A Team Back Up

Have you ever wondered what

exactly is an ox? Put simply, an ox (or oxen

if you’re talking about more than one), is

any cattle over four years of age that has

been trained to do work. Most often they

are steers (castrated male cattle). Any breed

of cattle can be trained to become an ox,

although some breeds are better suited to it

than others.

When a steer is under the age of

four and training to become an ox, it’s

called a working steer. The teamster (a

person who trains and works with draft animals) will work with him every day getting him used to a halter, the yoke, and listening to her commands. They will learn five voice commands that the teamster will use to drive them. If the teamster wants her steers to start moving, she will say “get up” and if she wants them to stop, she’ll say “whoa”. She can also ask her steers to back up by saying “back”. The steers will learn that the sound “gee” means turn right and “haw” means turn left. The teamster will also use her goad, a long stick, to tap the steers and reinforce her voice commands.

As the steers grow, they

will need bigger and bigger

yokes. Just like kids growing

into new shoes, steers grow fast

and need a new yoke often.

Once the steers reach the age

of four, they are fully grown

and called oxen.

Colt and Rooster, Jersey steers, in yoke.

A yoke with two bows for a team of working steers or oxen.

Oxen are used on farms to

do work. They can plow fields, pull

stone boats, help with logging, pull

carts, run machinery, and more.

Oxen work slower than horses

which makes them ideal for

plowing. The farmer can walk

behind the team with the plow at a

smooth and steady pace.

At Billings Farm, we have a three-year-old team of Jersey working steers named Colt and Rooster. They are half-brothers who work together in yoke to pull things. We also have a single American Milking Devon steer called Huck. Huck works alone in a single yoke. All of our steers are being trained by our teamster Amy Deome. A team of oxen harrow a field at Billings Farm, c. 1890 Using a goad and harness, a young teamster drives her ox at Billings Farm’s Draft Animal Day.

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