Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's Mule headache

got my mule home about two weeks ago. After a couple days of rest I saddled him up and went for a ride. He rode out good with one hiccup. We were going down a dirt road that’s grown up and he stopped with his ears perked up and he was looking at or for something. After a brief stop I pat him on the shoulders and got him off whatever.I heeled him to go on and he didn’t. Heeled again and nothing. So I turned him around and we went back to the main road and then on down to the barn. Nothing further.
So the next day I snapped a lead on him and took him for a walk. Got a short distance from the barn and he froze up. I did the ask tell demand and on the demand he started forward. Got to the end of my drive. I lead him off to the right. Nope he stopped. No matter how much I demanded we battled .
I turned him in circles and still nope. I then took him to the right. No problem for about a mile. I turned around and headed back. All was well until we got to my drive and he wanted to go to the barn. I tried to get him to go straight with no luck. He set the anchor. I took him to the barn.
I adjusted the knots on the rope halter to be more on his nose rather the sides. Took him for a walk and when he stopped I did the ask tell demand and with the knots adjusted he came on the demand. The next couple of days I would lead him up and down the road in all directions and he does good with the exception of getting in front of me. No more battles on getting bites of grass or different directions.
So I saddle him up which by the way is very easy. I ride him up through the yard and down to the road. We turn left and go a short distance and he stops and refuses to go. So I get off and lead him down the road for about a mile. It’s smoking hot so to keep the lessons short I turn him towards him and heel him. Off we go. I heel him again and he gets up to a trot. I’m cruising down the road with a smile. I slow up at my drive to a walk and direct him to go straight. Nope he stops. He wants to go to the yard or barn. I get off and lead him straight down the road which he does.
We walk around for a while then I walk him home.
A few more days of leading him with no problems.
Today I took him to the local saddle club arena. Got there unloaded him and walked him into the arena. He was sniffing everything so I took him for a couple laps on the lead. No problems.
I mounted up and heeled him and away we went. He was walking along fine for a few laps. Neck reigning as I was guiding him to follow his same foot tracks from the previous lap. So I’m thinking he is barn sour and we need to work on that. While walking I heeled him to pick up the pace which he did not do. I did not make a issue but was thinking about it.
After a few laps he looks over at a gate. Hmmm I thought. Then as we went past the gate by the truck he turns towards it and stops. Before he got to the gate I was steering him away but he fought off the reign and went to the gate. Stopped and not going any further.
So I tried encouraging him to go, heeled him non stop with no luck.
I get off and grab the lead which I have wrapped around the Horn and lead him around the arena for several laps.
I’m furious as I’m unsure what to do.
So I stop in the shade and think about what I need to do. He tries to go past me to the gate. I have a 12’ soft rope lead snapped on to the halter. I popped him across the butt with the end of the lead. Boy did I get his attention. I lead him around another lap and he walked behind me like a puppy.
I tied him up to the trailer where he could not get a bite of grass. I hung his water bucket on the trailer for him to have water to drink.
I kept him tied up for an hour before loading up and heading home.
At home I got him out of the trailer and tied him up again for another hour while I cleaned the trailer out.
I need some help and suggestions for what’s causing him to stop and go no further. I need help with getting him to go.
He loads the trailer with no effort, picking his feet up is very easy, saddling is easy, putting the bit in is no issue, he stands still while mounting, I brush him twice a day and he loves it.
His problem is not going .
I would appreciate some pointers, suggestions or how to.
Thanks

You went past the first basic rule of getting a new to you mule home. You don't bring a mule home, throw saddle on it and ride out.Short version is mules need to get settled in with the new owner and the new owner to it. They are very suspicious and unless they trust you they look out for themselves.The mule doesn't know what is going on and it is looking for a comfort zone.You need about 3 courses in mulemanship to learn about mules.They are not like horses. It is usually the new owner with the problem,not the mule. Forget about riding it for awhile and work on bonding and trust. Even then it will take awhile You battling with him does no good,even makes it worse. He doesn't know you and most likely you don't know the cues the previous owner use d on him so you are probably asking him some thing and he doesn't know what you want.You cannot lose your temper at any time.Walk away first.That tying him up doesn't do anything and popping him with the lead rope sure doesn't gain his trust. Mules need leadership. If not given they take it upon themselves. However they must respect, have confidence and trust with that leader. What you described is what people try and use on horses.

Even if it is barn sour or shy about something, it needs to be worked on,not try to force it .That never works with a mule. All that you have done,you need to back up and start over. Put him in a pen and let him get everything he needs from you and spend a lot time with him. Think about it like you bringing a new dog home. Ever get one that would listen to you right away. Same deal . Getting and having a mule is not a short term proposition.

You will find some mules so called trainers that says this is BS,but go find the real deal and you will find the truth.

Look on FB for Paul Garrison III's page and also search the web for the Western Mule magazine article on Bringing the New Mule Home. Another good source is Ty Evans in Utah. He has a FB page too. If you can't find that article,PM me with your email address and I will send it.Paul Garrison has a similar one on his page.

I now a little bit abut them. I have been breeding,raising, training, riding ,driving and packing them since about 1969,

Thanks Saddlesore. I did what the previous owner told me to do. He’s a old mule man from Montana that does a lot of pack in hunts in the fall.
He told me to get on the mule immediately. I read that I need to spend time with the mule to bond. I spend several hours a day with him.
I’m retired so time with the mule is easy.
I get the mule magazine you mentioned. I’ve been looking at Tys videos.

Lot of those outfitters just take an animal and use them without much thought. Big difference if you are a one of mule owner and want to own and use that mule safely.That article was in Western Mule in a January issue,maybe two years ago. If you subscribe, I bet Ben Tennison would email you a copy if you ask .Every mule owner, new or old should read it and pay heed. I'll try to post it here, but don't know how it will come out.


my share of new mules to
my place; some stayed for a
long time, some didn’t stay
very long at all. Most of
those that didn’t stay long weren’t necessarily
bad mules at all, some I considered
really good mules; most of the time it was
a personality conflict. On a few occasions
when a mule didn’t stay long, it was because
someone wanted the mule way more
than I did.
I’ve experienced several of those personality
conflicts; personality conflicts
probably deserve an article all their own.
To be fair to all involved (me and the mule)
it probably would require some psychiatric
evaluation on the two of us and to be honest
I might be disappointed in the outcome
of such an evaluation … At this point in my
life I ain’t real mad at myself, and I’d kinda
like to keep it that way. So with out a Dr.
Phil intervention and to keep it simple, as
I must to have some understanding, nine
times out of ten any personality conflict
was mostly, “I didn’t like them,” or “the
mule didn’t like me”.
Over the years I’ve had lots of contact
with folks buying a mule and expressing
they felt they had been duped by the seller,
“This is not the mule I saw when I went
and looked at him,” is sometimes the language
used. “They must have had him
drugged,” I’ve often heard. I’m sure there
has been the occasion where being duped
occurred, but I feel dishonesty being involved
happens far less often than one
thinks. I’m not taking up for dishonest
mule dealers here, they exist, I suspect
there will be one born by the time you finish
reading this article. Dishonest people
will be around far after you and I are dead
and gone.
I don’t run into as many dishonest mule
dealers as I once did. Let me tell you why;
number one, I have gained enough knowledge
over the years, with enough observation
to know what a man or women is
saying about a mule that I’m looking at to
be either true or false. Second, I’ve learned
some people that tell you a story about a
mule that isn’t so, are not necessarily
telling it as an untruth, but rather it is being
told out of the lack of knowledge or understanding.
Meaning, they don’t know
enough themselves about mules to know if
it’s a good mule or bad mule, this same observation
comes with experience and
knowledge. General Motors, Ford Motor
THEM MULES
by Tennison
Bringing Home The New Mule
Revisited
Company, and Dodge believe it’s the truck
owner’s responsibility to obtain enough
knowledge to operate that $60,000 truck
anyone might buy from them, they will not
give you your money back if you don’t
succeed. It is our responsibility as a truck
owner to know, or learn how to keep it between
the ditches. I believe we also have a
responsibility as mule owners to find out,
seek understanding and learn how to handle
our mules. That knowledge is available
like never before.
The new mule you brought home did
likely change. I’ve had lots of new mules
come to my place and I’ve seen some
pretty strange things out of some of them.
Your new mule and those that have come
to my place over the years changed because
we changed the mule’s environment,
we changed his owner, handler, the mule’s
whole world, as he knew it changed. I want
to share with you my version of bringing
home the new mule.
What I want to do first when I get a new
mule home is keep him off to himself. The
mule is very suspicious of anything new
(what’s new here that might take me down
and eat my guts out? Don’t forget this
statement, it plays big in all things to do
with prey animals…the mule is a prey animal
and survival lives big in some mules
and not as big in others). The mule is a
thinker, the mule reasons things out and he
will not make a quick decision on weather
he likes this new place you’ve brought him
to and he’s not sure of what to think about
the NEW YOU. What lots of folks see
when they feel they’ve been duped is a
mule that’s worried. A worried mule looks
and acts much different than a content
mule, and perhaps you were looking at a
content mule at the previous owner’s place.
The new mule is worried about lots of
things at his new place. What you saw at
the previous owner’s place was a mule
comfortable and accepting of his surroundings,
comfortable and accepting of the one
handling him. The mule was pretty much
assured nothing was going to eat him there,
the mule was not even overly worried
about the NEW YOU standing there in his
familiar surroundings.
Survival is instilled so deeply in the mule
and the survival mode is kicked in big time
when you see the new mule running the
fence, pushing on gates and fences, acting
nervous, not wanting you to catch him,
maybe even turning his butt to you and giving
you the feeling you need not come
closer. He’s really not sure whether you’re
going to eat him or just what it is you want
to do with him. Just because he knew what
his previous owner wanted with him, it
doesn’t mean he knows what you want.
Some mules take right up with a new
person, lots of them do. Some mules handle
new things and new places a lot better
than others do. Even those that don’t show
their nervousness are suspicious of the new
things and suspicious of you. Some mules
just express themselves differently than
others; they just don’t show their cards like
another mule might. That’s why one new
mule can come to your place, no problem,
the next one will go nuts, he’ll likely be
that good mule you saw when you bought
him, given the time to adjust to all the
things that are new to him.
The best mule I’ve ever owned, and I
still own her today, took a full nine months
to take up with me and I was with her every
day and rode her nearly every day. You
wouldn’t have a clue she was like that if
you saw us together. I’m talking about
“Dolly”, for you that know her. She’s very
suspicious of a stranger and new things,
many can’t see it, but I can.
The reason I like to keep the new mules
to themselves is because the mule is a herd
animal, that herd instinct is very strong in
the mule. The mule is looking for companionship
(the herd). I want to be that companion.
Some want to be the boss as I’ve
mentioned in another article, some don’t
want to be the boss and are tickled you are
and you are watching out for what might
eat them when you’re with them. All mules
want to be with something or somebody. I
want them to want to be with me. Here is
where I establish myself as a part of the
herd and the herd leader, here is where trust
is instilled. Once that is established then
they can go out with the other mules. But
until that is done they can act like they
have gone wild. No, it’s not the mule you
saw in the other man’s pasture, but he will
be again given the time and right handling.
Many people that are selling mules will
tell you, “Don’t ride this mule for a week
or two after getting him home.” Many of
us can’t wait that long and get into trouble.
The mule needs time to adjust to his new
surroundings, needs time to adjust to you.
If the previous owner were handling the
mule in your new environment, things
would go much better because trust has
been established with that person. The
mule has no trust in you. Trust comes with
time and handling him right. The mule will
show you all the signs that he’s not ready,
lots of folks don’t see it.
As mentioned it can take a long time for
some mules to give it up. Electricity keeps
them off the fences and gates. There may
only be a few tantrum fits or there may be
hundreds of tantrum fits, be assured, they
will get over it. Perhaps not before you
have declared him quite insane.
Mules have one of the strongest wills to
be with other mules, horses, etc., than any
of the equines. I’m always on guard with
any mule because of this strong desire to
be with others of his own kind, on guard
while in my hands that the mule is not paying
more attention to other equines than to
me. If it’s a colt in his first few rides or an
older mule approaching ride one thousand,
it’s priority one that his mind is on me and
not other animals or on where the gate is.
With me he is in trouble until his mind is
on me. I nip it in the bud.
Don’t be offended by this guy. I would
hope you could admire these strong desires;
it is the very stuff that allows the
mule to out do any other equine. Yes, there
are times you need to be a hand with some
of them under these conditions, you need
to have understanding and if you don’t,
there is information available that will help
you become a hand. Did the previous
owner sell you a bad mule? Likely not. Did
the mule change? You bet, some change
big time, but there is no one to blame but
the mule’s make up. That same desire that
makes him so want to be with a herd and
among familiar things is the same hybrid
vigor that will plow a field from daylight
to dark, cover vast amounts of ground day
in and day out with little to eat or take you
over the tallest mountain and not ask why.
Admire it, not all animals have it.
Mules can be different than horses when
it comes to new things, new places and
new people. This could lead one to think
mules are more trouble than a horse. Not
so, when you know what they are thinking,
you then have better understanding; you
can then make a plan to fix it. Patience,
knowledge, understanding and correct
training techniques; when all this is present
it’s easy training a mule, it’s fun training a
mule, you will enjoy them, they become
good mules, good mules are a pleasure to
be around and I like being around good
mules. I hope your new mule becomes one
of them good mules.

I appreciate your response. I would like to be riding him as we are loving each other up.
He and I get along great. He follows me around every day while I clean up his poop. He stands at the gate and brays at me when I come outside the house or walk by. When I call for him he comes a running. I believe I have been doing what I should be doing.
Just getting him to walk down a trail or make laps at the arena is all I’m looking for.

Good luck.I only want mules and their new owners to get off on a good note. A willing partner is always better than master and slave .

Saddlesore
I wanted to give you a mule update. A few weeks ago I found a mule trainer that lived within a 1.5 hours of me. I spoke to him by phone and told him of my problem. I scheduled a training day with him a few days later.
We met at an arena. He gave my mule a full body inspection. He said all appeared good. Then I went and got my saddle from the truck. My mule had been standing still while David inspected him. As soon as he seen the saddle he got antsy.
David put the saddle on without the pad. Gullet was good, tree fit good, no rock in the saddle then he seen the problem. My saddle skirt was digging into my mules spine. Even with the pad the skirt was digging downward. David said can you imagine what would be going on when you cinch the saddle down and put your body weight in the saddle.
I took the saddle off and David had brought an extra saddle. It fit my mule in all four aspects. We saddled him up and got to training. No further problems with my mule.
David said he thought with the skirt digging in it was not a sharp pressure but a dull pressure and after a short ride the mule was just shutting down from the pressure.
We spent eight hours working on groundwork for both the mule and me. He showed me several drills to work on with my mule.
Both he and I rode my mule around the arena many times without a hitch.David is former Amish. He left the community a few years ago.
I went and had my mule fitted for a new saddle that is currently being built by Crooked Creek Saddlery in Kentucky. It is Amish owned.

That is good news. I always take the lacing off the skirt in back of the cantle that holds the two sides together. You might try that with your new saddle when it comes in. That relieves any pressure. Another thing people do that causes problems is use those thick stiff wool pads that bear down the loins and even rubs hair off.The better the saddle fit the less pad needed.It is hard to diagnose a problem without being there. Good job with the trainer

Mules are funny about fit and proper adjustment. The littlest thing that isn't right can annoy them and put off their performance. They will be going down the trail worrying about that instead of paying attention to the rider. I was taught that years ago by a teamster showing me how to fit and adjust a harness on mules.He would change one or two things just a little bit being off and the mules would react to it.That carries over to riding saddles and pack saddles.Horses will put up with it, mules won't.

Hopefully that solves the problem and you will have many years of enjoyment with your mule.

One thing I might mention. Check the browband of your bridle/headstall .Most horse bridle/head stalls have the browband too short for a mule.Their eyes set out further which makes for wider head. One that is too tight (short) will sore up the base of their ears and you will end up trying to figure out why you mule is ear shy.

My new saddle is split all the way through. My mule will have all kinds of clearance now.
What’s your thoughts and preference for a saddle pad?
I need to buy one asap.
My trainer sure knows his stuff. I got a lesson with him tomorrow.

I use 5star pads. They’re not cheap, but wick sweat and breathe.

Mine is 1” or 1-1/8”. My horse says it’s a pleasure to wear!

I have had most excellent results using the " come along hitch" as presented by Steve Edwards.

It has totally changed my deal.

I don't like thick pads. You normally fit your saddle without pads ,and then stick a thick one under it and that changes the whole fit
I use a fleece pad that has some padding in it. Then a thin wool Navajo blanket between it and the saddle.Probably been using that combination for 20 + years maybe more. I can't see spending $150 + for pad that isn't needed. Most of these high priced ones are marketing hype. Wait until you get your new saddle and go from there. Ask your trainer then.

I had a guy swear on those high priced pads and he said well, all the ropers use them. After I asked him how long is a roper in the saddle and the roping puts a different strain on the withers, he decided maybe I knew what I was talking about .

You can't make a poor fitting saddle fit better with more pad,and you can make a good fitting saddle fit poorly with too much pad

Yea, they work off the nose and pole. Mules generally work of their nose better than a bit not heir mouth.

I was looking at 5 Star but since I’m getting a saddle made to fit my mule got me thinking maybe I don’t need a thick heavy pad.
The Amish saddle maker I’m using suggested a 3/4” pad

Up here, I’ve never seen a roper use a thick pad like 5 star. The big thing with ropers are the pads that have neoprene against the horse. That’s a problem in the making. Of course one won’t see many ropers in the country we ride.

The nice thing about these thick pads of course is lots of cushion.
Ever weighed all I have on my saddle, but it’s a lot. They compress where they need to and become form fit. I get a 90%+ sweat pattern. He’s never had the slightest soreness (ir)regardless of weight or distance ridden.

Mules May well be different, and I won’t opine on fitting them.

Will add, 5star makes other pads of lesser thickness. They are quality, hand-made, pads.

In a recent issue of Western Mule.Terry Wagner had a good article on pads for mules.Two things he stressed were cut outs along the spine as shown in the pads Mike posted with the white horse.The other thing was most pads are too long for a mule and need cut down. If they fit so the back is up against the point of the hip as shown in Mike's post, they are to long and need to be maybe 2"shorter. If they are not split, those thick stiff pads will put pressure on the spine and cause sores. If there is hair loss using them there is problem.With a split pad and the lacing removed from the saddle's back skirting,you get the best of all worlds