The Oxen Handbook
Uses for Oxen
- logging
- plowing
- parades
- demonstrations
- general farm work
Oxen Links
Thistle Ridge Ranch (was RM Farm)-- Horses, Plott Hounds, Driving Steers (oxen)
History of the Beefmaster breed, from 1908 to present
Rural Heritage and Tillers, International
The Ox Paddock at Rural Heritage
THE OXEN HANDBOOKOx, plural, oxen, domesticated cow or bull used for agricultural work as a draft animal (an animal that pulls a cart or wagon) or as a pack animal (an animal that carries cargo on its back).
Oxen have a body length of about 2.5 to 3.5 m (about 8 to 12 ft), with a shoulder height of about 90 to 110 cm (about 36 to 44 in). They weigh about 450 to 1000 kg (about 990 to 2200 lb). An ox is distinguished by short hair and smooth horns that generally curve out and up, sometimes extending up to 61 cm (24 in). Coloring ranges from black or brown to red or white, depending on the breed. Male oxen are typically castrated (sexually neutered by the removal of testes) to produce a larger, stronger, and more docile animal.
The domesticated ox descended directly from the aurochs, an extinct species usually described as a wild ox that ranged throughout much of Europe, North Africa, and Asia. Humans domesticated the aurochs, then began producing new varieties of cattle, including the ox, which was well suited for agricultural work, between 6000 and 5000 BC. Farmers increased their dependence on the ox around 4500 BC, when the development of early irrigation systems significantly increased the amount of land under cultivation. Oxen hauled carts loaded with crops from the fields to barns and to markets, pulled plows in fields, and turned wheels that lifted water from wells and canals. The ox also was used to pack personal property. So essential was the ox to the survival of humans that it was worshiped by some early religions.
For thousands of years, the ox remained the primary draft animal on farms in most of the world. In the 19th century the ox was the preferred draft animal for pulling covered wagons over pioneer trails across the western United States because the ox was stronger and less expensive to maintain than a horse, and could live off both grass and sage along the way. Unlike a horse or a mule, an ox pulled wagons through mud and swam across streams. The ox was slower than a mule by about 3 km (about 2 mi) per hour, but it pulled at a steady pace and would travel a greater distance than a mule during a full day of travel.
Today oxen are used for recreation, (in pulling or driving contests), for logging, and as a link to a slower past. They usually come from the dual purpose breeds -- Holstein, Brown Swiss, and (the first oxen in America), Salers. Beefmaster and Senapol also have been used successfully. Most oxen in the United States today are found in the Northeast and the upper Mid-west.
Scientific classification: The ox belongs to the family Bovidae in the order Artiodactyla. The most common species is classified as Bos taurus.
More information may be found on the web by searching for Tillers, the main source of tools, yokes, and other oxen equipment.
"Ox," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 99. © 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Read more about oxen at Tillers, International. See Rural Heritage for more information.
Contact Becky Fitzgerald
Thistle Ridge Ranch
Smiths Grove, Kentucky
270-749-2558
Email: equine@amigo.net
