Ox

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Zebu oxen in Mumbai, India India.Mumbai.04.jpg
Zebu oxen in Mumbai, India
Ploughing with Oxen by George H. Harvey, Nova Scotia, Canada, 1881 Ploughing with Oxen.jpg
Ploughing with Oxen by George H. Harvey, Nova Scotia, Canada, 1881
Oxen used in farms for plowing Traditional Farming Methods and Equipments.jpg
Oxen used in farms for plowing
Boy on an ox-drawn cart in Niger Niger, Filingue (35), boy on ox-drawn cart.jpg
Boy on an ox-drawn cart in Niger
Ox skull Ox skull.jpg
Ox skull

An ox (pl.: oxen), also known as a bullock (in British, Australian, and Indian English), [1] is a bovine, trained and used as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration inhibits testosterone and aggression, which makes the males docile and safer to work with. Cows (adult females) or bulls (intact males) may also be used in some areas.

Contents

Oxen are used for plowing, for transport (pulling carts, hauling wagons and even riding), for threshing grain by trampling, and for powering machines that grind grain or supply irrigation among other purposes. Oxen may be also used to skid logs in forests, particularly in low-impact, select-cut logging.

Oxen are usually yoked in pairs. Light work such as carting household items on good roads might require just one pair, while for heavier work, further pairs would be added as necessary. A team used for a heavy load over difficult ground might exceed nine or ten pairs.

Domestication

Oxen are thought to have first been harnessed and put to work around 4000 BC. [2]

Training

Tang dynasty bronze ox Tang Bronze Ox.jpg
Tang dynasty bronze ox
A team of ten pair of oxen in Australia Bullock wagon Promontory Road.jpg
A team of ten pair of oxen in Australia

Working oxen are taught to respond to the signals of the teamster, bullocky or ox-driver. These signals are given by verbal command and body language, reinforced by a goad, whip or a long pole (which also serves as a measure of length: see rod). In pre-industrial times, most teamsters were known for their loud voices and forthright language.[ citation needed ]

Verbal commands for draft animals vary widely throughout the world. In North America, the most common commands are:

In the New England tradition, young castrated cattle selected for draft are known as working steers and are painstakingly trained from a young age. Their teamster makes or buys as many as a dozen yokes of different sizes for each animal as it grows. The steers are normally considered fully trained at the age of four and only then become known as oxen. [3]

A tradition in southeastern England was to use oxen (often Sussex cattle) as dual-purpose animals: for draft and beef. A plowing team of eight oxen normally consisted of four pairs aged a year apart.

Each year, a pair of steers of about three years of age would be bought for the team and trained with the older animals. The pair would be kept for about four years, then sold at about seven years old to be fattened for beef – thus covering much of the cost of buying that year's new pair. Use of oxen for plowing survived in some areas of England (such as the South Downs) until the early twentieth century.[ citation needed ]

Pairs of oxen were always hitched the same way round, and they were often given paired names. In southern England it was traditional to call the near-side (left) ox of a pair by a single-syllable name and the off-side (right) one by a longer one (for example: Lark and Linnet, Turk and Tiger). [4]

Ox trainers favor larger animals for their ability to do more work. Oxen are therefore usually of larger breeds, and are usually males because they are generally larger. Females can also be trained as oxen, but as well as being smaller, are often more valued for producing calves and milk. Bulls (intact males) are also used in many parts of the world, especially Asia and Africa. [5] [6]

Shoeing

Working oxen usually require shoes, [7] although in England not all working oxen were shod. [8] Since their hooves are cloven, two shoes are required for each hoof, as opposed to a single horseshoe. Ox shoes are usually of approximately half-moon or banana shape, either with or without caulkins, and are fitted in symmetrical pairs to the hooves. Unlike horses, oxen are not easily able to balance on three legs while a farrier shoes the fourth. [7] [9]

In England, shoeing was accomplished by throwing the ox to the ground and lashing all four feet to a heavy wooden tripod until the shoeing was complete. [7] A similar technique was used in Serbia [10] and, in a simpler form, in India, [11] where it is still practiced. [12]

In Italy, where oxen may be very large, shoeing is accomplished using a massive framework of beams in which the animal can be partly or completely lifted from the ground by slings passed under the body; the feet are then lashed to lateral beams or held with a rope while the shoes are fitted. [13] [14]

Such devices were made of wood in the past, but may today be of metal. Similar devices are found in France, Austria, Germany, Spain, Canada and the United States, where they may be called ox slings, ox presses or shoeing stalls. [9] [15]

The system was sometimes adopted in England also, where the device was called a crush or trevis; one example is recorded in the Vale of Pewsey. [8] The shoeing of an ox partly lifted in a sling is the subject of John Singer Sargent's painting Shoeing the Ox, [16] while A Smith Shoeing an Ox by Karel Dujardin shows an ox being shod standing, tied to a post by the horns and balanced by supporting the raised hoof.

Uses and comparison to horses

Riding an ox in Hova, Sweden Sixten.jpg
Riding an ox in Hova, Sweden

Oxen can pull heavier loads, and pull for a longer period of time than horses depending on weather conditions. [17]

On the other hand, they are also slower than horses, which has both advantages and disadvantages; their pulling style is steadier, but they cannot cover as much ground in a given period of time. For agricultural purposes, oxen are more suitable for heavy tasks such as breaking sod or plowing in wet, heavy, or clay-filled soil.

When hauling freight, oxen can move very heavy loads in a slow and steady fashion. They are at a disadvantage compared to horses when it is necessary to pull a plow or load of freight relatively quickly.

For millennia, oxen also could pull heavier loads because of the use of the yoke, which was designed to work best with the neck and shoulder anatomy of cattle. Until the invention of the horse collar, which allowed the horse to engage the pushing power of its hindquarters in moving a load, horses could not pull with their full strength because the yoke was incompatible with their anatomy [18] (yokes press on their chest, inhibiting their breathing).[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cart</span> Wheeled vehicle for animal drawn transport

A cart or dray is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by draught animals such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wagon</span> Four wheeled vehicle (mostly pulled by draught animals)

A wagon or waggon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teamster</span> Worker driving draft animals or trucks

A teamster in American English is a truck driver; a person who drives teams of draft animals; or a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a labor union. In some places, a teamster was called a carter, the name referring to the bullock cart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoke</span> Device to transfer traction from draught animals to a load

A yoke is a wooden beam sometimes used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are several types of yoke, used in different cultures, and for different types of oxen. A pair of oxen may be called a yoke of oxen, and yoke is also a verb, as in "to yoke a pair of oxen". Other animals that may be yoked include horses, mules, donkeys, and water buffalo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pack animal</span> Individual or type of working animal used by humans

A pack animal, also known as a sumpter animal or beast of burden, is an individual or type of working animal used by humans as means of transporting materials by attaching them so their weight bears on the animal's back, in contrast to draft animals which pull loads but do not carry them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Covered wagon</span> Canvas-covered horse or ox wagons

A covered wagon, also called a prairie wagon, whitetop, or prairie schooner, is a horse-drawn or ox-drawn wagon with a canvas top used for transportation or hauling. The covered wagon has become a cultural icon of the American West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxbow</span>

An oxbow is a U-shaped metal pole that fits the underside and the sides of the neck of an ox or bullock. A bow pin holds it in place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horse collar</span> Part of a horse harness

A horse collar is a part of a horse harness that is used to distribute the load around a horse's neck and shoulders when pulling a wagon or plough. The collar often supports and pads a pair of curved metal or wooden pieces, called hames, to which the traces of the harness are attached. The collar allows the horse to use its full strength when pulling, essentially enabling the animal to push forward with its hindquarters into the collar. If wearing a yoke or a breastcollar, the horse had to pull with its less-powerful shoulders. The collar had another advantage over the yoke as it reduced pressure on the horse's windpipe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Working animal</span> Domesticated animals for assisting people

A working animal is an animal, usually domesticated, that is kept by humans and trained to perform tasks instead of being slaughtered to harvest animal products. Some are used for their physical strength or for transportation, while others are service animals trained to execute certain specialized tasks. They may also be used for milking or herding. Some, at the end of their working lives, may also be used for meat or leather.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bullock cart</span> Vehicle pulled by oxen

A bullock cart or ox cart is a two-wheeled or four-wheeled vehicle pulled by oxen. It is a means of transportation used since ancient times in many parts of the world. They are still used today where modern vehicles are too expensive or the infrastructure is more suited to them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horse-drawn vehicle</span> Vehicle pulled one or more horses

A horse-drawn vehicle is a piece of equipment pulled by one or more horses. These vehicles typically have two or four wheels and were used to carry passengers or a load. They were once common worldwide, but they have mostly been replaced by automobiles and other forms of self-propelled transport but are still in use today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ox-wagon</span>

An ox-wagon or bullock wagon is a four-wheeled vehicle pulled by oxen. It was a traditional form of transport, especially in Southern Africa but also in New Zealand and Australia. Ox-wagons were also used in the United States. The first recorded use of an ox-wagon was around 1670, but they continue to be used in some areas up to modern times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bullocky</span> Driver of a bullock team

A bullocky is an Australian English term for the driver of a bullock team. The American term is bullwhacker. Bullock drivers were also known as teamsters or carriers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Driving (horse)</span> Use of horses to pull vehicles or other equipment

Driving, when applied to horses, ponies, mules, or donkeys, is a broad term for hitching equines to a wagon, carriage, cart, sleigh, or other horse-drawn vehicle by means of a harness and working them in this way. It encompasses a wide range of activities from pleasure driving, to harness racing, to farm work, horse shows, and even international combined driving.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horse harness</span> Device that connects a horse to a carriage or load

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Livestock crush</span> Strongly built livestock holding stall

A cattle crush, squeeze chute, cattle chute, standing stock, or simply stock is a strongly built stall or cage for holding cattle, horses, or other livestock safely while they are examined, marked, or given veterinary treatment. Cows may be made to suckle calves in a crush. For the safety of the animal and the people attending it, a close-fitting crush may be used to ensure the animal stands "stock still". The overall purpose of a crush is to hold an animal still to minimise the risk of injury to both the animal and the operator while work on the animal is performed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breeching (tack)</span>

Breeching ( "britching") is a strap around the haunches of a draft, pack or riding animal. Both under saddle and in harness, breeching engages when an animal slows down or travels downhill and is used to brake or stabilize a load.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxen in Chinese mythology</span>

Oxen, cows, beef cattle, buffalo and so on are an important motif in Chinese mythology. There are many myths about the oxen or ox-like beings, including both celestial and earthly varieties. The myths range from ones which include oxen or composite beings with ox characteristics as major actors to ones which focus on human or divine actors, in which the role of the oxen are more subsidiary. In some cases, Chinese myths focus on oxen-related subjects, such as plowing and agriculture or ox-powered carriage. Another important role for beef cattle is in the religious capacity of sacrificial offerings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bovidae in Chinese mythology</span>

Bovidae in Chinese mythology include various myths and legends about a group of biologically distinct animals which form important motifs within Chinese mythology. There are many myths about the animals modernly classified as Bovidae, referring to oxen, sheep, goats, and mythological types such as "unicorns". Chinese mythology refers to those myths found in the historical geographic area of China, a geographic area which has evolved or changed somewhat through history. Thus this includes myths in Chinese and other languages, as transmitted by Han Chinese as well as other ethnic groups. There are various motifs of animals of the Bovidae biological family in Chinese mythology. These have often served as allusions in poetry and other literature. Some species are also used in the traditional Chinese calendar and time-keeping system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Costa Rican oxcarts</span>

Costa Rican oxcarts, called carretas in Spanish, are a large part of Costa Rican history. They allowed for the expansion and increase of exports of many goods including Costa Rica's main export, coffee. It also is a huge part of Costa Rican culture today. The oxcarts are considered one of Costa Rica's national symbols.

References

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  2. "History of the domestication of animals". HistoryWorld. Archived from the original on November 24, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
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  4. Copper, Bob, A Song for Every Season: A Hundred Years of a Sussex Farming Family (pp 95–100), Heinemann 1971
  5. John C Barret (1991), "The Economic Role of Cattle in Communal Farming Systems in Zimbabwe", to be published in Zimbabwe Veterinary Journal, p 10. Archived 2012-09-18 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Draught Animal Power, an Overview, Agricultural Engineering Branch, Agricultural Support Systems Division, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Archived 2010-07-01 at the Wayback Machine
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