Can You Believe this Amazing Steer is in a Harness?

Saturn, a Belted Galloway steer (also known as an Oreo bovine), is in a harness with a bridle and is learning how to pull a cart. Now that we have snow, Saturn will pull the antique "Santa's sled" pictured here.

Carole's Words of Wisdom: Confidence is a Mindset and is always available.

What happens when you put a harness on a Belted Galloway steer and drive him like a horse? Bliss. Pure bliss.

Jerome and his brother Saturn are my Belted Galloway steers. With some coaxing and encouragement, each, in turn, figured out what I wanted and walked ahead like professionals, more willing than most horses. My soul jumped for joy as I walked behind, guiding them with reins. I was having fun; better yet, these two super-friendly steers now had jobs. My critters must earn their keep as a breeder, a working animal, or beef. I wouldn't need to send them to the butcher because I now have a matched pair of steers who eventually will walk in parades and help with chores around the farm. But why did I decide to train steers, not horses, to pull carts?

Horses are magnificent creatures with high spirits and a fast gait. Cattle are short and stocky with calm natures and a slow gait, making them ideal working animals. Steers can run, jump, and kick but are usually too lazy to act up. In a steer's mind, it's easier to do what their leader (me) wants. The quicker they obey, the sooner they can return to chewing their cuds and munching on hay.

The secret is to tap into this pool of laziness in each steer.

Horses are also more fragile than cattle. A foal (baby horse) has to be 2 or 3 years old before it can start working. Their young bones are just too delicate. But a calf can start work at 4 to 6 weeks old. They don't do hard work at that age, but they can pull small piles of brush or little carts. I've trained 3-year-old cattle, but it's far easier to train young calves; calves are smaller, and if they step on your foot, they are not so heavy. At 6 weeks, they can pull a small cart loaded with a hay bale. As they grow, they can pull larger loads until they pull their weight. That means a 1,000-pound steer can pull 1,000 pounds or even more. Cattle at the fair often pull three to four times their weight. Imagine.

And when they get that big, you can even ride them. Admittedly, horses are better for that. To ride a steer, you sit comfortably on his broad back and have someone lead him, like a dog on a leash. But for pulling a load, cattle can't be beaten.

They have been draft animals for centuries, so what I'm doing is nothing new. But the way I'm doing it is different. Most teamsters walk beside their teams, controlling them with voice commands and body language. Because I'm a bit lazy (just like my cows), I control my cattle with reins attached to a bit while I sit in the cart they are pulling. Like horses, cattle have a gap between their front and back teeth, exactly where the snaffle bit goes. The bit sits comfortably between their teeth, and with slight pressure on the reins, they'll turn left or right. When I pull back, the steer will stop. The reins are the brakes. Reins and a bit give me ultimate control.

Training them is fairly easy. After putting a harness on a steer, I'll lead him from the front. Once he's walking, I'll gradually move behind until he's in front, while I lightly tap with a whip to encourage him to walk on. Both Saturn and Jerome got the idea within 10 minutes and walked calmly in front of me.

Saturn learned the fastest, and once we have snow, I'll hook him up to my antique sled. I'm sure he'll pull anything.

Speaking of sleds, on Saturday, Dec. 21, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Rudolph the Red-Nosed Rein-Steer will be here for our Christmas at the Farm event. As usual, kids can sit on 2,000-pound Curious Bleu, our Scottish Highland riding steer. They can run with the goats and sheep or cuddle with Eleanor the donkey. Topper will wear his red nose and be this year's Rudolph. 

And you'll get to meet Saturn and Jerome, my newest cow-cart pair. The farm store closes on Dec. 28, so take advantage of this farewell event.

* * *

Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm (.) She can be reached at carole@soulecoaching.com. Carole is also now a certified Life Coach who helps humans and K-9s achieve the impossible a little at a time.