had a problem. I have a friend with a pair of Highland oxen and talk about horns!

We have a pair of Highland steers that are just now a year old....would love to do something like this with them, or is it too late at this point? Or, too late at this point for a novice that has never attempted anything of the sort.

They are 5 days apart, and related. The older one is the younger one's uncle, as well as being half-brothers. They already hang out together most of the time.

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I think its wonderf ul! We had a set of oxen at the fair here a few years ago and they were massive Brown Swiss and I think each Ox was close to 6.5 feet tall and the guy said they were still growing! Calm as could be nothign fazed them! I hope they contue learnign and working well for you!

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