Oxen are steers of any breed that are specially trained to work in the fields. Much stronger than the average horse or mule, oxen have more endurance and, because they were inexpensive to keep, were known in colonial times as the "poor man's work animal."

George Washington's oxen (he had 60) were used to remove stumps, haul logs from the forest, and pull plows, harrows, and carts. A "drover" controls the team, directing them with a stick called a goad. Today, oxen demonstrate colonial farming techniques at the George Washington: Pioneer Farmer site.

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