Pokey, Pushey, Kickey, Yoke flipper Ox getting readied as a working ox

Just when it was all going so well..….. This is the second day out on a yoked training walk for the black ox. The first day was eventful, I had partnered him with a junior but partly trained ox and he decided to try out what it was like to run into a hedge. that was frustrating enough but then he found out how to flip the yoke and that was more troubling. so that day ended with me unyoking them in the field.

So now we get to the second day out on a yoked walking training session. this time I paired him with a more seasoned stable ox. Now this black ox (henry) has a proclivity for poking, butting and kicking and he has added yoke flipping to his repertoire so getting him up to working mode is going to be interesting. So off we went down the field, into the next field, around the first field all walking steadily as though he had been trained already. this is great I thought, what a wonderful progressive day……Ooops I spoke too soon. For a few moments I did not pay attention to the possible repercussions and did not stop them in time before they walked too close to a buggy in the field. He goes one side the other ox goes the other side and hey presto they are a bit stuck….. Mr black ox henry decides he knew what to do….lift his head turn towards the other ox and keep twisting until the yoke is no longer on his neck but under his neck suspended by the ox bows….Yikes this is not good. Cant re-straighten them the normal way of pulling them back into the position (remember he likes to lunge while trying to poke) because I cant get too close to his head safely. So I decided …let me teach him a lesson that if he flips the yoke it will be some discomfort from an upside down yoke. I walked them and tapped them and talked to them as before with him on the other side this time and the yoke under his chin. It went well as before but then he had a mind flip. Suddenly he decided he did not like this any more and slumped down onto his front knee and tried to hide in the earth. He would not budge,…ok he did scramble a bit on his knees to let me know he could not walk anymore…..I was not convinced. Here was this herd menacer who pokes and intimidates his herd fellows and here he was behaving shamefully for the bovine race. I asked him to get up and tapped him and waited and tried again. If only I could get them both back to the yoking area I could unyoke them and end the day. But oh now that was too easy. When he got up he just spun around in a circle and was not going to walk in a straight line. Than down on his knees again. this repeated itself many times. I could not just unyoke him in the field because I had nothing to secure him to and he was temperamental enough to seek revenge on me. I did not fancy that.

Eventually we circled and dropped to his knees and walked a bit etc until we were close to a tree and that was the escape method. We were able to tie is horns around the tree, pull him in close and then very close, unyoke them, secure a rope to his nose temporarily while we removed the horn rope and then slipped out the nose rope. What would he do now he was loose…..nothing…he just started eating the grass. We herded him back to his pasture quiet easily and ended the training session.

I look forward to the next session in the new year.  I posted this message on the “all things oxen” facebook site and had a number of practical comments. In particular a suggestion to tie the horns to a pole seems a good and simple solution. I am sure his co-ox will oblige knowing it was a good purpose