It sounds like you are reading a farming book. A steer (not stear) is a castrated bull (not ball), a bull that has lost it testicles so it can't reproduce. My guess is that the other phrase is haul rather than houl, in which case it might be referring to getting the clippers out to neuter the bull. I haven't heard either being used as idioms though.

I've never hear of these in the UK either - sorry :(

this does not make sense. I have never heard of these.