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My buddy and I were scouting elk yesterday on mules. I rode his new mule that ran out from under him last time out. Went real well all morning. Took a break and let them rest for 20 minutes. I got back on, still had the reins draped around the horn and as soon as my butt hit the saddle he was off. He started to pitch and I still hadn't got the reins. His head hit mine and it was lights out- well at least dim!

I went off and face first into a rock. Took 20 minutes to get the bleeding stopped and walked him about 10 minutes and got back on. He was fine until right when we got back to the trailer and he jumped again. I was ready this time and pulled him right in. Can't figure this guy out. Now I have to heal up before I try it again. Busted head, ribs, shoulder and knee- all in one wreck.

Neighbor Doc tried to get me to ER and said my skull was fractured. I finally went and got xrays today and they were negative. Starting to get one heck of a shiner. Gonna have a hard time passing this off as a wreck- looks more like an ass-whooping!

I'm too chicken to put up pics.

Typical mule. They will wait and watch for the right chance. Old saying, a horse will hurt you accidentally, a mule will hurt you on purpose. I had a mule once that was pretty trustworthy, but they are rare. miles

A buddy of mine got in to that habit or never learned to grab the reins before you do any thing. He was always on dead broke dudes so he got away with it. One year the guys made the mistake of putting him on a green horse, it was all caught on video . Just glad he wasn't seriously hurt.

I was taught very young that when you mount a horse, your left hand holds the reins and goes on the neck. Your right hand grabs the horn. If Trigger bolts, it'll sort of swing you into the saddle and you have a handful of reins to pull him down. I never had a chance to find out if it really worked that way, but it got to be habit very quickly. It's a little awkward at 1st but you get the hang of it pretty fast.

It was the operator's fault.

Rock Chuck.

That does work. I speak from experience. :-)

That is like starting to drive off in a vehicle and not having hold of the steering wheel.

Too many guys ignore the training factor of teaching a horse or mule to stand when being mounted. It's pretty simple but takes time.

You start by putting a foot in the stirrup and if the mule tries to walk off, you work it in tight circles around you using one rein while you are on the ground. It might take 10 circles, it might take 100 or more. When the mule finally stops, you say "Stand", You don't use "Whoa" or any other command that you use for other actions. Then you repeat this method, every time you get on the mule. It might take 3-4 months or three or four weeks, depending on how often you ride and the mule.

Another possibility is that the saddle might be hurting them. Either by the way the person mounts or the saddle fit itself. A lot of guys pay little or no attention to saddle fit and mules are fussy about their tack fitting, especially if some one is using a horse barred saddle on a mule or the have the saddle sitting too far forward like they would saddle a horse.
Now this mule has had the experience that it can run off and/or dump the ride and will be harder to cure. Bad habits are learned just as easy as good habits.

The post above, "Typical mule. They will wait and watch for the right chance. Old saying, a horse will hurt you accidentally, a mule will hurt you on purpose. I had a mule once that was pretty trustworthy, but they are rare." shows a complete lack of knowledge of mules.

Truly sorry for your injuries, but in this case, I'd say it's the damn rider, not the damn mule.

Truly sorry for your injuries, but in this case, I'd say it's the damn rider, not the damn mule.
+1 that!!!
Cheers

Didn't take him long to figger YOU out......

Yeh, I don't know [bleep] about riding mules or horses. It was all my fault that the mule started bucking. It was all my buddy's fault when he bucked him off last ride. My grabbing rhe reins before I got on would NOT have kept him from bucking, only gave me a better chance of staying on.

I have been breaking colts and mules for 35 years and this is the first time this has happened. THIS mule has a loose screw somewhere. He wasn't trying to hurt me. Saddles fit fine. He has done with with two different saddles, one with mule bars one with different bars.

He is going to get some arena work and see if we can figure out what sets him off, if not, he is dogfood.

I have been riding colts and mules for awhile longer than 35 years. Never had one buck that I raised but most of the problem has been from the previous owner or owners screwing them up before I got them. One reason I stopped buying mature mules.

At my age, now when someone ask me to ride their mule to figure out what is wrong, I pass.

Funny thing about mules, once they have had a saddle hurt them,they remember that and end up thinking all the saddles will hurt them, even though they don't.

In addition, once they start to buck, it takes a long time to get that buck out of them because most of it is from them thinking something is or is going to hurt them, or they have lost their trust in humans, particularly their owners.

These guys that have a bucker and tie a saddle on, then let them try to buck it out are making the matters worse. Same as the ones that turn a mule out until they are three or four and then start working them.

This mule needs to go back to the very start of training as if it didn't know anything and then take it very slow.

If a person has hold of the reins before trying to get on, at times they can bend the head around to stop any forth coming shenanigans.

Here's the tell tale signs.. I rode his new mule that ran out from under him last time out. I got back on, still had the reins draped around the horn and as soon as my butt hit the saddle he was off.

New mule. Most likely the new owner did not take time to let the mule settle in and become accustom to him. ( With some mules, that may take a few months). Or the mule was a bucker before he got him. When the mule ran out from under him, he should have worked on that right away

Reins around the saddle horn. The mule new darn well that he was in control. Might not have kept it from bucking once it got started, but it sure could of help bending him around if needed.

I'm not trying to flame you here, but maybe help out for the next poor soul that does it.

Well you are entitled to your opinion, but I have also been around a few mules, broke a couple and have been around people that worked them day after day for a lifetime, so I do know a little. I will admit to knowing more about working them than riding them but do have a little knowledge there too. miles

I have been working them for about 50 years. Guess I could say, I have been around them a lifetime, breeding, raising, training for saddle, harness, and packing. Your statement, at least to me, of the trustworthy mule being rare doesn't ring true.

The only mules I have ever encountered that would hurt you on purpose are the ones that were mistreated.

I have been away from the horse and mule lifestyle for a few years but myself and most people that I knew had stock that they did not raise from birth. You never knew how they were treated up until the time that you owned them. miles

Some horses mules as well as people just seem to have a mental disconnect at times and I want no part of them. I am particular about the animals that I won and trust

Spoken with true Wisdom.

Two main types of mules- good ones and bad ones. They are smart and remember being mistreated with long memories. There is a reason for bad behavior 95 % of the time.

Things like a hornet's nest, mtn lion, bear, broken tack, snow drifts, deep mud and many others have caused mules to buck out from under me. Saddle fit sometimes fits in that category which is unfortunate. Most saddles are made to fit the average horse's back not a mule back. They remember being uncomfortable or in pain.

I am sure the next time someone hands you the lead rope to a mule that has recently misbehaved, you will put your left hand in the reins on the neck, and right hand on the saddle horn. You will swing into the saddle and keep the mules feet moving in a circle to the left, hopefully with his head up. Your chances will be greatly improved.

Horses remember also but in general are not so intolerant

Don't ride mules, but on green ponies i like to check up on my left rein when i mount; that way if they want to take off their going in a circle. Here's to hoping you heal.

I think you are giving a mule to much credit.