An ox (plural oxen), also known as a bullock in Australia
and India, is a bovine trained as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated
adult male cattle; castration makes the animals easier to control. Cows (adult
females) or bulls (intact males) may also be used in some areas.
Oxen are used for plowing, for transport (pulling carts,
hauling wagons and even riding), for threshing grain by trampling, and for
powering machines that grind grain or supply irrigation among other purposes.
Oxen may be also used to skid logs in forests, particularly in low-impact,
select-cut logging.
Oxen are usually yoked in pairs. Light work such as carting
household items on good roads might require just one pair, while for heavier
work, further pairs would be added as necessary. A team used for a heavy load
over difficult ground might exceed nine or ten pairs.
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