Pulling Oxen Old Time Fun in Today's World

If you were to ask your grandparents what a country fair was like when they were kid's you would probably be shocked to find out that instead of all the light's, food, and ride's there was nothing more then a bunch of farmers getting together to show off their "Prize Bull" or selling the fresh produce their farms grew. So many people go to modern day fairs to feel the rush of an amusement park for a good price, but even today you can still get the feel of the old fair. If you look in the right places you can see farm animals, from a chick all the way up to a horse. There are also many thing that the Farmers or as many people call them "Fair Folk" do from showing their seep and oxen to pulling horses and oxen. Many people think that pulling oxen is cruel and inhumane it is the total opposite. Back one-hundred years ago, farmers used oxen to twitch out wood to keep their families warm, some even used them to work the fields and pull their carts. That is what pulling is; you work the oxen, and compete with other people from all over your state. Now many people have argued that using a stick to pull is cruel, but in all actuality it feels like a bee sting to the large animal. There are laws today that prevent an animal from abuse, in pulling you can only hit the oxen a certain number of times per pull, which again, it does not hut the oxen. Their hide is thick enough that they really don't feel it.

Now the proper technique to pulling oxen is this, you need proper attire, which consists of, jeans, work boots, and a tee-shirt, and for the ladies it don't hurt to put your hair up. Next you need the oxen, a yoke and a chain, finally you need yourself and a goad stick. Now as far as the goad sticks are concerned, they come in many varieties, but you are only allowed to use wooden ones in a pulling event. When it comes your turn to pull, you need an extra person to hook the chain to the drag, which contains a set amount of weight for your oxen to pull. The average length of a pulling ring is 100-125 feet long; each Person gets a set amount of time to make it as many ropes as they can. A rope is the distance in between each line in the pulling ring going one way. There are many classes from the 1200 pound class to the 4001 pounds and over also know as the free-for-all class, now the weight of each team is a combination of the two oxen put together. There are however other classes also, there is the six foot pull which is a short distance pull with various weights, your team must pull the weight at least six feet in one continuous pull to advance to the next round. There is also the four-ox pull, which is where you hook two teams together and pull a heavier load. Then there is the podwerpuff class, which is for women; you can pull oxen from 2000 pounds up to free-for-alls. The 1600 pound class and up anyone can pull in, however the 1200 pound class can only be entered if you are between the ages of 9 and 16.

You see many generations of families pulling even if the older members are no longer pulling; they are there to show support. If this article has sparked and interest then check out your local fair and sit and watch for a while. You will see many people doing something they love that perhaps your grandparents did.