Ox Power Handbook by Paramananda das

Introduction to the Handbook

Lesson 1 - Lesson: 2 - Lesson : 3 - Lesson: 4 - Lesson: 5

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"Establish a good relationship from the very beginning"

There is an old saying, "The horse is as good as the driver." So, the first thing to remember is: The effectiveness and utility of an ox is limited by the ability of the driver. Working the oxen can be very productive and rewarding if it is done properly, but if the animals are abused physically or verbally, or - on the other extreme - not controlled with a strong enough hand, then they will rebel in one way or another and not perform up to your expectations. Unless the oxen are well trained and well driven, they aren't very useful. They have to be cooperative enough so that they can work very hard, because that is the nature of farm work.

The animals are being pushed hard, to their maximum ability, like an athlete. the athlete trains himself to work under great stress all the time. So that is that the way it is with the oxen. They should be prepared to be under stress all the time. Whenever they pull, you are going to want them to pull with their maximum strength, as hard as they can, and as long as they can, without spending excess time resting. In order for them to do this there has to be a very strong relationship between the driver and oxen. The relationship is that of master and servant. The master is firm but kind, he never abuses his servant, but he is very demanding and he expects him to perform nicely.

That relationship has to be established. And it has to be very clear, more so than with a person, because an ox is a dumb brute. This is perhaps the most difficult thing in training oxen - to accept that you are not working with another human being. Although there is also a spirit-soul within the ox, and he is quite conscious, still, he doesn't speak your language. You have to over-emphasize all your commands and instructions or he won't even hear them. You have to get his attention, which requires that you magnify all your emotions about a hundred times more than if you were dealing with another human being.

When a good relationship is established with the oxen, they become very loyal and hard working. They love to work. It's their nature - their dharma - as long as you don't allow them to be on the, lazy mental platform. Their tendency is to be lazy, just like us. It seems that, like us, they have this fall-down tendency. The tendency is to just stand around and eat. But if you take them off that mental platform, by giving them strong, clear commands, they will work very hard, be loyal servants and come to fully depend on your instructions, following them without hesitation. On the other hand, if your instructions are vague and unenthusiastic, they will adopt all kinds of bad habits, all designed to avoid hard work.

The Teamster's Qualifications
The person who is training the ox should be the same person who is going to work the ox. This is an important principle: An ox should have only one master. In the beginning, if you have different people training and working him, the training will not be very effective. The ox will not be a good student; he won't learn the commands properly. After you have worked with an ox for a couple of years and he is very well trained, then different people can work him - as long as they are consistent, all using the same commands and the same type of procedures. But in the beginning, during the training period and the initial working period, there should be only one person working with the ox. Anything else is much less than ideal.

I always like the person who will be training the ox to have worked with cows for at least two years. When you have worked with cows, you will see that it takes a person about two years to learn how to handle them properly. There is a certain rapport that you develop with the cows. You understand how they think and act, and what they can and can't do. In other words an instinctive communication develops over a period of time. It doesn't happen quickly with anyone. So, ideally, anyone who is going to work with the oxen should have worked with cows for two years. Otherwise, the training will be less effective. So, the first principle is that only one person should do the initial training of the ox, and if possible, it should be someone who already has substantial experience working with cows.

Naming the Ox
The second consideration is naming the ox. The ox should be given a simple one-syllable name. This name is a practical tool. It is used constantly while working the ox to address him. Your ox may be in a group of oxen, maybe in a team of six or ten oxen, and you may want to give him an instruction. Perhaps he steps out of line - you shout his name and he immediately understands that you are talking to him. He knows that your command is meant for him because he knows his name.

In order for this to be effective, the ox has to have a name that he can distinguish from other words and sounds. It can't be a four syllable transcendental name or three syllables even. It should be one syllable or, at most, two syllables. But you will find that in the heat of the moment, addressing the ox while working him, even a two syllable name is too much. You won't say it, you will abbreviate it into one syllable.

Sometimes Hare Krsna devotees have an aversion to using a mundane name. This is worthy of some comment. We like to have everything remind us of Krsna, but it may not be so appropriate to give an ox a name of Krsna because often you are not addressing him in a reverential mood. Sometimes he may even be treated roughly. Because he is a dumb brute, that may be required in order to get his attention, although rough treatment should not be the ordinary thing. If you are very expert, it will almost never be required. In any case, a simply one syllable name should be chosen. Maybe it is Rock or Buck or Jai or Red; some simple sound. You should use that name whenever you address the ox. He should be able to easily distinguish his name from other names. It's best if his name doesn't rhyme with or sound similar to names of other oxen he might work with.

Don't call him by different expressions or exclamations like "Boy," "Come on, boy," or anything other than his name. Say his name: "Get up, Buck." That way he will learn to know his name and he will distinguish it from other names. This is essential for getting his cooperation while working. The ox's name should be established before the first lesson, and you should always use that name along with your commands.

Age for Training
It is simplest to start training an ox when he is very young, before he is big enough to overpower you. You can't actually work the ox at hard labor until he has grown up, because his growth can be permanently stunted if he has been using up his food to create working energy rather than for growth in his body. Before engaging in hard work, the ox should be almost to his full size, which is about two years old or maybe a little younger. The ox continues to grow after that for several years. His body fills out and gets bigger.

Once a calf is trained, you can go back to him every few months and refresh his memory, work him a little bit, drive him around so that he doesn't forget his lessons. You can actually have a little calf pulling a small wagon around. By the time he is big enough to work, the training will be very simple. When we start with a full-grown animal, which sometimes happens due to circumstances, then more forceful methods of subduing the animal have to be employed, for instance putting a nose ring in. If an ox is full-grown he is so big and strong that if he wants to walk away from you, you can't stop him physically with just a halter. So you may have to put a nose ring in just to control him. Also, we train him in a confined area, in a little corral. That also helps control a big animal.

Avoiding Use of a Lead Rope
I recommend the use of a fenced in training ring or corral in all cases, to make things easier, although a fenced in ring is not always necessary. A confined area without any foreign objects should be used in every case, but it could a less formal set up than actually building a ring. It could be inside a hay barn with everything cleaned out, no foreign objects, nothing on which the animal could injure himself if he ran or became frightened, and also with no outlet where he could escape. Otherwise, if he is not in a confined area, then you have to have a rope on him all the time, which is very restricting. In his working condition you won't have a rope on him, so to train him like that; always having to hold him by a rope is conditioning him to a bad habit.

The Training Ring
The training ring should be 24 feet (about 7.5 meters) in diameter. You could construct a fence of hardwood board, 1"x 6" or 1" x 8" (about 2.5 cm x 15 cm or about 2.5 cm x 20 cm) boards. [Editor: For teamsters who are training only young calves, somewhat lighter material can be used. For example, some teamsters use cattle panels, which consist of 4 foot high by 16 foot long heavy gauge mesh such as might be used around construction sites. For further information on training young calves, see Balabhadra's training lesson 1] It should be high enough so the animal will not consider trying to jump over it. That means it should be six feet high. Some animals, out of fear, will try to jump over anything, regardless of how high it is, but they can't succeed if it is high enough. So this training ring should have boards nailed to fence posts which are spaced every 6 to 8 feet (about 1.8 to 2.5 m) in a circle and there is a 4 foot (about 1.2 m) gate for entering that closes very securely.

Training ring should have boards nailed to fence posts which are spaced every 6 to 8 feet (about 1.8 to 2.5 m) in a circle and there is a 4 foot (about 1.2 m) gate for entering that closes very securely.

The reason the fence has to be very strong and high is so the ox doesn't even think about getting out. He will put his nose up as high as he can on the fence and consider whether or not he can jump over it or he may try to crawl underneath it if there is a little space.

The first thing a cow or ox does when it is put into a confined area no matter how big it is - even a twenty-acre pasture - is walk around the boundaries and calculate the limits of her confinement. You may have heard the expression "The grass is greener on the other side." This expression comes from cows. No matter how big the area of confinement their instinct is always to try and get outside that area. As soon as you bring the animal into this training ring, he will probably try to escape.

The training ring should be set off from the residential area or any area where there are a lot of people around, because outside activity will be a big distraction to the ox when he is going through his lessons. Also sometimes you may have to discipline the ox, which may not be understood by innocent bystanders. So I recommend that the training ring be located away from the mainstream of activities as much as possible. This provides the ideal facility for confinement and mental concentration.

The First Trip to the Ring
The first trip to the ring from the barn or the pasture where you are keeping the animal should be made carefully. For one thing, you don't want to try to teach the ox anything on that trip. That is not part of the lesson. We just want to somehow or other get him into the ring without having to hit him or drag him. As much as possible make it an uneventful trip. We want to minimize his anxiety.

For an animal that has not been handled much, the first trip to the ring can be very traumatic. If that happens his negative his first impression of you may be lasting. That is something we want to avoid. So if he is just standing and he won't move, if he doesn't want to be led, then just go slowly. You should have a strong halter on him and a lead rope. And, you should have one or two people with you.

The best way of moving an ox or cow that does not want to move is to push him, not to pull him. The reaction for most oxen or cows when they are pulled is to pull back in the opposite direction, and they are much stronger than we are. Even ten men can't pull a cow or an ox that wants to go backwards. You can even hook a tractor to them, and if they are stubborn enough, they will just lie down and make you drag them, which certainly we don't want to do. So just cajole the ox along to the ring. By no means should you let him get away.

It is important that when you start to take an ox into your hands you must maintain control of him. You are making a commitment. If you let him control you in any way, you are encouraging the worst possible thing: disobedience. So once you set out to bring him to the ring, you have to get him there. You cannot let him overpower you; you cannot let him drag you around the field. You have to have enough people. If necessary, attach two ropes to his halter so that there is no question of his overpowering you and running away. That would be a very bad way to begin the first lesson.

You should have a halter on the ox. The halter should have a lead rope fastened near the ox's nose because the way to control an animal who is much bigger than you is by turning his head. If he tries to run away, you can usually pull his head around and control him in that way. If you just have a rope around his neck, it won't be possible to restrain him because he will pull with his full strength and bodily weight, and no man or even group of men can restrain an animal in that way if he really wants to get away. But if you have the rope attached next to his nose, you can turn his head. Then at worst, he will run around in circles and eventually get tired of it.