Working the Oxen from behind - starting with a rope

[Guest guest]

-

Dasgopal (AT) aol (DOT) com

Monday, January 5, 2004 5:16 pm

Re: Developing a cow-herd friendly community

 

> The focus would definitely be on produce, (veggies/grains) and use of the

> oxen. For practical reasons I was thinking we would work the oxen

> from behind as was previously the custom in Alachua.

 

My experience working an ox

> from the side was ok, but that was only for fetching firewood in NV.

> Working from behind

> reduces the need for an extra teamster to work the plow. I have noticed that

> in the US the shortage is on people, not oxen. The old pictures of Alachua

> showed multiple sets of up to six oxen being worked by one person each. As

far as

> I know, where ever oxen have been the primary form of draft animal (meaning

no

> horses or tractor to back the program up), they have been worked

> from behind.

> Again, thats just as far as I know. But the need for one human per team is

> real and great for any program in the US to work. What do you all

> think?

> Ys Gopal

>

> -------------------------------

 

Earlier I wrote that it seemed as easy to drive the oxen from behind whether

one used voice commands or a nose ring (or rope). This was based on old photos

and videos of oxen being worked at Gita-nagari.

 

But now I'm thinking that with voice commands perhaps the practice of having a

second person to drive the oxen is much more widespread than I realized.

 

I just got from BerryBrook Ox Supply a copy of "Working Oxen" a slim but

informative volume by Martin Watts. In it, I found this following passage

about driving oxen in the 9th century in England:

 

******************

 

Ox teams of more than two animals usually needed at least two people to operate

them, particularly if the job in hand was more complicated than simple road

hauling. Typically, one person would operate or manage the implement, and

anohter would walk alongside the animals to keep them going. AElfric (c.

995-1020) described the ploughman in early medieval England:

 

I work hard; I go out at daybreak, driving oxen to the field, and I yoke them

to the plough. Be it never so stark winter, I dare not linger at home for fear

of my lord; but having yoked my oxen and fastened the share and coulter, every

day I must plough a full acre or more. I have a boy driving the oxen with a

goad iron, who is hoarse with cold and shouting. And I do more also. I have to

fill the oxen's fins with hay and water them, and take out their litter...

Mighty hard work it is...

 

***************

 

Elsewhere in the volume are other references to a boy who drives the oxen while

the farmer steers the plow. He is called a "stubble boy."

 

One interesting thing is that on the very next page is an illustration from

Australia about 1930, showing a massive load of wood hauled by 14 oxen, which

are driven by just one man.

 

Another illustration from England about 1897 shows a single plowman driving a

6-ox team with no reigns and no helper.

 

So it appears that the use of someone to occupy the position of a "stubble boy"

was and still is quite common where voice commands are used. My feeling from

AElric's description above is that probably the equipment was not ideal, nor

were the oxen very well trained if the boy had to shout himself hoarse.

 

(It is also interesting to note that the ploughman was in the position of

sudra, because he says that he works "in fear of his lord." This is different

from the independent vaisya farmer Srila Prabhupada describes.)

 

So, while the use of two people when ploughing with voice commands was common,

there appear to have always been examples where the plowing was done by one

person alone. I think a key feature involved was the expertise in training,

and also the needs of the specific teamster. In some cases, maybe it was a

good idea to bring his son along in the field as a helper.

 

However, where the objective was to have only one person doing the ploughing,

that depended on training.

 

With voice commands, there are two ways of training. One method uses a lead

rope at the beginning, and then later, once the oxen are sufficiently trained,

the lead rope can be abandoned. I think that both Balabhadra and Drew Conroy

have demonstrated the first method.

 

Once you reach the stage of training where the leadrope can be given up, the

results can be impressive. In the new Training Oxen video by Drew Conroy and

Tim Huppe, Tim Huppe's four daughters are each shown with a team of oxen they

have been training. The youngest girl, about 8 years old, has a 3 month old

team. The oldest daughter, about 17 years old has a 2 year old team.

 

One section shows the animals doing an obstacle course. The ox team pulls a

light cart. They have to make some fairly tight gee and haw turns around some

obstacle cones. At the last phase, the team has to keep the wheels of the cart

on a 6 foot board (2 meters) which is only about 6 inches wide (15 mm?).

 

When it comes the oldest daughter's turn, she drives her team to the start of

the course. (She is on foot, not on the cart.) She has no lead rope, only a

small goad stick. Drew Conroy takes the stick away from her and has her take

the team through the obstacle course by voice only. Which she does without any

errors.

 

When she completes the course, he gives her back the stick, and tells her to

complete the course with no words, using only the stick. She does that

perfectly also, but when she uses the stick, she doesn't even touch the oxen.

She uses it like a magic wand. Just by seeing how she waves it, the oxen know

what to do.

 

In his book, Drew Conroy, discusses driving a team from behind. Note his

hints:

 

*****************

 

A team that is trained to drive from the side and respond to basic commands may

easily be taught to drive from behind. Small calves may be taught to drive

from behind as easily as from the front or side, without reins or ropes. Older

animals require more restraint becuase they are more eager to run away. Begin

this training in a confined area and get the team sufficiently tired beforehand

so they will not be inclined to run away.

 

Initially the team may confuse your request to move ahead with your movement to

the back of the animals. Work the animals on a trail, path or farm road

heading toward home. Most teams are eager to return home and will readily trot

along. Once they get the idea, try them going away from home or in the field

following a furrow or freshly cut swath of hay.

 

Driving your team from behind comes in handy when you are working in a woodlot,

mowing hay, plowing or using other farm machinery. Without reins, you have to

rely on voice commands and/or a long whip. Training to drive without reins

should not be done in an area where the animals might possibly run away,

destroy property or injure people.

 

In other parts of the world, many teams are trained to drive from behind,

guided with reins attached to a halter, to a bridle with a bit, to the nose or

even the ears. A halter is the least severe form of physical restraint, a

bridle with a bit may create problems with cud chewing. I do not recommend

using the nose or ears, commonly seen in Africa, becuase doing so makes the

animal head shy.

 

Using No Physical Restraint

 

If you can direct your team without a yoke, halters, lead ropes, or other

physical restraint, you have achieved a high level of training and trust.

Animals that follow willingly or obey directions without being physically

forced to do so have gained the trust and respect of the teamster. The

teamster in turn has established a unique relationship with the oxen. Having a

team that willingly follows is helpful in catching animals in pasture and

walking the team to water. 4-H teamsters walk teams without restaints to

demonstrate their ox training abilities.

 

********************

 

The second way of training voice commands starts without using a lead rope.

I'll discuss this in a separate letter. These are two different routes to the

same end.