Let's Talk Mules!

From Jim: The topic of longears keeps drawing me back. I think it's because they are such great animals. Donkeys, Hinnys, and Mules all qualify-longears/great! We have a bunch of mules here at at Home At Last. Our mini-mule is Maggie B. She's way into her 40's, has about 3 teeth, and doesn't like people very much. She's a sorrel and to touch her nose is a major coup. The fact that she survived an abandonment up in Berry Creek for several years, living feral, is amazing. We have Tawny and Tango, the "dog foot breakers". These two molleys are not trained one little bit. Can't catch or touch them. They were rescued, after being left in a field with nothing to eat and little to drink. They are beautiful and are showing signs of wanting to get to know us. With longears, this can take several years, but it's worth the wait. Once a longear makes you a friend, it's a lifetime deal. Wild Bill, a Kiger cross mule, is in with the Standardbreds. They kind of tolerate each other. Our neighbor, Art, has been hand feeding Bill and petting his nose. Again, Bill was abandoned, had no training, and no real love of people. He is coming around. There's Tucker, a beautiful Appy mule. He is one of the most charismatic animals you could ever meet. Tucker is just fun to be with! Lady Bug is in the same herd. She's a Hackney mule. She was badly mistreated and doesn't really trust people. She shows every sign of wanting to. She'll touch your hand with her nose, but is very nervous with it. Time and patience will help her. Toby is another Kiger mule. He's one cute fellow. He made up his mind to get to know us. He was rescued from a neglectful situation and, on his own, made friends with us. He's so full of it, eyes sparkling, and ears up! What a boy. Juan is our mule diplomat. He's old, way old. His hind foot was severely damaged and requires a corrective shoe. Juan is probably a Quarterhorse mule. He's a big love. He will stop feeding to come over for a pet. Likes to put his head on your chest and doze while he gets his ears and face rubbed. Jackson is white mule. He's also very people friendly and likes to get loved on. At 10, he's still a young mule. Mules live a long time-45 is not unusual. Reba is a gorgeous molley. She's a sorrel, tall and graceful, beautiful head. She's learning to trust us and gets a pet now and then. She came with a "hard to catch" label. Mules can be difficult that way. We let them learn to catch us. They are affectionate and once they find out about soft and gentle touches, they can be real pests. Molly is a tobacco brown mule. She made the transition from "hard to catch" to "stop and pet the mule". Took about 2 years. She's also probably a Q-horse mule. Mules have a reputation for being stubborn. They do have a well developed sense of self-preservation and can be very leery of new "things". If there's a doubt in their mind about the "good for the mule" issue, you're likely to have to spend some time getting past that. They do not respond well to force, punishment, or heavy-handed approaches. A careful, well thought out, and sequential training program seems to work best, with a huge dose of patience. There's not a lot of value in trying to hurry a mule. Mules are great saddle animals, sure footed and dependable. They are tough and can work longer and harder than a horse. They are, pound for pound, much stronger. They generally have good teeth and sound hooves. They are usually easy keepers. Plain old hay is the best diet for them and they shouldn't be given alfalfa or grains. They can founder of hot feed pretty easily. Mules are really smart and have incredible memories. They will not do too well with horse saddles, as their backs are donkey-like, flat and wide with almost no withers. Mule saddles often have breast collars and britchens to help keep the saddle in place. Mules like comfort and an ill fitting saddle can be real trouble. They can buck and get into a real storm at times. There's a lot of different opinions regarding head tack and bits for mules. I've always gone with the notion that less is better. Don't have a real strong opinion, but I think a Mullen or Sweet Six of the proper width, maybe with a roller, should do. Time, with a lot of patience, is the trick. Jerking on a mule's face with a harsh bit and curb chain is not going to work out real well. Once a mule has a bad experience, it's going to be a while to get them over it. Might even not be possible, if it was bad enough. To ruin a mule with stupid and ignorant training practices is sure a shame. Well, I'm likely to come back to the subject of longears again. I love them and their ways. I hope you'll get an opportunity to get to know some of em!