Oxen are steers specially trained to work in the fields.
Much stronger than the average draught horse or mule, oxen are also hardier and easier to keep. At Mount Vernon, they provided the power for stump removal, hauled logs from the forests, and pulled plows, harrows, and carts. Washington wanted enough steers trained so that he could retire the oxen at eight years of age. At that time they were fattened and butchered, providing beef for the family table. The 1799 inventory of the estate listed 60 oxen at Mount Vernon.