Meeting and Learning about the Team!

(Posted last July 20, in one of my other blogs.)

Following on from my previous post Teamwork ...

After watching these amazing creatures at Timbertown, I just had to do some research about yokes and bullocks/oxen.

BOW YOKE

Here's what I discovered about yokes..

1. YOKE - A type of harness that connected a pair of animals to a plow or similar tool.
2. Yokes were usually made of a wooden beam shaped to fit over the necks of the two animals and held in place by wooden or leather fasteners.
3. A bow yoke is a shaped wooden crosspiece bound to the necks of a pair of oxen, or occasionally horses. It is held on the animals' necks by an oxbow, usually U-shaped, that also transmits force from the animals' shoulders, hence the name bow yoke. A swivel beneath the centre of the yoke, between the animals, attaches the pole of the vehicle (when the animals steer the vehicle) or chains that are used to drag the load.

And about the bullock team?

1. An interesting thing about watching those beasts... they didn't even have to strain... it just seemed like an afternoon stroll to them. Not only that ... they actually seemed like they enjoyed it!!
2. In fact, I learned that a working bullock is smarter and lives longer than one that doesn't. They thrive on the stimulation, and the exercise of their brains makes them smarter beasts.
3. HEADS DOWN, TAILS UP!! Do you use that expression? Or is it just an Oz thing? Well that term, I found out, originated with the bullocks. That's how they can pull the load.

Well, that's some things I discovered, that I thought you might be interested in. And next post, I want to share some Biblical applications.