# My stubborn ride.



## Ruger (Jan 22, 2011)

I acquired this mule about 3 weeks ago. She was in bad need of a good home. Supposedly you're able to ride and pack on her. She's just hasn't been messed with in a while and she gets a little skittish and hard headed. I've been working with her every day and made a lot of progress with her on getting her calmed down and to where she trusts me. She's even getting a little easier to catch. Every day I work with her we have positive results. It won't be long and I'll have a saddle on her and find out how much she really knows. She's been a challenge but so far I like the results except for my foot, which is every color of the rainbow today from where she stepped on it yesterday, lol.


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

Scary!


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## SWAMPBUCK10PT (Apr 5, 2010)

*Very pretty Mule----sb*


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Nice looking for sure, stubborn female, better make up some foam socks to put on her - easier on the feet. HA !!


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## prairiewolf (Feb 19, 2012)

Good looking Mule ! nice quiet way to get around


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## dwtrees (Mar 5, 2012)

Good luck with the training. Take your time and she will probably come around to your way of thinking.


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## Jonbnks (Jan 21, 2012)

Looks like you have taken good care of her. Hopefully she stays off your foot, otherwise you might have to go for steel toe boots.


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## Ruger (Jan 22, 2011)

Was able to get a saddle on her today, it took a bit, but once it was on she acted like it was no problem. I wasn't able to get a foot in a stirrup tho, I didn't have a britchen for the saddle and I didn't want anything to happen that might make me go backwards in the training I've done. Mostly just wanted to see how she reacted. Got the saddle on her and led her around behind my brother's mare and she followed along like a puppy dog.


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Sounds like you're doing all the right things, she has found a good home and will be a good protecter.


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## Indiana Jones (Aug 28, 2014)

Great work. Interested to keep seeing the updates! So do mules have certain advantages over horses?


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## pilot (Jan 17, 2015)

She? I thought all mules were sterile males.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Most are sterile but come in either sex.

She's a beauty Wayne. You're lucky all she did was bruise you.


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

Mules that are a cross between a jackass and a mare are mostly female and as YD stated for the most part are sterile. A hinny is the opposite, a female donkey (jenny) and a horse stallion and a much harder cross to obtain.

Good looking mule Wayne. Once you get past the ruff spot of getting her broke you'll have a great ride. I grew up riding my stepdad's mules until I started working and could buy my own. We rode for pleasure, night raccoon hunted and squirrel hunted off them. We also work cattle with the mules.






​My Stepdad, my daughter and myself​​




​from the left, my mule, my roping mare and my stepdad's mule​


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## Ruger (Jan 22, 2011)

Those are some great looking animals 220. Working with horses and mules are one of my favorite things to do, I can't say that I'm a whisperer of any kind, but I'm a pretty fair hand with animal's, and it's a great way for me to spend evenings trying to get a positive outcome out of this crooked world. Now the old cowboy that is helping me with the mule and a couple of other critters is a wonder to watch and learn from, but that old timer has "been there and done that", which is a different story all together.


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

I know what you mean Ruger, my Stepdad was a pure joy to learn from. He had a way with 4 legged critters that was well know through out the mid-western hunting community.


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Some great pic's, where was that at 220?


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

hassell said:


> Some great pic's, where was that at 220?


Iowa


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

Hey Ruger, are you going to leave the mane like it is or roach it. If your planning on riding her don't forget about the crupper if you haven't already got one rigged up.


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## On a call (Mar 3, 2010)

Can I use her to pack out moose ?


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## Ruger (Jan 22, 2011)

For now I think I'm gonna leave the mane as is for now. I plan on trying a britchen on the rear and a beast collar up front and see how she gets along with those.


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

I'll be interested in how you both get along with the britchen, and I also think a breast collar is a must.


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

Dang. What language is that, anyway?


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

mule language..........lol


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## Ruger (Jan 22, 2011)

Mike, I haven't been to familiar, with the cruppen, haven't been around many people around here that use them. Everyone around here uses britchen, I'd be curious to learn the pros and cons vs. the two.


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## dwtrees (Mar 5, 2012)

OK I have to ask, what the heck is a britchen, and a cruppen?


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

OK,here we go. Crupper and breeching (britchen) are devices used on the rear of mainly mules but have been used with horses also. The purpose of both is to keep the saddle or pack from sliding froward when either the mule stops suddenly or going down a hill. The reason these are used more with mules is due to a mule not having as pronounced withers (front hips).






​Here is an example of a britchin, basically a harness for the rear of the animal​​




​This is a crupper, fits under the animals tail and snaps to either a single ring at the rear center of the saddle or a Y shape that attaches to the rear at each side.​​​
Wayne, I think we mainly used cruppers due to the type of riding we were doing. All our mules were jumpers. As you know in the Midwest farm country fences are everywhere. When we hunted and came to a fence we would dismount, pull the top wires of the fence down with a snap hook, lead the mule to the low spot and jump the fence. When all were across we'd release the wires mount up and on we'd go. I'll see if I can find some videos of mules jumping. Wayne It's mainly a personal choice of which you use. I would probably lean towards the britchen if I was going to be riding in the mountains due to the amount of up and down the hills.


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## Ruger (Jan 22, 2011)

Thanks 220, that was a better explanation than I could have given. The 1st picture is of a britchen setup, the 2nd is of the tail crupper.


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

hope these help......






​​​​​​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6O6u8P3QA0​


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Great stuff, bring on those elk fences!!


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

good luck with that...............lol


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## Rick Howard (Feb 25, 2012)

How is the foot, Wayne?


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## Ruger (Jan 22, 2011)

Foot is good, it was painful for a day or two but it didn't last long, probably more a burst blood vessel than anything.


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## Rick Howard (Feb 25, 2012)

That's good to hear. I dig the ride. The wife says I can't have one... Apparently it would be too eco friendly for the hipsters here in the city.


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

Rick just tell them it's your new ridable dog, most of those city folks won't know the difference.


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## Indiana Jones (Aug 28, 2014)

Rick Howard said:


> That's good to hear. I dig the ride. The wife says I can't have one... Apparently it would be too eco friendly for the hipsters here in the city.


Hipsters, why did it have to be hipsters


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

because snakes don't care..................


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## Indiana Jones (Aug 28, 2014)

220swift said:


> because snakes don't care..................


I'll take a yard full of snakes over a room full of hipsters! I hadn't realized how bad the hipster epidemic was in the country until I went to an airport again. It's like an Apple convention and the DNC are on the same day in the same terminal.


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