Soule: The Perfect Job for a Lazy Ox

Loudon NH

22 December, 2020

7:04 AM

Description

Working oxen is my special joy. My pair of 8-year-old Scottish Highlander oxen have accepted me as their leader. We work as a team hauling logs; they do the hard work, I give the commands. When given the command, "Walk on," Topper and Stash lean into the yoke, walking step-for-step in unison to get the job done. And they have fun, too. Once in a while, when pulling a load, Topper will nudge me with his horns as if to say, "Can't we go faster, lady?" What Is An Ox?What are oxen? "Ox" is a job description, not a breed. Any bovine of either sex or any breed can be trained to be an ox. An ox's job is to work in a yoke (alone or with a partner) to pull things, like a plow, a log, or a "sled" piled with rocks. There's something about harnessing and commanding the might of 3,000 pounds of muscle and bone that is gratifying. It makes imposing my will upon my 160-pound husband hardly worth the effort. (Just joking, Bruce; I'll always make the effort.) Admittedly, mechanization has generally replaced oxen, but oxen can do anything a tractor can do – it just takes them longer. But (to paraphrase the great Roger Miller), what's time to an ox? Tractors have replaced oxen, but a tractor will never make me laugh or look to me for approval for a job well done. What Is A Rein-Steer? At this time of year, one ox named Stash has yet another job: performing as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Rein-Steer. Read More Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, where she raises and sells beef, pork, lamb, eggs, and other local products.