Sunday, May 08, 2005

hitching up the wagon

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After the participants each had a chance to drive the team around barnyard for awhile, Dick hitched up the wagon. This was an amazing demonstration of teamwork. The oxen are led into the barn, facing forward. In this tight space Dick, through voice commands, has the team turn, move sideways, stepping over the wagon bar and back up!! I was very impressed. The animals moved together with precision. The scary part was that Bob had to walk in between the animals and hitch up the wagon. Again, this is why it is so important for the animals to trust you and obey your commands. If one was to start moving, Dick would just bark out the order, "Whoa"....and they stop immediately in place.

1 comment:

Mike Glodo said...

What a great photo. My family used mules. Wondering just how long it takes to hitch and unhitch that pair of oxen. Nice site.