The Organic Experimental Engine (oxen)
(Page 8 of 9)
May/June 1973
By John R. Scarlett
In spite of these drawbacks to the traditional method of driving a span, veteran handlers scoff at those who attach reins to a ring in an ox's nose in order to drive from the rear. That "spoils" the steer, they say . . . meaning, I suppose, that the animal will not respond to voice commands alone thereafter. I suspect they also mean that use of the ring and reins is an attempt to make an ox into a horse. Reins are a means of control to be rejected as vehemently as a true sailor refuses to put a motor into his boat.
RELATED CONTENT
DISCIPLINE
When our oxen are housed in the barn, they're tied side by side to the wall with collar and rope, with a low partition between them. The nigh ox is on the left side, the off ox on the right . . . a relationship that's supposed to reinforce the discipline demanded by the yoke. Nevertheless, we saw a team that had been pastured all summer respond well to commands they hadn't heard for months when they were finally returned to harness . . . and we've had the same experience with our own animals after they've enjoyed two or three weeks of freedom.
Then again, not working oxen for long periods can be risky if you and the team aren't old friends. When we first used our span they ran away a number of times, wagon and all, after several days of disuse . . . but that hasn't happened since our first month together. There are times, however, when we have to lean on John and Paul pretty hard: crack them on the snout with the butt of the whip or strike the stike the lash across the forelegs across their fore legs.
While I'm talking about control, I should mention how difficult it is to keep the team standing in one place if there's grass within reach. To keep them from getting the munchies and drifting off, we have to fasten large loose muzzles or baskets over their snouts. We relieve the guilty feelings we got from not letting them eat by promising them huge amounts o feed at the end of the day. The guilt and the baskets disappear when the snow comes.
As I've said before, we learned how to yoke, hitch, drive and care for our teafn in a very short time, but it has taken awhile for us to become comfortable with the oxen . . . and they with us. At first, although we were awed by John's anti Paul's strength, beauty and docility we were still frightened by their size. We'd seen too many Westerns and heard too many bull stories to believe that our lives were not in very real danger from an animal that weighs a ton or more. After all cutting out a bull's testicles still leaves him with big horns and lots of beef. But our fear of oxen has dissolved with the discovery of our kinship with them . . . a kinship we've never felt for some of the things that we still do dread: automobiles, bad schools, employers, bureaucracies.
OUR FUTURE WITH OXEN
On one of those trips when we were first inquiring about oxen, we attended a conference where we had a chance to talk with Helen and Scott Nearing. During our conversation Scott reiterated his dislike of animal slavery, as he calls the keeping of farm stock . . . and at heart we agree with him.
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