Community Corner
Soule: An Instructive Step Back In Time With Oxen
Back in the day, oxen and horses were the tractors for farmers. We still use "horsepower" or hp to rate the power of automobiles.
Back in the day, oxen and horses were the tractors for farmers. Teams were used to plow the fields, pull mowers to cut hay and pull cultivators to clear weeds from the gardens. After farm work, they became the engines to pull wagons to haul produce to market or take the family to church.
Horses and oxen were the "horsepower" of the day and were so common we still use the words horsepower or hp to rate the power of automobiles. If a vehicle is 200 hp, it would take 200 horses to produce the same power as its engine. Interesting. If you didn't have an engine to power your car, where would you keep 200 horses? Not in the garage, feeding that many beasts would also be way more expensive than buying fuel. Of course, if you have a garden, you'd have lots of fertilizer.
Horsepower is the standard, but a single ox can pull more weight than a horse. If a horse and ox were the same size, it would take 157 oxen to pull the same weight as 200 horses. So, horsepower is the standard, and oxen have been mostly forgotten. But not by me and some others.
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I have horses, but I find working with oxen more fun (and affordable), so last year, I purchased a pair of steers and two Deven/Jersey crosses named Pop and Corn. Even though I've trained and shown my Scottish Highland oxen for 12 years, I knew these two young steers would be a handful and needed help. Fortunately, I live in Loudon, not far from Sanborn Mills Farm.
A century and more ago, Sanborn Mills Farm provided lumber, grain, and a meeting place for the community. Today, the farm brings instructors, farmers, and historians to teach people about old-fashioned ways. Workshops include blacksmithing, basket and bowl making, and gardening.
The Sanborn Mills Farm workshop that attracted my attention was Draft Animal and Oxen training with Farm Manager Ray Ramsey.
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Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, where she raises and sells beef, pork, eggs, and other local products. She can be reached at carole@soulecoaching.com. Carole also coaches humans, helping them feel better.
