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Discussion on Mules - tips/resources for training
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Member:
Bucky
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Posted on Friday, Dec 22, 2006 - 10:27 am:
Hello, I have been around horses all of my life. A friend of mine wants me to ride his mule for him. I don't know anything about mules and hear they are quite a bit different than horses. Can any of you recommend any good resources or trainers you particularly like?
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Member:
Dres
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Posted on Friday, Dec 22, 2006 - 12:16 pm:
https://www.kbrhorse.net/pag/train.html
don't know anything about this site, but found it one day and ear marked it.. good luck..
On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots.
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Member:
Ella
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Posted on Friday, Dec 22, 2006 - 1:51 pm:
I don't remember exactly what it is called but there is a TV show on RFD on exactly that. They ride mules. The one show I saw they were doing a dressage test with a huge mule. It was kind of neat!
If someone you know has RFD TV (we have direct TV and RFD is a channel offered) run a check for times on the subject Mules.
Ella 
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Member:
Leilani
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Posted on Friday, Dec 22, 2006 - 2:52 pm:
Meridith Hodges of Lucky Three Ranch. I believe she is the expert on the training of mules and donkeys. She has a terrific book, "The Logical Approach to Longears".
Good luck.
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Member:
Jgordo03
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Posted on Friday, Dec 22, 2006 - 3:05 pm:
Hi Mandy,
I have my horse at a trainer that have 20 or more mules, she breeds them using a large jack and of all things Arabians!! They are really cute, they have big ears that look like the Arabs with that little turn on the tips. The only thing I've noticed when I'm there and she is working one of them is that they are in no hurry to do anything, trot is about as fast as I've seen them go The show on RFD TV is "Training Mules and Donkeys"
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Member:
Terrilyn
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Posted on Thursday, Dec 28, 2006 - 10:23 am:
Hey Mandy--I've considered getting a mule for a long time. It's never gotten any further than a thought, but I think they are just the neatest animals. I wanted to recommend a book my brother gave me for Christmas this year. "The Natural Superiority of Mules" by John Hauer. I LOVE it! It's a beautiful book with a great diversity of info written by a man with years and years of mule experience. Other authors contribute as well. You can probably get it on Amazon very reasonably. It's a terrific primer, and a very enjoyable read.
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Member:
Hpyhaulr
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Posted on Thursday, Dec 28, 2006 - 12:37 pm:
I know there is a major difference between the mule and the donkey, but here is my 2 cents. We have a donkey. I got him 3 years ago for my grandson, who lives in NJ now and never sees him. Walt hauls horses etc for a living and is not home very much, but when he pulls he trailer in the driveway, Bubba goes NUTS. Walt cannot come in to me until he goes to the donkey first. There is no doubt in my mind that one day I will come home and find Bubba on he couch with Walt watching Animal Planet. He is 3 years old now and just a big delicious baby. HE craves affection, loves to be cuddled and brushed,loves to learn (we are cart training him). Favorite treat??? Oranges, hands down! I am not sure he knows he is not one of the dogs! More affectionate than any of our horses, more personable than almost any other critter we have ever owned (or has owned us). He is just a LOVE! We would not possibly recommend getting one any more highly. I wish we could get more, but I have been cut off, there is no room at the Inn!
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Member:
Bucky
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Posted on Friday, Dec 29, 2006 - 12:01 pm:
Thanks everyone for your tips and book recommendations.
Cyndy that is funny.
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Member:
Kg6hdp
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 4, 2007 - 10:36 pm:
Probably the best mule trainer in the US is Brad Cameron, and he lives in Montana. Check out this article on his web site: https://www.muletrainer.com/tips.php3 . He also works well with donkeys at his clinics.
Nancy
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Member:
Kg6hdp
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 4, 2007 - 11:16 pm:
Regarding the Brad Cameron article, though most training methods that work on horses also work on mules, the approach needs to be different.
I had a mule that needed more training, and I took him to a session with a well known certified trainer. I was appalled and realized that the trainer didn't know mules at all. He just started to work right away without introducing himself. He tried to get the mule going in the round pen by waving and throwing a lariat. My mule just kept trotting around behind the trainer and stopping or just ignored him. Later in the session, the trainer hit my mule fairly hard with a whip. The mule looked at me (I think he was wanting me to rescue him) while ignoring the trainer.
Later, I took the mule to a local trainer that approached the mule un-aggressively and took at least 20 minutes just introducing himself. He did a great job training the mule.
Nancy
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Member:
Leilani
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Posted on Friday, Jan 5, 2007 - 4:04 pm:
I believe Pat Parelli said "if you can train a mule you can train a horse. However just because you can train a horse, doesn't mean you can train a mule."
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Member:
pbarlow
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Posted on Monday, Apr 16, 2007 - 12:17 am:
Clinton Anderson won't even talk about mule training. The "I'll keep wacking you until you do what I want" school of training just doesn't get it with mules.
Brad Cameron uses pressure release, but he is very careful not to escalate the pressure. He just persists with low level pressure. he says increasing pressure just breeds resistance.
Positive reinforcement works very well with mules and hinnys. But I have found that pressure/release is also very necessary. Mules tend to be pushy and some prearranged negative consequences (punishment) can do a lot to address the basic pushiness problem.
My hinny is much more eager to please me than is my mule. I don't know if that is typical of the type of cross breeding or just individual personality. I could imagine though that a mare and a jenny are going to provide very different early foalhood educations.
As different as mules are to horses, donkeys are that much more so.
Yrs,
Patricia
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