Soule: Wicked Good Lessons from a Bovine

Seven times Owen ran off. Seven times I walked him back.

Somewhere around number five, I nearly gave up.

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Owen is a three-year-old Scottish Highland steer who really does want to do the right thing. But like many of us, he gets frustrated when he doesn't understand what's being asked of him.

Stone Boat

I put a yoke on Owen and hitched it to a stone boat, a sled for hauling things like stones. There's no lead rope. I steer him with only my voice, body language, and a long stick called a goad, asking him to pull the sled in a figure eight around two cones: "Haw" for left, "Gee" for right.

His Haw turns were perfect. His Gee turns? Not so much. I could nearly see the wheels turning behind those bangs: "If she walks ahead of me, I can duck out to the left and get away. I'd much rather be with my friends than learning this stuff."

And that's exactly what he did.

Read About What Finally Worked

Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm in Loudon, N.H., where corporate teams trade conference rooms for cow pastures. Hug Curious Bleu, our gentle Highland steer, saddle up on Bingo the riding steer, and bottle-feed newborn calves on a team-building retreat your crew will talk about for years. Book your herd at carole@cow-coach.com.