Question: We have wanted a miniature donkey for a few years. We found a 4-year-old male one on Craig’s List that was very reasonable, and we were able to negotiate a lower price yet, because I'm laid off and couldn't afford the asking price. We have him in a 8/10 barn right next to the chicken yard and coop. At first he went off on his hee-haw once or twice a night and every morning around 6am.

Last night he went off about every hour or 2 and several times a day and my neighbors are probably ready to lynch me. I spend time brushing him each day. We give him a scoop of oats twice a day and pet him and give him attention. He has open pasture each day then all the hay he wants. How can we keep him shut up so that we can sleep?

We only have 5 acres so the neighbors are about 100 yards away at best. We give him apple treats a couple of times a day also. My wife is ready to strangle him.

Please give us some useful advice.

PS: we can't afford to get him a companion, our well is dry.

Answer: Donkeys do bray. That is how they talk, so braying comes with the territory! Having a definite routine and a specific longears-friendly feeding program as we recommend can lower the incidence of the braying, but there is really nothing you can do to control it. Giving apple treats during the day, in between feedings, is probably reinforcing the braying and causing him to do it more. He should be kept in a dry lot overnight, fed grass hay only in the mornings, grass hay and no more than 2 cups of our recommended oats mix in the evenings and pasture time should be limited to no more than 4-5 hours a day. He should only receive extra oats during training and no other additional “treats.” This will minimize the braying, but will not stop it. If your neighbors complain, you may need to get rid of the donkey.

Question: We have a 4-year-old molly, which turned 4 in May 2000. She bucks sporadically off and on. When we took her to three different seminars she did not buck. At home she bucks sometimes and sometimes out on the trail. We have two saddles, which were made on a mule tree. We took the crupper off her thinking it was this. We changed her to breeching and she still bucks.

We bought her from a reputable man in Tuscon who had no problems with her. However, we live in Washington State, which is much cooler. From appearance down there she was much more docile. She has a very good personality in that she does not bite or kick and come right up to the gate when we walk down to there. Please provide us with some suggestions on what to do before there are any broken bones.
Thank you so much. K

Answer: Tack and equipment can be a problem and cause bucking, but most often it is the result of a fragmented training program that causes frequent losses of balance that perpetuates bucking. An unbalanced rider will exasperate the problem. Appropriate lessons need to have a logical beginning and be taught in a sequential fashion. The logical beginning in any athletic conditioning program should be to strengthen the core muscles that support bony columns. The length of the lesson and order in which lessons are presented facilitate strength and balance at the core. Adequate length of each stage of training and the way the lessons are delivered instill a sense of security, confidence and trust in the handler that cements the relationship and become part of the equine’s automatic behavior.

Think of it in terms of teaching children. Children have difficulty learning and paying attention when they have not been eating in a healthy way or exercising properly, when the teacher is unclear in their delivery and the material does not flow together easily, when the teacher moves along too quickly, when there is too much repetition and when they have to stay in one position too long. When the teacher is more aware of these elements of learning and provides solutions, the students thrive!

We are often in too big of a hurry to ride and do not spend enough time at the lower-level stages of training. We don’t understand the implications of moving along too fast because these animals are so much larger than we are that we can’t imagine that they would have strength, balance and coordination issues that would be counter-productive to our expectations.

Reviewing groundwork with athletic purpose in mind will help alleviate the tendencies for the mule to buck. Leading training will help develop adequate core muscle strength in preparation for lunging on the circle and sharpen the handler’s skills. Take lunging slowly enough to prevent a loss of balance at each gait. Be willing to wait until the equine is balanced at trot and offers to canter. Do not push for canter. As they gain better control of their body, they will offer the next steps. Bucking should be discouraged during lunging training with a simple “no” each time the animal bucks. If you build good habits, they will become automatic and bad behaviors are greatly minimized.

Our resistance free training series can help. The DVDs are designed like grade school beginning with DVD #1 (and DVD #8) as Grade #1. They are intended to use in sequence whether your mule is a young foal or an older animal that needs better training. If you hit any snags along the way, I am only a phone call or an e-mail away to help.

Question: I have another question for you. I am working with my 3 mule foals. The first one Lilly is doing great. I imprinted her at birth. The second one Ester was doing well, but didn't want the halter on, I knew it would just be a matter of time and I would achieve it. The third is Silver Bullet and he is just wild. He was not imprinted at all.

Answer: First, it will take a little time, but with patience and understanding, Ester will come around. Bullet can too, but he needs a little more from you. You need to establish yourself as his buddy and protector. You do this with a program called Behavior Modification, which is outlined, in my video series.

You need to carry oats with you in a fanny pack around your waist every time you deal with your animals and reward them for good behaviors. Other kinds of treats have adverse nutritional value for this program due to high protein or sugar content. The animal learns to rely on you for guidance. I believe your husband had the right idea to separate them while you are schooling them, or separating them overnight for individual feeding to avoid cuts and scratches, but I would make a point to turn them out to play together at least every other day.

Mules enjoy the time with their friends just like we do. A mule needs a good balance of work and play to grow to be a healthy, happy and willing individual. If you use the fanny pack and always ask your animals to come to you, they will. That's a for sure! You just may have to keep trying and expect this to take sometime. And, be thankful for small improvements. I strongly suggest you invest in our training DVD’s to help you keep things on track.

Question: My mom and I are kind of feeling at a loss. She purchased two-miniature donkeys and a 5-year old appaloosa mule named G, basically for me to ride. I have always been a horse lover, and rode a lot while growing up, but that was many years ago.

My mom went out to give him some food. While she was walking to his little barn, he charged her, turned, kicked at her, and then repeated that two more times, for no apparent reason. He is very one edge and I can't tell if he is angry about something, wants to play? Why the aggression and how to handle him? He must be so cold since he is wet, and also think he is lonely, but we are lost.

Answer This is a difficult time of the year with the weather changing. All the animals seem to have behavioral changes during these times. They will be a little hyper, spooky and playful, but they are not mad. During these times, you just need to be more careful about being around them.

It is important to have a routine established that they can count on. Every time you are with your mule and the two donkeys, you need to define limits and learn to reward them for the good behaviors. Then, when they do get out of sorts, there will be certain things that they will respond to that will keep your relationship with them a safe and happy one.

Your mule is just being playful, but he doesn't realize that what he does may hurt you. He needs to learn some limits and you need to learn how to set those limits in a kind and fair way. Our video training series can help you to understand the course of action that you need to take to make this work. Our series is designed to begin with DVD #1 and take the training in sequence whether your mule is a foal or an older animal that needs more comprehensive training.

Each DVD should be taken slowly and should take 6 months to a year to complete depending on his previous experience. Some animals can move through the series even quicker. The important thing is to remember to take your time, be patient and have fun with training. Each new lesson will produce results of which you can be proud. Think of it as cultivating a friendship with your mule that can last a lifetime.

Question: We recently purchased two Miniature jack foals named Huggy Bear and Julio, who are four and one half months old. They were born on a ranch where the owner routinely took her dog in with her donkeys.

So far we have accomplished dogs on leash and donkeys on halters to sniff noses together calmly. Should we slowly proceed forth to accomplish this goal? Are we asking too much of these two species of animals? We have read such a difference of opinion on gelding. When do you believe is the best age?

Answer:First, if you want these male donkeys to remain sweet and non-aggressive, they should be castrated at six months and preferably when the weather is still cold enough to discourage any insects that could cause infections. You have done exactly the right thing by introducing the dogs and the donkeys, but you must also let them work out the details on their own. The pasture will be the donkey's space and they will (out of instinct) protect their space and will often chase the dogs out of the pasture.

The dogs on the other hand will learn to respect this space and generally will not invade it. If they do, they will learn to do it cautiously. This is the best you can expect from these two animals. Donkeys and mules naturally chase small animals (especially the young male mules and donkeys). They will never be best friends, but they can learn to co-exist.

Question: I have your helpful videos but did not notice any discussion about a jack braying while showing him.

What should I do? I plan to show him in his first show in 2 days. He performs nicely except for the braying.

Answer:It takes time, patience, routine and many other variables during the course of your jack's life to get him to have his full attention on you, so he is not distracted. It is when they are not focused on you that the braying will occur. Understand that there are no quick fixes for these kinds of behaviors. It is much like taking a small child to a restaurant for dinner. If he has had good manners taught at home and gets plenty of positive attention, he will not be seeking attention and will probably behave well. However, if he hasn’t had this kind of training, he will most likely be virtually out of control, loud and obnoxious at the restaurant.

If you practice your showmanship techniques exactly as we have outlined in the training series and watch your own positioning while you are working with your jack, if you stand straight and quiet, then so will he. If he does happen to bray, just ignore it and keep standing still. Eventually, he will understand that the braying will not get him anything and he will begin to do it less and less. Our newest training manual and DVD, Equus Revisited, explains in detail the purpose of our resistance free training series.

Question: Do YOU RUN training programs for Donkey handlers. If you do how long are they when do they run and what cost please? I am training my donkeys but as I have not been a horse person it is a learning curve for myself.

I find it really frustrating as (my husband who is a horse person) is able to get my donkeys to work cooperatively with him but when I do the same thing I have great problems. I.E. TROTTING ON COMMAND IN AN ARENA. I have watched your videos and realize donkeys take longer to train but why do they work better for one person than another???

Answer: Longears are just like people in that they form separate relationships with each individual they encounter. When we first encounter someone, we are usually on our best behavior, polite, considerate and do not make any demands until we get to know them better. These animals are the same. Also, it is easier to get to know someone when you have some things in common in the beginning.

Your husband is familiar with equines, knows somewhat their likes, dislikes, how to approach, etc. This is why he is warming up to them faster than you are. You still have some things you need to learn. This doesn't mean they will always prefer him. It just means you need some time to learn as well before they will trust you. Don't be so hard on yourself and give yourself time to learn these things. Begin by doing simple things such as leading training with them.

Do the things you are comfortable with and as you learn more, you can attempt more with them. The most important thing you can do at this point is don't ask them to do anything for you on command, Just try to be a good friend and loving companion. Learn the theory behind our video series well, how to recognize good behaviors and reward them while stopping bad behaviors in their tracks and redirecting to the positive.

When they can relate to you at this level, you can move on to the next level of having them perform for you. For more details, go to our website at www.luckythreeranch.com and read the 2 articles about how to use our series and about Behavior Modification in the "Ask Meredith" section. Training is more than just teaching the animal to do things on command...it's a whole relationship! There are also a lot of books in the public library about Behavior Modification, if you would like more detail than we offer in the article that is posted.

Question: My donkey paws the ground when she is tied short and when in her stall. She is not in her stall in the spring or summer, only in the fall when the bears are bad. When the winter snows come and it is cold (we live in BC, Canada). Right now I am starting to put her in every night and she is terrible.

Is there a way we could cure her of this problem?

Answer:Sounds like you live in some wild country and your donkey needs to be confined for her safety. She may paw and not appreciate being confined, but if you try to make her more comfortable while she is confined, eventually she will settle down. When she is in the stall, make sure she has free choice grass hay.

Don't keep her confined for long periods of time. Bringing her in overnight is fine. Once she knows she will get out the next morning, she will start to settle down and the pawing should cease. When she is tied, be sure you are doing things with her such as grooming, a little training, than let her go back out. If you are consistent with the way you do your routine with her, she will come to know what to expect and will settle into the routine. Just be patient.

Question: What does it mean when ever a donkey shows it's teeth? Is it good or bad when they do this? my mom was outside one day and dolly our 1 year old donkey opened her mouth and showed her teeth to her.

Answer: A donkey will show their teeth for a number of reasons:

*If they are angry, the ears will go flat back and they will lunge at you with teeth bared.

*If they think you have something to feed them, they will be more timid in their approach and appear to nibble at you.

*If they get something stuck in their teeth and they want you to help get it out, they will open their mouth and move their lower jaw from side to side.

*As a reaction to strange smells, or if they are in heat, they will do what is called the Fleshman's expression where the nose and upper lip are raised, exposing the upper front teeth. This is what I suspect she probably did since it is Spring/Summer and the height of the breeding season.

Question: I am a new owner of a 17-month jennet, and very pleased to report that we are both learning rapidly, largely thanks to your excellent books! We can now lead, turn, walk through/over natural obstacles, lift feet, groom, etc., and plan to prepare for showmanship classes with my grandson. "Sweetie" is by a nice spotted jack, out of a BLM jennet, and is now 42". I plan to train her for riding and/or driving, and hope that my grandson will be able to show her in performance classes.

Thank you very much for your good work! It's so refreshing to see such excellence!

Answer:The information you request is contained in our resistance free DVD series. It is designed with a lot more detail than the books. DVD’s #1 through #7 are designed to begin with DVD #1 and to be taken in sequence. It is similar to what grade school is for humans. Each DVD should take six months to a year to complete. DVD #8 deals with fitting, grooming, general management and advanced showmanship. DVD’s #9 and #10 deal with techniques that are specific to donkeys and should be used in conjunction with the first seven DVD’s. These DVD’s are to be used this way whether your animal is a foal or an older animal that needs better training.

Your mule or donkey should not be ridden or driven with weight until he is at least 3 years old and preferably not until he is almost four. There is plenty of work to keep you busy until then that will lay the foundation for the more advanced work to come. If you use or program the way it is designed, your animal will be physically, mentally and emotionally conditioned to do what you are asking without resistance. If you encounter resistance, you are probably moving through training too fast. I have found that there is really little difference between the males and females, feral donkeys or domesticated.

Question:I just purchased a weanling female mule. It was separated from its mother when I took it home. It is 4 1/2 months old. It's very upset and tries to jump out of everything I put it in. It's had a lot of work before I got it - she's well halter broke, you can pick her feet up and she ties.

What do you suggest?

Answer:Your mule is upset for a very good reason. She is actually still too young to have been weaned. Equines do better when they are weaned at six months. They have many things to learn while they are with their dams in the first six months. It is not just a matter of feeding. In the wild, equines don't actually wean their offspring entirely until the next one is born which can be as long as a year, and sometimes longer.

Since it is too late to "go back," you should do the next best thing. Your mule needs companionship. Isolation is not the way to alleviate the anxiety your foal is feeling. Having a companion can help alleviate this anxiety, so I would say to leave her with the horse as a companion. Don't worry, you and the horse can both be her friends. Isolation does not guarantee a bond between you and the mule. In fact, it will have the opposite effect and she will resent you for keeping her away from other friends.

When you wish to work with her, take the horse along with you for awhile. Work with them both at the same time. While you are doing something with one, you can tie the other nearby. When your mule foal is leading well, negotiating obstacles on the lead line, becoming more focused on you and more confident within herself, you can start bringing her out by herself, but keep the sessions short and sweet (20-40 minutes, no more!).

I think you would find our resistance-free video training series helpful as we show you how to do these things in their proper order. It is designed to begin with DVD #1 and take the training in sequence no matter the age or experience of the animal. If you follow our guidelines, the problems you describe will not occur. Your mule just needs a routine in her life that is balanced, kind and fair, with friends she can count on, not unlike what we humans require for happiness.

Question: My father is an avid reader of Mules and More magazine. And I also enjoy reading through it as well when I have the time. We live on a farm in Iowa, about 40 miles north of Omaha, NE. My father has two teams of mules. One team is around 21-22 years old; they are little short red colored mules, Jessie and Joni.

Answer: The problem you are having with your mule jumping out of his pen is a common problem with mule owners. Mules are very intelligent animals and are also very sociable and love to be able to go where they please. There is really no training technique that will inhibit this behavior once it has begun. The best advice I can offer is to install an electric fence around the pasture in which you plan to keep the mule. They respect this type of fence and won't even test it if it is installed properly.

The hotwire should be placed at the top of the fence, to the inside, and a bottom wire may be necessary if you have shorter animals that could go under it. There are solar fences, which do not require a plug-in. This will also help preserve wooden fences that they could chew on and the posts that hold your wire fence. There is less maintenance cost when they aren't chewing on the wood.

Question: Thank you for your quick reply to my last email. I am planning on purchasing your videos about 6 months before getting the mule and learning them forwards and backwards.

Answer: What you have heard about gelded males is probably in reference to horses, dogs and other animals, but mules are more like humans and react to the person who handles them. The females appear to be more forgiving of mistakes, more accepting and more independent in their approach to things that are new. Thus, training them can be a little easier than the males.

The males are more sensitive, less forgiving of mistakes and require more support from the handler. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It just requires more attention from you. Basically, they just get scared more easily. It is always better if they have a companion of some sort and better if it is their own kind and near their own age, just like people. However, if you can't afford a companion, or don't want one, I believe the female mule would do better alone than a male. Hope this answers your question. I admire you for preparing yourself ahead of time! I wish more people would take the same approach. they could save themselves a lot of trouble! I'm here to help if you need me!

Question: How wonderful to be able to talk with you! My gelded mule is pasture breeding his field mares. Why is this happening? I know he was properly gelded and is not a crypt orchid. Can the behavior be squelched via hormone injection? Please let me have your advice. I have admired your training techniques as featured in Mules and More. You need to be on Ohio's agenda for Equine Affaire. Would you be interested?

Answer: Your gelding mule is very typical and what he is doing is probably bothering you more than it is him or the mares. He can't really "do it," though it may look like it. My advice is to ignore the behavior. I find that it is usually the midrange males (3 years to 12 years) that do this and after awhile, with age, the drive disappears.

If he is injuring your mares, then he should be separated, but if not, just ignore it. Any kind of medical interference for these kinds of behaviors usually doesn't do much to remedy the problem anyway and can have adverse long term affects.

It's better to be flexible and adjust to the behavioral changes as they occur. Your gelding probably won't be jumping on the mares for more than a few months out of the year anyway. So, rather than taking a chance on him getting frustrated and possibly more aggressive, just let things be as they are and ignore his behavior.

Question: My 10-year-old molly mule puts her ears in the half-backrest mode and rests her head on my shoulder. If any of the others, boss horse included comes near, she will step in between me and the approaching critter and give her best ear pinning and head tossing routine, then come back to me. She only does this if I'm out in the field cleaning hooves, brushing, picking up manure etc.

Answer: This is a dominant behavior, but it is also an extremely affectionate and protective behavior. Your molly is just letting the others know that you are “her person.” Whether or not the behavior becomes dangerous depends upon how well you set limits for her during the training process and the training process should include anytime you are working with her. Her heavy head could certainly do damage if you don't let her know how much she can lean on you before it becomes a problem. You will need to let her know when her head is getting "too heavy" by either pushing her head away or pushing up on her jaw until she eases up. If her blocking gets in your way, tell her to walk on and flag your arms at her. If she still won’t clear the way, then take a crop in with you and use it politely to get her to move until she moves easily after which you will no longer need it.

Question: Thank you so much for you're past tips & advice on the proper use of this aid. After speaking w/ a local saddle-maker I'm beginning to think it is my saddle that needs replacing & not my trying to patch the proverbial "leak in the boat".

Answer: The only cure for being herd bound is to allow your mule time to grow up and time to establish a good strong positive relationship with you. You will need to learn some things yourself along the way to make sure that you are being fair in this relationship and doing the kinds of things that will bring about the response you desire from your mule. This takes time.

The behaviors you describe are typical behaviors for an animal that is experiencing stress. A lot of times, this can be a matter of age. The mule that is under 6 years of age, who is rearing and pawing when tied is usually an animal with excess energy to burn and not a lot of interest in their human counterparts. Their interest in the owner will increase with the proper training program and the negative behaviors will diminish.

An older animal who is exhibiting these behaviors is experiencing stress from improper training and has anxiety about what will happen next. Calming these animals will take longer than it would with the younger animal. Hobbling is just a temporary fix that works on some and not on others. In fact, it can have a negative effect on the mule since it restrains them and causes more anxiety. It would be better to be more supportive of the animal in general and in time, he will learn to lean on you for support rather than seeking it elsewhere.

Question: Our question is about horse / mule interactions: We have four mules that we use for trail riding and packing, typically riding over 1000 miles in our short North Idaho riding season, so they are not pets, but valued members of our High Country Happy Trail Time! Three are john mules (2 - 11 yrs; 1 - 10 yr); one molly mule (11 yr.) Two of the johns we have had for two years, the other two since last spring. We also have five horses, two geldings, three mares, ages 26, 25, 23, 11, & 10 and have had all since their birth.

Answer: Mules and horses are really much like people and like people, they have their likes and dislikes depending on their own life experience. The experience of the 2 younger horses was to be with the 3 others and a mule that they grew up with. Their relationship and their pecking order was established. Upon the loss of the other mule, the 2 horses became closer and tighter in their relationship. They are the offspring of the 25 year old mare and would naturally want to protect and isolate THEIR MOM from any new and aggressive (which mules are, more than horses)"intruder."

But, Mom is older and not so concerned about such things, so the fight becomes between the younger pair and mules in general, since their mule friend is gone and these others are virtually newcomers. My first impulse would be to separate the 2 horses from the herd since they are the ones that could most likely become injured, but since you have not offered that option, my only advice would be to let them sort it out. You have enough acreage for them to get out of the way of each other. You will just need to make sure there is plenty of distance between them when feeding, so you don't give them a reason to fight. Since you can't always tell who will be at what pile of feed, all the piles would need to be amply spaced to avoid conflict. Then, whatever they do with each other in between feedings, will just have to be tolerated. I would guess that this bickering will subside over the years as they age.

Question: Our mule injured his forehead and is now very head shy. We have had to leave his halter on him and ride him in only his halter. We tie his bit to the halter. If you even get close to his ears he throws his head back and rears. He has tried to paw my husband several times. We are at a loss. He rides very well, even in just the halter. We do not want to give up on him. He is only a three year old.

Answer: This mule appears to have gotten what I call fragmented training and has not had enough time spent on the basics to cultivate confidence and trust in his handler. I would go all the way back to leading training and go through the proper steps to help him, rather than jumping ahead and using the restraint method I have described below, as you may not need it after spending enough time on groundwork.

First, leaving a halter on the animal is very dangerous. He could get it caught on something and either break his neck or at the least, paralyze him if it gets snagged!

Mules and donkeys learn like children and you cannot throw a lot of different things at them all at once, especially when they are not really done in a natural and logical order! When training, use a fanny pack filled with oats and do NOT offer a bucket. It does not produce the same results! You should not even have a halter and lead on your equine until he lets you pet him all over! Then you can approach with the halter. Our video series is done in a natural order and if you want to have the right results, you need to be working in that natural and logical order.

For instance, you would begin before you even halter him by asking him to come to you and then reward him with crimped oats when he does come (Do not reward with anything else!). When he is consistently coming to you, the next step would be to carry the halter with you but not put it on. Reward his approach and acceptance of the halter being present.

Once the presence of the halter doesn't bother him, the next step is putting the halter on. Be polite. Reward your equine for the approach and acceptance of the halter, then try to loop your arm over his neck while feeding the crown strap of the halter from your left hand to your right hand that is looped over his neck. This way, if he starts to move away slowly, you can pull him back towards you with the loop around his neck and finish by putting his nose through the noseband of the halter. If he jerks away quickly, just let go and encourage him to return and try again by showing him the oats, but do not give them to him until he comes back to your hand. Anytime he moves away, just ask him to return, but do not chase him! Make him come to you for the rewards.

Apparently, your mule has very sensitive ears and is now worried about anyone or anything hurting them. He can be retrained to bridle fairly easily, but it may take a few sessions.

For animals that are hard to bridle, use the "face tie" as is demonstrated in DVD #2 of my resistance free training series. Make sure you have a nylon halter that fits snugly around the face (but not too tight). Make sure your lead rope is stout and tie the mule's nose directly to the hitch rail by looping it over the rail, come back through the noseband of the halter, take another loop and tie it off tight. If he struggles, just back off for a minute and let him settle. He will eventually quit struggling (unlike horses that would break their necks trying to get loose).

Then you can approach him safely with the bridle in hand. Stroke his face on the forehead bringing the headstall up the front of his face. Stop when the bit gets to his mouth and hold it there while you press on the bars of his mouth to get the bit in, then pull the headstall up a little farther and hold it for a moment with the bit in his mouth, stroking his forehead again before you try to get it over her ears. When he gets quiet again, slip your hand through the opening above the brow band and in front of the headstall and slowly wrap your hand gently around the ear and try to bring it forward through the headstall. Be sure to be gentle with the ear while you do this and any time he starts to get violent, just stop before going any farther.

Once you get headstall over the first ear, take the loose end of your lead rope and tie the cheek piece of the bridle on that side to the halter with a loop that you can undo easily. This will keep him from throwing the bridle off his head when you change sides. Then, go to the other side and approach it the same way. Once the bridle is secured to his head, loosen the "face tie," tell him how good he was and give him a reward (crimped oats).

When you come back after riding, put him back in the face tie again, and take the bridle off being cautious about his ears again. Don't give him the opportunity to yank it away or get into any kind of battle with you. After a few times of doing this way, he should begin to relax and comply when in the "face tie." Some will take longer than others. But when he does accept it all easily, you can then begin tying the "face tie" a little looser each time until it isn't needed any longer.

The important thing to remember is to stay calm and deliberate yourself and non-invasive, just firm. If he also takes exception to the reins going over his head, just undo them and bring them up each side. No sense in creating more stimulus than he can handle. This will take a lot of patience and understanding on your part, but I'm certain you can get him over this. I have had this problem with a few mules in the past and this approach does work. It just takes time.

Question: I have a 23 year old john mule that's 'in retirement' from a pack string. Just a sweetie when it comes to people. I bought a new Mollie, 16 years old a couple of months ago, and they're having a real hard time adjusting to each other.

Answer: This is a common problem and there are no quick fixes. You need to establish a detailed routine with these two. When I say detailed, I mean, first you have to learn how to establish yourself as the dominant one in this "herd!" There are ways of doing this, but it takes time and experience.

When you go out with them, you must insist that they behave while you are feeding. Carry a short riding crop with you. If one starts to nip or kick, say, "NO!" in the loudest voice you can muster and hold the animal at bay by raising the crop in front of you and point it at him or her. Then continue what you are doing.

When they are being good, be sure to talk to each of them calmly and quietly and encourage niceness! When you have animals eating together, you really should avoid going into the pen with them at that particular time. It is wiser to throw the feed over the fence or into the feeder from a safe spot. Space the feed a good distance from each mule and let them work out their differences by themselves. If you'd like to know more about these animals and their behaviors, I would suggest looking into our resistance free training series

Question: We have a Jack. He is just a pet. I call him my big dog! Age unknown, but not young. We never owned one before, so know little about them. He has a bleeding sore on his leg, I put the antibacterial Nitrofurazone on him, but he bites at it and it is getting worse, {Bigger}

Answer: It is important that the jack be stabled in a clean environment. That means cleaning corrals everyday. That will eliminate most of your fly problems right away. Then you can use TriTech 14 fly spray. We have found this is the best and the most long-lasting (1 week).

As for your jack’s sores, we use Neosporin or if they persist, "Animax" (Panalog) on the sores our jacks have had.

It is my experience that feeding is also important. If you are feeding more than 10% protein to your jack, it can cause hypertension and a predisposition to nervous behaviors such as biting himself with the slightest irritation.

Donkeys shouldn't get alfalfa, or alfalfa products...grass hay only! What also helps is to have training activities for your jack other than just breeding. When they have something "else" to do, they are less apt to develop negative behaviors that stem from boredom.

Question: We have just purchased the nicest saddle mule, but he will not stay in our fences. He just jumps out for a while and comes back but I am concerned that sometime, he may not come back. What do you think of hobbles on him or if it would even help?

Answer: Sorry to hear your mule doesn't want to stay home! Mules are often quite clever and view the world as their own private playground, especially while they are younger animals. If there is a way out of a pen, these clever individuals will find it.

The only things that I know work with mules is first to have a hotwire on inside of the top rail of your fence and keep it charged. They will respect this and will rarely hit it more than once, if even once. The other thing is to make sure that you have chains on all your gates with a clasp that is smooth all around.
They can undo snaps! The trucker's clasps work best. If you have a wooden fence, this will also discourage cribbing.

Question: Thanks for the reply. I would like to further pick your brains on this matter. I am 53 and have been riding mules for 6 years. A lot has been on my own. I started with a 20 year old easy going guy that I still have--mainly trail work. Two + years ago I bought a well-trained mule who had been shown a fair bit in eng. equitation, western pleasure, hunter etc in mule shows up and down the east coast.

Answer: The reason you are having problems with this guy is because you are not "paying" him enough to really put forth an effort for you. The very heart of our program is the grain reward they receive for their efforts. No reward, no effort. I agree that he would try to be in your pockets, but it is up to you to do the corrective training that is described in DVD #2, if he bites, or kicks.

If he nips, or bites, he would be slapped on the side of the mouth for intruding on your "space," which will cause him to throw his head back and prepare to run off. In the instant that he hesitates with his head in the air, you would tell him, "Good, Boy (for backing off and stopping), then give him his grain reward while he is NOT in your pockets. You would do the same thing when he runs off; go after him and reward him for "Stopping." This is called "Behavior Modification," rewarding good behaviors and stopping bad ones in their tracks and redirecting to the positive.

If you follow this course, this mule should be able to perform for you obediently and willingly. No mule will be "bomb proof," unless you develop a good working relationship with them where they depend on your guidance and feel that the safest place is with YOU! Our program can help you to do this safely. I have trained all my mules this. My mules are all very trustworthy and will do anything I ask willingly and safely. The biggest part of this isn't the actual training exercises, but rather, their trust in me! I suppose you could say I have earned it. Loyd Hawley trains mules for trail riding in a gentle way that works, but regardless of where you get the mule, the relationship is up to you!

Question: I am following your video series. My molly mule is three and had some "heavy handed" training before I purchased her the spring of 2006. I am on the first video. I keep my training sessions short. I started out in her stall with imprinting. This spring I started training sessions in a small paddock and in her pasture. I am positive, patient, and work hard at rewarding good behavior with oats.

Answer: Limiting behaviors, or negative reinforcement, is covered in Video #2 of the video series (biting and kicking). If your equine gets too close or pushy, you should use the "biting" approach for correction and slap him on the side of the mouth, Say "No" very loudly and put your hand up like a stop sign. Then he will step back, or fling his head back, at which point you should tell him, "Good, Boy (or Girl)" and give him a reward for giving you your space. The next time you should only have to put your hand up and say, "No!" The animal should then be willing to back up for the reward when you put your hand up, but you still need to be very consistent about when the rewards are given and when correction is truly needed. "No" is the only negative verbal command and will be used as the only word that denotes your displeasure, so there is never any confusion (do not use any other words or noises!).

To discourage kicking, we tie the animal to a stout post and run a buggy whip over his whole body paying particular attention to the rear quarters. When he kicks, yell "No" as loud and as abruptly as you can, then strike the fetlock with the whip, once for every kick. If the mule, or donkey, is not bothered by the whip, or is showing some tolerance, take this opportunity to encourage him and reward him with crimped oats for being quiet and allowing his whole body to be touched with the whip, without so much as a flinch.

A mule that is not bothered by the touch of the whip will probably not need further kicking training. Be assured that this will make your mule or donkey nervous in the beginning, but it usually only takes about 15 minutes to a half hour, one time, and he will learn to wait, tuck his rear and stand instead of firing a kick. After this training, if he is agitated and wants to kick, he will slowly raise a leg and if you say, "No!" he will put it back down. This approach is the best way to avert problems with kicking, which can have injurious or fatal results.

There will be times when you will need to set these limits to keep the animal from becoming pushy and dangerous, but usually they get the corrections immediately. As you see by the correction, we let the animal know that the behavior is unacceptable with negative punishment (which does not really hurt them, I might add) and then immediately go to the positive and reward their good behavior of stepping back and giving you your space. Then they will learn they will be rewarded for stepping back and will do it when you simply raise your hand like a stop sign and say, "No!" They will learn to stop, think and wait for the next command from you.

Question: What do you do with a new mule that is a loaner? I have one who is 21 yr. old, stays off to her plus has gotten her in trouble by either stepping in a hole or snakebite.

Answer: It sounds like this mule has never really been socialized.

If you want her to start coming to you, then you have to take the time to establish a rapport with her. Wear a fanny pack with oat treats in it and encourage her to come to you for treats. Then spend time stroking her and massaging her body all over from head to tail, paying attention to the things she likes most. Don't ever chase after her. Make her come to you.

In the beginning, she may be a little slow about it, but over time, she will be happy to see you and will come to you anytime, anywhere. Our resistance free training series can give you the guidelines you need to do this. They are designed like grade school where you would start with DVD #1 and work your way through one step at a time, taking the DVD’s in sequence whether the mule is a foal or an older animal that has not had the benefits of a complete training course. If you need help along the way, you can call me.
I can help you through any rough spots.

Question: I´ve adopted a wild burro at the BLM adoption and have started gently leading him. I had progressed from stroking all over and scratching and brushing to picking up his hoofs. I have a 20x20 pen in which he lives and in which I work with him. I want to know if lunging would work in this size pen. We have been working on Whoa, and stand and he does well with backup.

Answer: Training donkeys is even a little more different from training horses than training mules. They have a very distinctive way that they want to learn. It sounds as if you are started the right way, but there is a lot to do on a lead line before you even begin to lunge him. The pen you describe would be too small. It is difficult enough to do circles in a 40-foot pen (45-50 feet is ideal).

We do have a resistance free series that you would find most useful, I´m sure. You should get the whole series (DVD’s # 1-#10), but if you can´t afford them all, then I would definitely recommend getting DVD’s #9 and #10 that deal specifically with donkeys.

Question: I watch your show a lot and really enjoy. However, I don't have a mule question. I have a horse question. I have a 4yr/mare and all of the sudden has started to rear. She has never ever offered to rear before.

Answer: The behavior you describe is typical of a horse that has what I would call fragmented training. She has, at her young age, been exposed to the basics in training and performs the tasks, but does not have a secure bond with the rider nor the adequate muscle conditioning to perform these tasks.

This happens when young animals are pushed too fast through the training process from the very beginning. Many trainers begin what they call "training" in the round pen, but this is not where initial bonding and basic learning skills occur. It is not where the muscles that surround the bony columns obtain strength. The core muscles need passive exercise that comes from extensive lead line training to become strong.

It is much like raising children. Before they are able to be placed in a school and learn the technical aspects of growth, children need to be nurtured and encouraged to interact with rewards for their good behaviors from the time they are born while dealing with the seemingly smaller issues such as routine bathing, going to bed, etc. Exercises need to be appropriate for growth phases.

These routines shape and mold the way an individual will react to different situations in life. The animals need this same kind of nurturing and support from the beginning. We do this with imprinting, and with employing a process called Behavior Modification in which we learn how to identify positive behaviors in our animals and then reward them, set limits for negative behaviors and encourage a more intimate relationship with the animal that is built on mutual respect and consideration. We spend a lot of time in lead line training establishing good core muscle strength, balance and coordination. The animal will then learn to trust your judgment and will gain confidence to "go down the road" easily later.

The work done in the round pen just fine tunes this mutual respect and working relationship, moving on to issues such as dominance and tasks to be completed. Without the social skills before the round pen work, the animal can become lost and confused and negative behaviors such as you describe begin to arise. It is much like the child who has not had the benefit of a loving family and good exercise before he enters school.

I encourage people to back up and use our resistance-free video training series to establish better working relationships with their animals. It is designed to begin with DVD #1, where you develop these skills, and take the training in sequence no matter the age or experience of the animal. By doing this, you will improve the communication between you and your horse and she will gain confidence and a willingness to do anything that you ask.

Question: I had written to you before about wanting to know a little more on mule behavior. I already have a mare horse and she is very moody, much like most mares I have seen. I was wondering, even though mare mules are sterile do they come in season and are they moody like most mare horse?

Answer: Any living creature will go through cycles of what you are calling "moody." Some days are just better than others and living creatures will react accordingly.

When a female cycles, there are times close to estrus when the body is crampy and uncomfortable and that is what the mares and mollies react to. On those days, it is important for you to be considerate of the way they feel and not ask as much from them. That doesn't mean that they can't do anything, but it does mean that some things will be more difficult for them and it is better to wait to do those things during a time when they are feeling more "like themselves."

So, yes, molly mules do cycle like all females and will exhibit the same kinds of behaviors in varying degrees just like humans do. There are surgeries that can be done to prevent the animal from cycling normally, but these surgeries don't necessarily prevent the secondary symptoms like cramping to cease, so they don't always solve the problems and could even cause more trauma and anxiety. It is better to just be sensible about what you ask from your animal and when. Even the males will be more aggressive and more difficult to work with during breeding season, so each gender has it's moments...so to speak. It’s best to just lower your expectations at that time. It's just life.

Question: I find your books a wealth of knowledge and information. Without your book "Training Mules and Donkeys" -- I know I would not have been as successful as I am with my mules. Now I have a problem, I know you'll be able to give me some insight on. I'll first give you some history. I own 1/2 Ass Ranch in Fruitvale B.C., I had a large Morgan mare which I used as a brood mare for my mules.

Answer: Thanks for sending the pictures! Harley is very handsome and looks quite intelligent...more so than most! It's clear you have managed to preserve his character through the training process. Hats off to you!

Your problem with Harley is very common. Adult male mules do not like smaller or younger animals, and will chase them mercilessly. Once the horse becomes a 3 year old and begins to really take on his own adult qualities, he will begin to defend himself and the chasing will cease.

The best thing to do is to keep them separated until the colt reaches his third birthday, and then try to put them back together. They may go a few rounds, but will eventually settle into their pecking order. Being two males, they will still have moments where they will play rather hard, but it will be nothing like what is happening now.

Question: I have since acquired a molly mule, 13hh about 20 or 25 years old. She is very pretty, black with a blaze and stockings. Amongst other things she has been used for endurance riding, pulling a trap single, transporting kids double on an animal farm and giving mule rides to kids. She was found by a friend of mine at an abattoir in very poor condition.

Answer: We assume that because these animals have performed for someone else that they would perform the same way for a new owner, but this simply isn't true. It is important for each individual to establish their own relationship with any animal they acquire. This is how trust and compliance is cultivated in a relationship.

Though the animal may be a show champion and broke to death, they will not be able to trust you unless you have built this trust over time on a good solid foundation, just as the trainer did who trained them. It is not unlike human relationships. You wouldn't ask a new friend to do the same things for you as you would an old friend. It takes time before you can make demands and get compliance. I think you would find our resistance-free video training series helpful. We teach you in a natural step by step manner how to gain their trust and compliance through the use of Behavior Modification.

For more details, visit our website at www.luckythreeranch.com and read the 2 articles posted about how to use our series and about Behavior Modification. If the articles are too general, you can find more about Behavior Modification at your public library. It works the same no matter what animal or person you are talking about.

Question: I'm not from the states and I wasn't sure if your website included Canada, until I saw that one of the clubs on you list was from Alberta...my dad owns a team of mules and plans on breeding them when we get to our new farm. I was just wondering if there are any mule clubs in Ontario and if you could inform me of any. If you could do this it would be a big help but if not that's ok. I just can’t seem to find any anywhere in Ontario.

Answer: I do not know of any clubs in Ontario, but there may be one I don't know of. You might try contacting the American Donkey & Mule Society, PO Box 1210, Lewisville, Texas, 75067, (972)219-0781, FAX (972) 420-9980, lovelongears@hotmail.com. We have a link to their website from ours at www.luckythreeranch.com. They may have a more updated list than I do.

In answer to your question about working teammates individually, it is important to develop your own relationship with each of the team members, so they are as confident with you as they are with each other. It is much like having more than one friend. You may have a friend that is your best friend, but there are others that you can have fun with as well. This takes a little time and effort.

Before taking them to a show, you would need to work them individually at home. The training would begin with very simple things done on a lead line that are rewarded when done correctly. You may have to begin by doing the exercises in DVD #1 with the other teammate present for a while, much like we work foals with their dams. Training sessions are kept short and positive to avoid resistant behaviors.

When done correctly and in an orderly fashion, the animal learns that it is just as fun to be with you as it is to be with their teammate. Then, they don't mind spending time with you, knowing they will be returned to their "other" friend afterwards.

Our resistance free video training series is designed to help you to do this. It is designed to begin with DVD #1 and take the training in sequence no matter the age or experience of the animal. You will learn how to develop an animal's confidence in you, how to reward them to help this to occur and how to limit negative behaviors and stop them in their tracks in a fair and equitable manner.

If you don't have donkeys, you won't need DVD's #9 and #10. Be sure to read the 2 articles posted about how to use the series and about Behavior Modification. These articles explain the theory behind the video series to help you approach it with the right attitude for the best results. You can also read more responses to questions I have received about these issues and more in the "Ask Meredith" section. There is a lot to this process, but it can be simple and enjoyable if you don't get in a hurry. The results speak for themselves.

Question: My cousin bought a 6 yr old mule. They can't catch him unless they run him in a chute. He can't mount unless snubbed or tied. They tried keeping him tied for a few days and leading him to water and feed, then exercising. The mule does not want to lock on at all.

Answer: It is not too late for this mule, but there has to be a drastic change in attitude towards training before he will even begin to respond. You are on the right track with gentle breaking him like the mustangs and you may have to keep him in a smaller area to begin with but not just a stall. He needs room to move about. Be willing to give him more freedom as he begins to comply.

Feeding is also very important and longears do not do well on alfalfa at all. It actually causes hypertension in the equine. We feed grass hay and a limited amount of a crimped oats mix (see “Diet”).

I would not keep him in the smaller area all the time. I would feed him there and keep him overnight. If I decided to work with him the following day, I would do it and then turn him out for awhile. If I wasn't going to work with him, I would still give him limited turnout time. Mules need no-stress times just to be a mule like we need time to ourselves to stay on track. Be generous and reward his every positive response. Our resistance free DVD training series can be a great help to you. It is designed like grade school where one thing builds upon another, slowly and logically.

Question: I have a few questions about mules:
Does a mule kick with its front or back legs? What speed/strength can a mule give a full force kick? What would provoke a mule to kick?? If a person and a mule were to have a "kick off" who would win? Can a mule’s kick kill a person?

Answer: If a mule is treated fairly and humanely, the incidence of kicking is very rare, if at all. People who get kicked by mules are generally responsible for the animal's reaction. If you learn how to approach and communicate with equines with the right attitude and the right approach, the safety factor is greatly increased. There is a point in training where kicking and biting are dealt with.

In answer to your questions:

1) A mule can strike with the front legs and can kick in a 180 degree radius with his back legs (that means forward, sideways and backwards).

2) It can happen at great force in a fraction of a second, basically, before you know it.

3) A mule will retaliate if he is being abused; or, if he is startled suddenly. In other words, he might kick if he doesn't hear, or see you approaching.

4) THE MULE!

5) MOST DEFINITELY.

Question: My problem is that I spent $800.00 for 60 days training for my 4 year old molly mule and still don't feel safe. I went each week and participated. I didn't like the way things were going by the fourth week. Ruby was getting very sour about working in the round pen I spoke to the trainer repeatedly about getting her outside to experience other things.

Answer: Each week I get numerous e-mails and phone calls from people like yourself who are experiencing adverse behaviors with their mules on the trail, in the pasture, stall and even in the round pen. These adverse behaviors arise out of mistrust, generally caused by putting undue demands on the animals. One simply cannot expect to train an equine to be safe and obedient in 60 days.

Communication, whether it be between people, or between people and animals, takes a lot of time to cultivate before the elements of trust and acceptance come into play. It takes time to get to know a "friend" before you can start making demands on them. You have to earn their trust. In turn, this fosters confidence in those involved. One should not even begin riding their mule until this bond is established. Then, there are steps to be taken between bonding and riding during groundwork training that are all essential and should be an integral part of their development and training. I believe that the owner should be the actual trainer and the trainer should be a guide to help the owner. After all, you wouldn’t ask someone else to go out and make a friend for you!

All equines can learn to work nicely in a snaffle bit, provided the rider learns to use the bit as a tool for positive communication, and not a means to force the animal into submission. Hackamores and curb bits are quite severe and will cause adverse behaviors if used on a beginning animal, or by an inexperienced rider. Better that the rider learns to have soft, accepting hands and respects the damage that a bit can do to the soft tissues of the mouth that can ultimately result in avoidance behaviors. This really is the very heart of dressage training.

Not only do we need to respect the emotional and mental needs of our equines, we also have to respect the physical well being of the animal we are training. It takes a lot of time to build muscles correctly in your equine, so he can carry you without soreness from a shifting load, poorly fitting tack, too much weight and a host of other things that people seem to forget when they want to do things with their equine. If someone were asking this of them, they might reconsider the approach.

Our resistance-free video training series can help you to address all these issues in a logical and healthy progression for your animal while teaching you to be patient, consistent and flexible to your animal's needs. When you do this, things progress smoothly. Be sure to read the 2 articles posted on the website in the Mule Crossing section about how to use our series and about Behavior Modification for the best results with your mule. I am always here to help should you have further questions.

Question: I have Tennessee walking horses and am interested in mules because of a childhood association with them at my grandfathers. I cannot get them off my mind the older I get. However, I also raise English setters and quail hunt and train dogs horseback.

Answer: Mules and donkeys have a tendency to chase smaller animals. It's their instinct, however, they can be taught to behave and tolerate smaller animals that they live with. The smaller animals learn to respect the mules and donkeys and will learn to keep their space.

Years ago, I did train a Tennessee Walking mule for use in the dog trials and she did really well. I see no reason why you couldn't use a gaited mule for working dogs and hunting quail. It just takes time to adapt the mule to what you want to do. Developing a good working relationship with your mule is the most important thing. For more details, visit our website at www.luckythreeranch.com. Be sure to read the 2 articles about how to use the series and about Behavior Modification. If you use this approach, it will be easy to socialize your animals with one another. Behavior Modification works on all animals and humans as well.

Question: I recently purchased an orphan jack miniature donkey that is 2 months old. He is very attached to me, but constantly nips and bites when I am around him. He is turned out with my mare that baby-sits him, and he does not bite her.

Answer: This is a common problem with young donkeys and can be with any equine. He just does not know what the limits are on his behavior because there is no predictable consequence to his actions. Believe it or not, you would have more success with him if you did use the treats as described in DVD #1 of our resistance free training series.

We give the treats for desired behaviors only and withhold them when the animal is not cooperative. They can get aggressive for the treats, but in DVD #2, we tell you how to correct bad behaviors such as biting and kicking. After getting treats for desired behaviors, it is natural for them to test the limits and begin to demand treats much as a child would.

When they bite, for instance, they are making a demand. What is important is how you handle this. Be assertive! Not abusive. A biter should be slapped very hard on the side of his mouth and told, "NO!" in a very loud voice. Slap the side of the mouth then put your hand up like a stop sign. They will throw their head back in the air and act like they are being abused. As soon as the head goes back, there is an instant that they are still, before they decide to back up, or run off. It is at this time that you should immediately change your demeanor from punitive to friendly and say, "Good, Boy! (Or girl) and give them a treat for backing off and giving you your space.

When this is done properly, they may try to "test" you again, but you should only have to put your hand up in the "stop" position and say, "NO!" and they should back off, stand and wait for the treat. Animals will work for the right "payoff." When you learn to dispense treats diligently and not randomly. They will want to perform that which yields a treat. They can learn limits because the treats give you leverage to teach them the limits. Also, they learn to be careful about taking the rewards and are less likely to bite your fingers than one who has not had this practice.

They are not "paid" for bad behaviors. Bad behaviors are stopped immediately and reversed to a positive direction which is immediately rewarded. If you do not correct and redirect, they can learn avoidance behaviors and things get progressively worse over time. In addition, the equine who receives rewards regularly will learn to take them gently from your hand. The one who does not could easily take your fingers as well from a lack of practice! For more details, visit our website and read the 2 articles posted about how to use our resistance-free training series and about Behavior Modification.

Question: We have a donkey family, adopted six mo. ago--mother, father (now gelded) and 8 mo. old boy (also now gelded). We want to pasture them together. They've been in adjoining pasture/stall since birth of boy. Gelding took place one mo. ago. We put them together yesterday and all was fine for c. 4 hrs. Then boy was a little more "playful" and dad grabbed hold of him by the neck.

Answer: Though your two boys have been gelded, they have not had the time to adapt to their new roles as gelded males, nor do they even know what it means to be a gelded male. I think I would be inclined to put the 2 geldings together and keep the jennet separate from them for one year. Then, she can be integrated with them after a year's time.

The grabbing of the neck is a playful male gesture, as well as one of determining dominance, and only becomes dangerous when males are vying for the attention of a female. If you take the female out of the equation, they will become playful buddies. Since the one male was a full adult when castrated, keep a close eye on the two of them as Spring approaches and watch that the older male does not get too aggressive towards the younger one. His instincts could still emerge as a full blown male, even if he isn't and he could hurt the younger jack if the jennet starts to cycle. You should be able to tell the difference by then between a playful grab on the neck and a full blown attack. Don't integrate the female until next Fall when her cycling drops off.

Chances are, you won't have this problem, but I am telling you about the potential problem, just so you are aware and so you will check things a little more closely in the Spring, before something bad happens. If the two gelded jacks don't act differently towards each other in the Spring, then there should be no problem.

Question: I acquired 2 young donkeys, ages 2 and 3, in the hopes that I could put them in with my goats to keep them safe from predators. Both were jacks, and I had them gelded. Several of my goats had kidded a few months ago and I caught the 2 donkeys and my mini donkey playing soccer with one of the kids.

Answer: I would imagine that it is only a certain personality type and the fact that he's brought up with certain smaller animals that produces a "guard donkey." Most mules and donkeys will chase and harass animals that are smaller than themselves. But, just because the younger animal grows up with the smaller animals, it does not guarantee that they will not chase them as adults. If they have an aggressive personality type, they may still chase them. Training and socializing them properly as they grow together would help, but the animals you describe are already too old for this process and will need to be kept separately. If you want to keep your goats and other small animals safe from predators, you should keep them inside overnight in a safe barn.

Question: I live in Va. and am disabled. I bought a small 12.3 hand high mule from a man who was abusing her. I had her for a year and when she got to trust us, she was fine. My husband rode her around the farm and we had no trouble. We never drove her as we have no harness.

Answer: Many people think they can treat mules and donkeys like they do horses and it will work. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Mules and donkeys are very intelligent, thinking and feeling animals. If they are not treated with patience, kindness and understanding, they are intelligent enough to try to leave the situation any way that they can which, in this case, is bolting.

The problem here is not with the mule, but with the man who has chosen to approach her in an abusive manner. She is simply defending herself from what she knows is an abusive situation. Children are innocents and do not put pressure like this on animals until they have learned to do it, so equines generally do not have a problem with children.

It sounds to me like this is a simple case of a poor match. When you buy a mule or donkey, you are buying more than just a riding or driving animal...you are investing in a friendship. If you want it to go well, you need to be willing to take the steps along the way that will help the friendship develop in a positive way, which you have obviously done with this mule.

Our books and video tape series can help people who are willing to learn how to do this, but you must also realize that there are people who are resistant to change and they may not want to learn. Better to send her to a person who is of the same beliefs in gentling an animal than one who uses forceful methods. If your mule enjoyed the company of these people, she would be willing to spend all day with them and not just the 45 minutes. If they can learn this method, I guarantee that the mule would work for them the way she did for you!

Question: Last year a local radio station had a quiz that went 'What is the only animal that won't sink in quicksand" The answer was a mule.

Answer: You are absolutely correct! They are too smart to do something that would be harmful to them. It isn't really a case of intelligently knowing that it is dangerous. It is more a case of their senses alerting them to danger and they pay attention to their senses. Often, there are those who might feel danger, but will go ahead anyway. A mule is not like this. He takes heed and will not budge.

Question: First off I would like to thank you for getting back to me the first time. I have one more question though. When I tie my mule, she tends to rear up when she gets frustrated. I'm afraid she might put her foot through the fence. How do I keep her from doing this?

Answer: Rearing and pawing is a common behavior with mules, particularly younger ones. It is an expression of anxiety, a way to command attention or express of dissatisfaction and impatience. There are ways to minimize rearing and pawing and to teach the animal not to paw while you are working on them, but to expect them never to rear or paw is unrealistic.

Anxiety can be caused by feeding. If the feed is too hot, the animal cannot help but react to the hypertension the feed is causing. Making sure that her feeding program is appropriate will help minimize anxious behaviors like pawing. She will be calmer and more receptive to training.

Mules also do not like being by themselves, especially in a strange place. You can minimize anxious behaviors like rearing and pawing simply by tying another animal with her and leaving yourself plenty of room to work on each animal independently.

Rearing and Pawing can be a way to command attention, if the animal has not learned that she can get more attention and rewards if she is compliant. If the animal is rearing and pawing during grooming, or tacking up at the hitch rail, it is important that you learn to wait for her to stop rearing or pawing before you approach. If she rears or paws on the approach, just turn away from her and ignore her until he stops.

If she starts to rear or paw as you are working on her, just stop what you are doing, Say "No" in a loud voice, back off and wait for her to stop. When she finally does stop, then quickly go to her and reward her with the crimped oats reward and stroke her. She will soon learn that she won't get your attention unless she stops. While you are waiting for the rearing or pawing to cease, you will need to speak to her in a calming voice and encourage her to calm down and be patient. If you get mad at her, the behavior will only escalate.

Mules will often rear or paw when they have been left tied somewhere by themselves in a spot where they are not comfortable like to a trailer at a show or a hitch rail at home that is not strategically placed. Mules have been known to rear or paw and then swing around the end, or jump over the hitch rail. If your hitch rail is strategically placed along the side of a building, they will not be able to swing around the end, or jump over.

If you are tying to your trailer at a show, make sure your inexperienced animal has a "buddy" that can stay with her at the trailer and help keep her calm until she has some age and is more confident being alone with you. Make sure you tie her with the ideal length of rope, not so short that she feels constricted and not so long that she can get a foot over it. You can also hang a hay net filled with grass hay, so she has something to keep her busy. This is called setting the animal up for success.

Winning your mule's trust and confidence is the best way to minimize any anxious behavior, but it takes a long time and much patience and consistency to convince her that you are trustworthy and she has no reason to worry. Spending enough time on the simple groundwork exercises and doing them properly will facilitate confidence and trust more than any other stage of training. Of course, there are some mules that will still rear or paw intermittently no matter what you do, but at least it can be minimized, and they can learn to at least stand quietly while you work on them. Young mules will often be more aggressive about rearing, pawing and not standing still, but this will usually subside with age if it is given the right kind of attention which, in most cases, is no attention at all.

Question: I recently visited your site and I love it! I was raised around mules and have been a farrier for 15 years and have recently started raising mules again. I would like to ask you about the incidence of facial markings on mules. I had a foal born this fall with a star.

Answer: We have tried to be quite diligent about how we present things to get the best results. Kicking is a very dangerous equine habit and the results can be severe injury or death. I don't think people realized at first that the "kicking training" is louder and more intimidating with the big movements and loud voice than it is punitive with the whip. The whip is hitting "Angel" at the fetlocks and though it looks powerful it really isn't.

The point was not to whip the fetlocks harshly, but rather to do what was necessary at the time to get her attention and define limits. Mules are considerably larger and stronger than us and can cause serious injury and possibly even death if they are not taught limits in their behaviors.

Actually, this training session is only one or two fifteen-minute sessions that will keep your mule a safe animal for the rest of its life. After the initial session, you may only have to yell, "No" if they ever threaten to kick again. After the first time, you don't usually need the whip. Mules just hate it when people start acting crazy and loud, so if you get that way when they are misbehaving, it usually startles them into standing still after which you are able to reward them for paying attention. Works like a charm! And, as you say, it keeps your farrier and veterinarian safe when they need to work on your equine!

Question: I have a female mule that is 57" tall & 8 yrs old. I have one other mule that is 14yrs old and the same size (Mare). My problem is that when my wife and I trail ride the younger one doesn't like to be a way from the other. For instance, if I have to stop and take a break and my wife rides on, this younger mule is a hand full.

Answer: The younger mule is just that, a younger mule. Sometimes we forget that they are very much like us in their growth process. When they are younger, they rely on older animals for leadership and confidence. As they mature, they become more confident in themselves and their handlers. Good habits build good partners

Any animal would have problems standing while another rider, or group, rides off. One of the rules of safety is to wait for all riders to mount before taking off. This just saves you a lot of trouble and protects your health! Your mule will gain confidence about leaving a group as she gains more confidence in you.

If you are considerate and understanding of your mule and employ good basic groundwork training, your relationship and her behavior will improve. If you get impatient and try to force her to do things she simply isn't ready for, you're in for a rebellion! Our books and training series will help you stay on the right track with your mule.

Question: We have a very nice App. Mule and have been riding her every week before a western trip. I got a map out of the backpack when I was on her and she got out of control. Took off at a fast canter, not able to stop her with the bit that was in her mouth.

Answer: I was sorry to hear about your accident. I would say this is not a case for a more severe bit, but rather an opportunity for you to learn how to get along better with your mule. There is no bit in the world that can stop a mule that has decided to run off. If your mule was paying attention to things around her and was not warned that you were going to pull something noisy out of the pack, then it is really no surprise that she ran off.

When we ride our mules, we set the standards that we expect from them. In groundwork, you set the stage for the riding behaviors to come so it is important to spend plenty of time with the right kind of groundwork before you even begin riding your mule.

If we are inconsiderate and punitive, the animal becomes rebellious and more difficult to deal with. If we approach them in a kind and considerate manner, they respond with submission and a willingness to serve. Every day you have with your mule, you set the terms of your relationship. If you take the time to learn to communicate effectively with your mule through your voice, hands, legs, seat and general body language, the mule will not be surprised about the things you ask and will become calmer in his response.

When training, you would need to use an egg butt snaffle bit. It is a mild bit and has direct rein contact to make communication as clear as possible. When you lightly pull on your left rein, for instance, you would try to keep it very light and help your mule to understand what you are asking by following the rein pressure with pressure from your right leg to push him towards the turn. Just learning a few basic riding techniques will help you and your mule get along better and will help you to ride a lot safer. Still, it is important to do the groundwork first to develop your bond and working relationship with them.

It sounds like you really have a basically lovely mule. Give her a chance and give yourself a break. Spend a little time on these things and you will be amazed at how much more you can enjoy things with your mule! in our resistance free series, DVD’s #1, #2, #4 will help facilitate the working relationship and DVD #5 deals with helping riders become more effective with their animals through their own riding skills.

Question: We got a yearling last fall and are making slow but steady progress and now things are going in reverse. We have been patient and never raised a hand to her. We had her halter broke, leading her successfully all around our small ranch. We have been able to groom her, worm her, and starting to pick up her feet. She decided she didn't want to be caught anymore. She spins any time I get near her. The only way we can get a halter on her is to pinch her off between 2 corral panels. Once the halter is on, everything is fine. S is never malicious, she doesn't kick at us, and she just runs away. I have broken a number of colts (no mules) and never experienced anything like this. We do not want to do irreparable damage, should we give up? What is the big training gap that we have missed? Any suggestions would be welcome.

Answer: First, just a warning: Never leave a halter on an equine! Leaving a halter on the animal is very dangerous. She could get it caught on something and either break her neck or at the least, paralyze her if it gets snagged!

Mules and donkeys learn like children and you cannot throw a lot of different things at them all at once, especially when they are not really done in a natural and logical order! When training, use a fanny pack filled with oats and do NOT offer a bucket. It does not produce the same results! You should not even have a halter and lead on your equine until she lets you pet her ALL OVER! Then you can approach with the halter. Our video series is done in a natural order and if you want to have the right results, you need to be working in that natural and logical order and then be consistent about it every time you work with her. There will be days she may not want to come to you. in that case, just walk away and save it for another day.

For instance, you would begin before you even halter her by asking her to come to you and then reward her with crimped oats when she does come (Do not reward with anything else!). When she is consistently coming to you, the next step, would be to carry the halter with you but not put it on. Reward her approach and acceptance of the halter being present.

Once the presence of the halter doesn't bother her, the next step is putting the halter on. Be polite. Reward your equine for the approach and acceptance of the halter, then try to loop your arm over her neck while feeding the crown strap of the halter from your left hand to your right hand that is looped over his neck. This way, if she starts to move away slowly, you can pull her back towards you with the loop around her neck and finish by putting her nose through the noseband of the halter. If she jerks away quickly, just let go and encourage her to return and try again by showing her the oats, but do not give them to her until she comes back to your hand.

Anytime she moves away, just ask her to return, but do not chase her! Make her come to you for the rewards. If she won’t come, just leave and try again another day. No compliance, no rewards.

Question: I have a 2yr old molly mule named Fannie. Fannie and I are doing very well together so far. However, our one big problem I have not been able to overcome is pawing when tied and left alone or left in a stall when she wants out. I do mean pawing; she has dug over 3 ft in a very short period of time. If I am close to her she does not paw, but if I get out of her site she starts. Will I be able to fix this? Can you tell me how?

Answer: Two-year-olds are pretty much the same whether they are human, or mule. They are simply full of themselves and anxious about everything. It is my experience that if you have a normal routine that you follow to do your brushing, tacking up and other tasks, do it in the same place each time, and if you simply ignore the pawing when you are not close to them, this eventually goes away by itself. Conversely, if you try stopping them in any way, it gives more attention to the pawing and makes it worse.

Feeding is another consideration. If the protein content of the feed is too high for a mule, this can also cause anxiety that will result in pawing and other bad behaviors.

I think you would find our resistance-free training series helpful. DVD’s #1 through #7 cover training and psychology and DVD #8 deals with feeding, maintenance and advanced showmanship. If you don't have donkeys, you won't need Tapes #9 and #10

Question: Hi, I was reading your FAQ while searching for information on mules on the internet. I have recently acquired two pony mules (minis) and am curious to acquire more and possibly start breeding mini mules.

Is a pony stallion or jack more manageable (one or the other)? Also, have you done any research on fertility of mollies? Thank you very much for any information and guidance you can provide.

Answer:There are a lot of factors to consider when breeding for mules. Most female mules are sterile and are not viable breeding prospects, though there have been 3 clearly documented cases in history where molly mules have conceived to a jack or stallion, and delivered at the 12-month term.

The mule (cross between a male donkeys and female horse) are typically the way to go since they seem to inherit the best characteristics from each parent. The mule foal is generally smaller than a horse foal would be, so birthing is easier for the mare. The reverse cross, or hinny, does not always inherit the best characteristics from their parents. Often the stallion is larger than the jennet and large foals can be a problem at birth for a jennet.

Another consideration is that the jack or stallion has to want to do this. If he doesn't, no amount of training can force it. Jacks and stallions need to be trained to breed outside of their species.

The most important consideration is conformation and the traits you will be passing on to the offspring. People should not be coaxed into breeding inferior animals, or animals with hidden genetic problems for the sake of having babies around or obtaining a cheap animal. It's cruel to do this as these inferior animals usually end up as dog food later.

The American Donkey & Mule Society (adms@juno.com), PO Box 1210, Lewisville, Texas, 95067, (972) 219-0781, can help you further. They have breeder's lists and a world of information available on this subject

Question: I was looking in mules and more, found your column would like some information on breeding mini mules, we have 5 mares and 1 jack but none of them are bred.

The jack has been running with the mares since the end of February. He will mount them but is not dropped. All the mares have had babies with in the last 3 years; any info you can give would be appreciated.

Answer: If your jack is a young jack who hasn't typically bred mares, he will be hesitant. Though jacks are usually aggressive in their behaviors towards jennets, this is not the case with mares. When cross-breeding species, the behaviors of a lot of mares can intimidate the jack.

If your jack is turned out with more than one mare in the beginning, he may find it too overwhelming. It is advisable to begin breeding jacks to mares by allowing him to be with one mare for the first and second year after weaning. Choose a mare with a calm and accepting attitude toward the jack. The companionship he develops with this mare will give him confidence and will set the stage for breeding more mares in the future.

In his third year, the jack should be housed alone and be taught to breed in hand (DVD #9).

Question: I looked through several of your past Q & As and it was very helpful. However, I still have a few questions... I want to get a Jack for breeding to mares, but If I get one that has been raised with donkeys... will he have any interest in mares?

Or, should I get an "Experienced" Jack who has already bred mares and jennets, and then teach him to mount a dummy? Do you know anyone that has taught a Jack to mount a dummy? Is their fertility similar to stallions?

Answer: It is difficult to teach a jack to breed mares, and they should not be allowed to breed jennets until they have successfully bred mares for several years. A young jack who is to breed mares should be pastured with a calm and accepting mare during his second year. He may or may not conceive this early, but the real task is to build his confidence for this purpose. Jacks can be very timid with mares, so a regimented training process is necessary to keep him from being discouraged.

It is more difficult to alter the behaviors of the older jack and if they have already bred jennets, it is not impossible, but highly unlikely that they will breed mares. Jacks can be collected from a dummy, but that also depends on the personality and experience of the jack.

Question: I asked you a question a few weeks ago, regarding breeding a 15.2 hand racking stallion to a 50" jenny. You recommended against it on grounds that she might not be able to have the foal.

Although our jenny is only 50" she weighs 650-700lbs and is very long bodied, Would this make any difference? My horse only weighs about 900lbs.

Answer: This is a case of knowing the possibilities of genetic makeup. Though your stallion was small as a foal, if his sire or grandsire had genes for more size, your stallion could pass this on to his offspring. If the jennet is only 12.5 hands and the stallion is 15.2 hands, there is a lot of difference in size to begin with. The offsping will generally mature to the height of the mare or jennet, 2" taller or 2" shorter depending on his genetic makeup.

The vast difference in size between the stallion and the jennet (without the genes of a taller sire or grandsire) still allows the stallion to contribute genes that would make the foal larger than the jennet would be able to manage. If the foal is too large, the smaller jennet would have problems at birth expelling the foal which could even result in the death of the jennet, foal, or both.

Question: Could you tell us how you can determine the size that a mule foal will get at full height? Is there a tried and true method?

Answer: General rule of thumb is that the mule will mature to the mare's height (50%), 2" taller (25%) or 2" shorter (25%) than the mare. The jack will determine the thickness of bone in the mule and rarely contributes much to the height Of course, if you were to use a Standard (48" to 56") Jack, he may produce a slightly shorter animal than would a Large Standard or Mammoth Jack.

Question: Hi! I am a first time horse owner. We recently purchased some land and a bred horse. She was already approx 9 months along when I got her. She is now at 11 months and I just found out that there is fescue in the pasture. I heard that this is bad for pregnant horses.

Answer: Documented cases of fescue related toxicity have included:

1) Mares carrying foals past gestation times.
2) Spontaneous abortion at foaling time.
3) Difficult births due to prolonged gestation.
4) Thickened placentas that are often retained longer than normal which could lead to infection, laminitis or founder and difficult rebreeding.
5) Mares produce little or no milk and the colostrum can be decreased.
6) The mare may not exhibit the normal signs before foaling (udder development, relaxation of muscles around the tail, and filling of the teats.
7) Research on the effects on young horses is inconsistent, but it seems to reduce growth.
8) It isn't the fescue itself that is toxic, but the fungus that typically lives in fescue grass. Most fescue pastures have varying degrees of this endophyte fungus.

Mares in foal should have a balanced diet that is carefully monitored. To avoid incidence of colic or founder, it is advisable to take the mare off all grain and feed only grass hay, or timothy, six weeks before foaling to six weeks after foaling. Grain can be reintroduced safely after this in small increments at a time.

There are a lot of things to consider before choosing a jack for breeding. It would take pages to tell you them all. We have a lot of products available that can help you with this, beginning with DVD #8, #9, and our book, DONKEY TRAINING. For general breeding information, see our book, “A Guide to Raising & Showing Mules.”

Question: I want to breed my own mule baby. If I want a mule at maturity to be around 52 in. Do I need to make sure the mare is this size? And what about the jack? What size does he need to be? Rest assure I will be responsible for this baby as long as I live and the mare will have a permanent home I will pay stud fee for use of the jack.

Answer: When breeding for mules, the mare should be selected for the performance type of mule that you wish and for the approximate height of the mule. Mules will exhibit the athletic abilities of the horse he came out of and his height will be either the mare's height, or somewhere between 2" shorter or 2" taller than the mare.

The jack contributes strength, intelligence and thickness of bone. He does make some contribution to the height, so it is important to consider the jack’s size as well.

For finer boned saddle mules, one would use a Standard jack (36" to 48"), Large Standard jack (48" to 56"). For heavier boned saddle or pack mules, a Mammoth jack (over 56") should be used. For miniatures, we use miniature jacks and for draft mules, Mammoths are best.

Question: I have a burro and I was wondering how long is there pregnancy period? I can't find any information anywhere on burros and I was just wondering if you knew.

Answer:The gestation for pregnant jennets is 12 months. It is the same for mares with mule foals. Sometimes they can foal a few weeks earlier or later depending on the individual animals.

Question: I am 13 years old. I live in California and I will soon have 2 donkeys. I am going to have a baby donkey if everything goes right with my donkey. I need help with her because I had never dealt with delivering a baby. I need your answer soon. She can have the baby any day.

Answer: Most jennets will foal quite easily with little assistance. You can watch, but do not interfere unless it seems she is having difficulties. Most likely, she will foal while you are not there, which is fine if there aren't any complications.

When she does foal, you should make sure they are in a clean and dry bedded stall and keep them there for a couple of days before turning them out. It helps with the bonding of the jennet and foal and allows them to get used to you as well.

You can help dry the foal with a soft towel if it doesn't upset the jennet. Then you would put iodine on the umbilical cord. A "Fleet" enema helps the foal pass the meconium (first manure) more easily. Watch the foal and make sure it is able to nurse within the first two hours. Save the placenta after it is passed for the vet to inspect to make sure the jennet has not retained any pieces of it. Call your vet and have them do a post partum check.

Our book, A Guide To Raising & Showing Mules has a lot of helpful information on breeding and foal care.

Question: Recently we purchased three Reg. Spotted Asses, one jenny just had her foal last week. We want to breed her back to one of our Paint Stallions for a spotted Mule. We have been watching her and putting the stallion in the stall next to her and she hasn’t come into foal heat like our horse mares do at 8 to 10 days from birthing.

Answer: Stallions don't generally have much interest in jennets and need to be taught to breed outside of their species. Some are aggressive enough and will try, but most won’t.

Jennets can be an enigma. They do generally cycle very much like mares, but they can show heat or not at will, so it is hard to tell when they are actually ready to breed. It is difficult even for a veterinarian to tell since many vets are unable to palpate a jennet due to their smaller stature. A jennet that is ready and in heat will generally "clack" her teeth at the jack in addition to sporadic peeing. Though some will exhibit this behavior for a stallion, many will not. They will generally cycle every 21 days and be in heat for 7-10 days.

It is also important to select animals that are similar in size. Horses tend to be much larger than most jennets and if you breed a smaller jennet to a larger stallion, the jennet could have a foal that would be very large, making foaling difficult.

Question: Someone in our area is moving and wants to give me their old jack donkey that is in its 20's. Do they tend to live longer than horses, and is he still able to be used for breeding?

Answer: Donkeys can live to 40 years or better, however, the jack's fertility will depend upon the individual. Ask your veterinarian to do a semen test for fertility to see if he is still a viable breeder.

Question: I have a 3 or 4 year old jenny donkey I've had for a year and a half. She has been with a jack ever since I've had her. She is showing no signs of being pregnant at this time. Is there any way to tell if she is pregnant or tell if she cannot get pregnant?

Answer: Donkeys are a very unique animal and seem to be able to get pregnant when they want to and will not get pregnant if they don't want to. The only sure way to test for pregnancy would be to have your vet come out and test her.

Jennets can have a tight bag for quite sometime and if you do not know when she was bred, it can be difficult to determine when the 12 month gestation will be up. However, there are a few more signs that will manifest themselves as the time gets closer. The vulva will become loose and flaccid. The teats will begin to form milk droplets that will turn to waxy knobs within 2 weeks of foaling. The jennets should be carrying the foal slightly forward from the flanks. When she is closer to foaling, the "bulge" of the baby will shift lower and towards the rear.

It is not advisable to leave her with the jack all the time. It is better that she have her own space and that the jack is taught to be bred in hand. Jacks can be very aggressive and bothersome to the jennets and if they are pastured with the a jack and never get any relief, this could contribute to their inability to conceive and carry a foal.

Look for more information in our book A Guide To Raising and Showing Mules.

Question: We have a mammoth jack that in the past would chase and mount whatever he could catch. I bred him to a jenny and a Quarter Horse mare over a year ago and we are empty handed today. I have put him up to a Paint mare that was definitely in heat and he would get close, curl his lip and walk around to see what else was going on around the property.

Answer: The mounting behaviors you saw at 1 and 2 years old are just play for the tasks to come when he is an adult. If you had planned to use him for breeding, he should not have been allowed to run with the other stock.

If they are to breed mares, weaned jacks should be pastured with a calm and sedate mare that will not retaliate when mounted to build his confidence. At 2 years old, jacks would not necessarily be fertile enough to conceive foals, but it is possible.

Once he turns 3, he should be trained to breed in hand and should be kept by himself. He can have a pen next to other animals, but you would need to run a hotwire around the inside of your fence, so he wouldn't go through it (jacks will flatten about any kind of fencing). After breeding mares for several seasons, he is then ready to be trained to breed jennets. All of this is covered in DVD #9 of our resistance free training series.

There is a slight chance that you may be able to correct this situation if he has an aggressive personality. Begin again by pasturing him with one docile mare. Just make sure he isn’t going to be too aggressive with her. It may take awhile and you might have to wait until next season, or the one after, to see any results, but it couldn't hurt to try.

Question: Where did the mule originate, and how are they reproduced? A student told me that mules were a mix between a donkey and a horse, and that mules were unable to reproduce. She claims that a horse breeder gave her that information. Please clarify this for me.

Answer: Mules go back as far as the Bible where they are mentioned a few times. In many instances they were considered an "accident," but today we are purposely breeding for mules to use in all different equine athletics in addition to their common use as a draft or pack animal.

The mule is always a cross between a male donkey called a jack and a female horse called a mare. The reverse cross would be called a hinny and they have slightly different characteristics than the mule. A horse has 64 chromosomes and a donkey has 62; the resulting offspring mule has only 63 and is sterile due to the uneven number of chromosomes for conception.

There have been a few documented cases of mare mules (mollies) having offspring by a jack or stallion, but it a rare exception.

Question: Can two mules reproduce? Can a mule and a horse reproduce? Can a mule and a donkey reproduce? What are the differences between mules that result from mating a female horse with a male donkey and a male horse with a female donkey?

Answer: The horse has 64 chromosomes and the donkey has 62. The resulting offspring from this cross or mule normally has 63. Two mules cannot reproduce due to an uneven number of chromosomes in their make-up. Chromosomes need to be present in pairs.

There have been documented cases in history where molly mules have been impregnated by a jack and a stallion. The first was "Old Beck," who first had a foal who looked horse-like by a stallion and the second foal who looked like a mule by a jack.

The second case was a mule named "Krause" from Nebraska who foaled twice by a jack with 2 mule-like foals, "Blue Moon" and "White Lightning."

Mules are the cross between a male donkey and a female horse. Hinnies are the reverse cross. The mule seems to inherit all the best qualities from both parents with the overall size and stature closer to the horse. The hinny does not necessarily inherit the best qualities and though physically similar to the mule. Their attitudes are a little more horse-like.

Question: I need your help. My best brood mare just died last night from what the vet thought was milk fever. She milked really heavy and he thought she depleted the calcium in her body. We gave her an IV but nothing worked ....found her dead this morning. Here is the problem - she had an 8 week old filly mule baby, foaled 5/13 The baby is eating grass but won't have mama for milk. What do you recommend for feeding......is 8 weeks too young to wean off milk and get it on feed?

Answer: Two months is still rather young to be weaned although it has been done before. If the filly would accept it, goat's milk or one of the milk products produced for orphan foals fed from a bottle would be good for her until she is truly eating enough real food. She should get the goat's milk every 4-6 hours. She should have the crimped oats mix we recommend and grass hay in front of her all the time to make sure she is getting enough to eat.

Question: I need your help! My Husband and I just got a jenny a few months ago and we were told that she was pregnant. Well when we got her home we found out that she had a very bad club foot left rear leg. I have been watching her and today she can hardly put any pressure on the hoof.

Answer: Jennets and mares are very much the same when it comes to giving birth. They both exhibit signs of labor with an enlarged udder tipped with wax at the ends and sometimes leaking milk before birth. They will be restless and sometimes a little cranky. They will spend time as the birthing gets closer lying down, rolling and getting up frequently. You will notice that in the last two weeks before birth, the foal will shift and be carried lower and more toward the rear than before in preparation for birth. The vulva on the jennet will be more swelled and flaccid (loose).

If she has a club foot, it is conceivable that she may be experiencing pain in her hips from not being able to keep her bones and muscles aligned properly on that side because of the misshape of the foot. She has probably compensated for this all her life, but the added weight and pressure put on her body from the pregnancy is just compounding an already difficult problem. A vet should really look at her and make sure it isn't anything serious like an abscess, or inflammation of some sort in the limb itself.

Chances are, she is just sore and this will work itself out. Unless the foal is too large, she will probably deliver quite easily on her own. Jennets are even more particular than mares when it comes to foaling. Mares will foal in front of humans, but a jennet seems to use every possible means to keep from birthing until no one is around.

Once she has foaled, be very careful upon your approach as they are VERY protective of their foals and will attack quite viciously to defend them, even jennets that have been handled all their lives. To minimize the potential problems, she should be kept by herself in an environment that affords minimal exercise (small pen) and preferably a stall, or loafing shed where she can keep the foal warm and dry after birth.

We have more on pregnant mare and jennet care in our book, A Guide To Raising & Showing Mules.

Question: I am a proud owner of a 4 year old mule named Lucy. In June, I moved her from the stable we purchased her from over a year ago to a stable closer to our home. At the previous stable, Lucy was put out in a corral with other mules and occasionally with horses, specifically a Mustang stallion.

Answer: There have been two documented cases in America where mules have conceived and given birth and even more in other parts of the world.

The first was "Old Beck," who first had a foal who looked horse-like by a stallion and the second foal who looked like a mule by a jack.

The second case was a mule named "Krause" from Nebraska who foaled twice by a jack with 2 mule-like foals, "Blue Moon" and "White Lightning."

I would call the vet and have your mule checked if you think this is true as she should have special care and documentation if she is to deliver a foal safely and easily.

Question: I have a pregnant mare and my vet told me that I could still ride her until she makes a milk sack. But what I would like to know is how big does it have to be before you know when to stop? My horse is swollen and kicks at her belly but it is not really noticeable that she is making one even though you can tell a little bit of a difference.

Answer: What your vet told you is correct, but there are other things to consider. If you have not ridden this mare regularly (2 or 3 times a week) and "in frame," she can easily become sore and uncomfortable on top of the natural discomfort that comes with pregnancy. It may not affect the foal directly, but it wouldn't be the best scenario for the mare's overall health.

The reason she doesn't want to canter is probably because she is experiencing soreness. I would suspect it is because she is not in good enough physical condition. It is better to just leave her alone until after she foals.

Question: I have a donkey at my stables. Someone had come and told me that my donkey was a Jerusalem Donkey, and had the perfect markings of the cross. I would love to find some information on this type of donkey. If you could help me to find a website or if you have any information on this I would appreciate it.

Answer: The cross over the back of some donkeys is largely due to Spanish breeding descent. Because donkey breeds have been unable to stay true and pure in this country, our donkeys are mixtures of these Spanish donkeys and others brought by different breeds brought by explorers from other countries.

The donkey that bears the cross is explained in the Bible when Jesus rode him into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. What is significant is that he rode an ass, an animal that has no natural enemies and is put on this earth for the sole purpose of serving man. When you experience the affectionate character of donkeys, it is easy to see why they have been chosen. They are mirrors to our souls.

If you'd like more information, I suggest you contact the American Donkey & Mule Society, PO Box 1210, Lewisville, TX, 75067, (972) 219-0781, lovelongears@hotmail.com. They have an extensive Longears library that can help you.

Question: I have a miniature donkey dam with her 6-month-old jennet foal at her side. Do I have to wean the jennet foal if I plan to keep both dam and foal? What are the advantages & disadvantages to me weaning the jennet foal as compared to allowing the dam to wean her naturally?

Answer: It is advisable to wean a foal no matter what the circumstances. First, the foal will eventually be taking nourishment from the dam long after they should which will compromise the health of the dam.

The second reason is that the foal, like a human child, needs to become an adult at some point and learn to lead his own life with all that goes with it. An animal that is left with the dam indefinitely can become psychologically dependent and deficient as an adult and could manifest behaviors that might become dangerous.

The foal should ideally be weaned at six months and they should be separated for a year for the weaning to really be effective, after which you can put them back together. If you put them back together too soon, the foal could start nursing again and cause the milk to start flowing again in the dam.

Question: I have a Welch pony stud. Can I breed him to a donkey? If so, will I get a small mule or another donkey? Please respond.

Answer: Yes, you could conceivably breed your Welsh stallion to a donkey jennet. The main concern would be his interest in the jennet and her acceptance of him. The resulting offspring would look very much like a mule, but is called a hinny. It is difficult enough to get a jack to breed a mare, but jacks are typically aggressive animals and will get the job done. Most stallions do not possess this same kind of aggression, which makes breeding for hinnies a little more difficult.

Question: What do I need to expect for my miniature donkey to do before she gives birth?

Answer: Your miniature donkey should be in a pen by herself so she is not stressed at the birth of her foal. If you know when she was bred, she will be due 12 months from that date. It is hard to tell exactly when they will foal, but she her bag should swell and there will be droplets of wax on the ends of the teats. Her vulva will be loose and flaccid. She may roll more often than usual in preparation for the birth and she may be a little more grumpy than usual. And, they will wait until there is no one around before they actually deliver.

Question: As always thank you for your time and help with my mule questions. If you were buying a young mule colt, at what age would you consider optimum to take the weanling away from its mother to its new home? Would love the chance to start bonding and working with the colt as soon as prudent. Thank you again for your help. Look forward to using your videos.

Answer: We wean our colts at 6 months and that should be soon enough. Many people wean too early and that makes for adverse behaviors later. It is not necessary to take the mare off the property, but it is wise to choose a good companion for the foal during weaning to minimize anxiety behaviors. The foal and his companion should have a place where there is adequate shelter and a stout and safe kind of fencing to prevent injury.

The foal should not be penned right next to the mare and should be given a full year of separation to keep him from nursing when he is returned to pasturing with his dam. You can wean multiple animals together, but when he is pastured with an older animal, just pick one for him to be with, so he does not have to fight for a position in a pecking order. If you wean your equine before the six month period, they cannot grow properly and it will compromise the development of their confidence and a willingness to trust.

When you get your foal, just begin with DVD #1 of our resistance free training series and take your time. Things will work out just fine.

Be sure you are feeding as per DVD #8 (to avoid hypertension and an inability to be attentive).It is also advisable to have the mule in a small pen and stall/shed for feeding. That way you can make the distinction between work and play more easily. You would feed in the morning in the smaller area, then, either turn out, or have a lesson (20-40 minutes tops) and then turn out. In the evening, you would bring the mule back in for feeding and keep him up overnight. This gives him a routine he can count on.

We limit lessons to every other day. It just gives them a day to think about what they learned and gives muscles a chance to relax. When you do this, they seem to come back to each new lesson and do what you ask more easily. Consequently, whether you let him out to play and graze, or if you decide to have a lesson, he still looks forward to seeing you because you are the one responsible for his pleasure.

Question: Would a mare reject a foal if she did not have prior contact with donkeys, if one used AI semen?

Answer: Mares seem to do just fine with mule foals regardless of how they were bred, if the situation is routine and relatively stress free. A mare will reject a horse foal if there is stress or anxiety in their living situation. If the situation they are in is calm, accepting and relatively stress free, anything is possible. Of course, certain personality types are just not made to be mothers, but these cases are relatively rare.

Question: I'm looking to buy a young molly. She is not quite 1 year old. When I go to look at her, can you give me 1/2 dozen things to look for in confirmation and behavior?

Answer: Here are some things to look at:
1. While someone holds her lead, stand in front of her and just far enough away that she must stretch her neck to touch you. Take some dirt in your hand and let it trickle out of your hand and fall to the ground. What does the mule do? Is she curious? Does she ignore you or try to leave? This is a way to test the trainability of the animal and to test for a negative disposition. The animal with a trainable and amicable disposition is the one who is curious about what you are doing and does not get frightened and leave or ignore you. Her eyes should be soft and not fixed. Ears should be expressive and attentive. The mule should want to come to you.
2. Check the body for any scarring or signs of severe trauma, hernias, and irregularities.
3. Stand back and look at the animal's overall structure. It should appear to be balanced and smooth. There should be a good and equal angle at the hip and shoulder and neither a back that's too long nor too short. Legs should be set in square to the animal's torso and be straight with clean bone. The animal should look as one animal, not one animal made from a lot of different parts.
4. Check the feet carefully for any flaws or inconsistencies, cracks, rotting, etc.
5. Check the teeth and compare to chart for accuracy of age and health.
6. Watch the animal while someone walks and trots him on the lead line. The gaits should be rhythmic and regular.
7. Get a vet check!

Question: I would like to know if you can be of assistance to me in my search. My father would like to have a mule or a donkey. Since I am very supportive of the Human Society I thought that it might be a good idea for my father to search for a young mule/donkey that is not of show quality. I can assure you that this animal would end up being a pet.

Answer: You are so very kind to be thinking of your father this way and I hope we can help you to find an animal that would do. Is he set on having a mule, or would a donkey do? If so, you might want to contact the Bureau of Land Management and see about adopting a young burro. If they are young enough, they need good homes and make excellent pets.

I no longer breed and sell mules to the public but you can check in the Classified Ads section at www.luckythreeranch.com and see if there are any offered, or you can put up your own ad asking for one. The service is free.

Question: I live on a 30-acre farm in middle Ga. I have always been interested in Mules. I am a beginning rider. Should I get a mule? If so what kind, how old, how big etc.

Answer: I think you should do a little research before you make up your mind. If you are a beginning rider, then you should do this anyway. If you already have an interest in mules, then you should find out as much as you can about them, so you can decide just what type you would want.

We have developed a series of books and videos that can help you do that and when you decide what you would like to have in a mule, I know where to get it. Most people who had horses and tried mules don't like to ride horses that much anymore!

Question: Have watched your show many times and really enjoyed it. I also love your beautiful State. As a child I lived in what is now called Commerce City, CO. I also have a girl friend (from high school) that lives in Fort Collins (Bellvue). I don't really know why I like mules so much but I do. My husband thinks I'm a little nuts but I would love to have one at sometime. My grandfather was the blacksmith during the WWII in D. C. and my Mom said he worked mostly with mules.

Keep up your wonderful show. Maybe on my next trip to CO I can take your tour. I wouldn't be far from you ranch.

Answer: There are as many different personality types in mules as there are in people. Some personality types are compatible and some are not. If you really would like to have a mule and have a genuine attraction for them, then I think there should be a mule out there that would be right for you. The dog should not be a problem once you understand how to introduce them correctly.

A lot of times, people are nervous from a fear of what they don't know and what they are not comfortable with. Knowledge can give you more confidence and help with the nervousness. It can help you to approach your equines (and other animals and people) with a more positive attitude that will result in safe and enjoyable relationships.

We have a very good resistance free training series that can help you discover the right kinds of things to do with your mule in any given situation. Check out the details throughout the “Ask Meredith” section and be sure to read the articles listed in the "Mule Crossing" section about how to use the series and about behavior modification.

Question: I was reading your responses to questions about the practice of shaving tails. I am a retired Forest Service packer with thirty years professional experience. The practice of shaving the top of the tail and belling the tail did in fact start with the US cavalry as both a means of identifying training levels and to protect the base of the tail when using a crupper (secondarily the upper shave became an additional means of showing pride in the animal).

Answer: Thank you for your clarification on shaving the tails. We truly appreciate your taking the time to share this information.

Question: My donkey is terrified with fly spray and she won’t let me get near her with it. How can I get her to calm down?

Answer: It is important that your donkey trusts you. When fly spraying, first make sure your donkey is tied to a stout post. Then, give your donkey a treat (handful of oats), let her smell the spray bottle, then start slow and spray the front legs first and work your way up to the neck, Be sure to pet her and tell her it's OK. Then, when you spray the face and head, make sure that there is no overspray to the eyes and ears. Then work your way back along the neck and cover the body from front to back.

When you have finished, give her another treat of oats, tell her she's been really good and let her go. Make the fly spraying just another part of grooming, so it does not stand alone. If she is groomed in a way that is pleasurable, she will learn to enjoy it and will realize the fly spray keeps the bugs off. When you groom with consideration, your animal will appreciate it.

Question: I have 5 donkeys, 4 that needed a better home than they had, & one whose owner had too many donkeys. They get along well together, running loose on the 10 acres that surrounds our house.

Answer: It is my experience that equine teeth are all basically the same.They have either 40 teeth (in males counting the 4 canines) or 36 teeth (in the females where canine teeth are generally absent). They are born with both baby and permanent teeth in the jaws. The baby teeth will grow out first in pairs within the foal's first year. The permanent teeth are growing, but do not begin to appear and push out the baby teeth until the animal is about 2 1/2 years old.

They will have a full mouth of permanent teeth by the time they are five years old, sometimes six years with mules. The tooth grows out and wears down, changing it's appearance as new parts of the tooth appear. You can tell an equine's age by the shape and markings of the teeth, but only to the age of eight years. After that, the changes in the teeth are not as constant and his age can only be estimated.

We have more about teeth in my book A Guide To Raising & Showing Mules.

Question: Are donkeys susceptible to EIA, and therefore do they require a Coggins test? Also, does foundering refer to overeating or a medical condition involving hooves?

Answer: Yes, donkeys and mules are susceptible to EIA, and all equines are required to have a Coggins when traveling outside of their own farms. Some states do not require the Coggins if you are traveling within the state, however, many farms will require it and health papers before allowing an animal on the premises for events, etc. A Coggins is definitely required when traveling out of state! There are some states that do not require it, but you may need to travel through states that do and they will check!

Founder and laminitis are the names given to a foot problem in which the laminae of the hoof become inflamed. The laminae are delicate tissues and blood vessels that hold the hard shell of the hoof to the bones underneath. These may become inflamed with either infectious or non-infectious agents causing severe pain and lameness.

Founder is most often related to feeding problems. There are many types of founder: grain founder, grass founder, water founder, road founder and postpartum laminitis. In some cases the cause may be hormonal. Though mules and donkeys are less likely to founder than horses, it is still possible, and they should be monitored for it. The most obvious sign of founder is heat in the fetlock, pastern, and hoof. This happen most often in the front feet, but it can affect all four. See more in my book A Guide To Raising & Showing Mules.

Question: We own 3 mules and are looking for information such as books or videos about trimming mules and shoeing them. We would like to learn to do it ourselves because farriers in this area are scarce or have bad reputations. Please help!!!

Answer: Many farriers are afraid to work on mules, but trimming and shoeing is not something you can just learn overnight. You need to go to a farrier's school to learn how to trim and shoe the correct way considering the angles of the animal's bones, structure of the foot, etc.

I suggest going to the American Farrier's website at www.americanfarriers.org. They have lists of farriers in different parts of the country and you might be able to find one in your area. You would want to look for a "journeyman farrier," as they have more schooling and will be more competent. At the very least, you could contact one relatively close and ask if he could recommend someone nearer to you. They also have information about the different farrier’s schools.

Question: I have enjoyed reading your Training Mules and Donkeys. Are Jennets susceptible, and to the extent as horses, to the fungus found in fescue when pregnant? What are the exact complications, and do they occur from fresh grass consumption or only the consumption of hay?

Answer: The fungus found in fescue is a major concern with all equines, not just Longears. Documented cases of fescue related toxicity have included:

1) Mares carrying foals past gestation times.
2) Spontaneous abortion at foaling time.
3) Difficult births due to prolonged gestation.
4) Thickened placentas that are often retained longer than normal which could lead to infection, laminitis or founder and difficult rebreeding.
5) Mares produce little or no milk and the colostrum can be decreased.
6) The mare may not exhibit the normal signs before foaling (udder development, relaxation of muscles around the tail, and filling of the teats.
7) Research on the effects on young horses is inconsistent, but it seems to reduce growth.
8) It isn't the fescue itself that is toxic, but the fungus that typically lives in fescue grass. Most fescue pastures have varying degrees of this endophyte fungus.

Mares and jennets in foal should have a balanced diet that is carefully monitored. To avoid incidence of colic or founder, it is advisable to take the mare or jennet off all grain and feed only grass hay, or timothy, six weeks before foaling to six weeks after foaling. Grain can be reintroduced safely after this in small increments at a time.

Question: I may be the only person that didn't know this, but I know you have the ability to reach out to so many mule and donkey owners with, what I consider the best news in a long time. Cashel is now making a fly mask with ears for donkeys and mules! The Cashel Crusader is a great mask and to think they went one step further to include our wonderful long eared friends is awesome.

Answer: Thank you so much for your email and information on the mule fly masks! I get a lot of people who are interested in obtaining just this kind of item. I will post your email on our website so it will help others. If you come across any other things you feel that would be helpful, please don't hesitate to contact us and we will always do what we can to help!

Question: Do you know of a source to buy a face & ear mask (to protect against flies, etc.) for a mule? Also, is it common for mules to have sores from their girth? What sort of girth would you recommend?

Answer: The fly masks I use on my mules are the Farnam Supermask II without the ear nets. Mules typically do not like their ears constrained and if you do not clip the hair out of the ears and keep a good fly spray on them, they really don't need the netting. You can get these masks at just about any tack store or you can order them from www.statelinetack.com.

As for girths, we use cotton string girths that seem to work very well, but it is important that the girth be tightened snugly four inches back from the forearm and not over the sensitive skin just behind the forearm. Cruppers are necessary to keep saddles in their centered position on their back.

Question: I am at a loss. I have an 8 year old molly mule and she has a foot abscess that I have been treating for a week and still no improvement. I have been cleaning the hoof and applying iodine to the bottom of the hoof and icameyl (not sure of spelling - black tar substance) on the top at the point it should work it's way out. (As you can tell I am not well versed on the hoof).

Answer: Hoof problems can be devastating. It is important to get the best care for your equine's feet because literally, no foot, no mule!

Anytime we have hoof problems, we call in both the veterinarian and the farrier. The veterinarian will generally go in and in the case of an abscess, will pare it out and clean it with betadine (not iodine). Then he would prescribe 10 days of antibiotics and pain medication, if needed (usually phenylbutazone).

It is difficult to ask an equine to stand for soaking the hoof. I realize this has been a general practice, but I am not convinced that this couldn't actually weaken the hoof over time. So, we usually wrap the foot and change the bandage every 3 days for 10-14 days, depending on the severity of the problem.

The farrier is there to make sure the hoof is trimmed properly and patched, if needed, before we wrap it. They can trim the hoof so the animal is most comfortable, thus, promoting healing. The animal should be kept in a stall, or small pen, for the first 3 days to decrease mobility during the critical part of the recovery period. Then they can have a little more room for the remainder of the recovery period, but nothing as large as a pasture.

Daily stall and pen cleaning and an ounce of Mazola corn oil in the crimped oats mix we recommend can help prevent these kinds of problems.

Question: I just received your book on donkey training and I am really excited. I have two standard donkeys that have really nice build and temperament. I have only had them about 2 weeks. I had the farrier out and she says the 5 year old shows founder signs on her hind feet. The lamina being separated in a few places. From the outside of the hoof they look great except for a white line. The donkey shows no signs of tenderness whatsoever. Their hooves stand up straight and tall, not rotated at all.

Answer: It sounds to me like your donkey may have what is called White Line Disease. It is a complex makeup of fungi and bacteria. Research has isolated over 300 different fungi and bacteria found in different combinations in the hoof. Some are aggressive and hard to kill while others are treatable, therefore different rates of success.

You would know it is white line if there is a hollow area behind the hoof wall. There can be underlying reasons for White Line that are environmental problems as well as feeding.

Treating white line can be difficult and frustrating at best. You can get information on treating White line Disease from the American Donkey & Mule Society atlovelongears@hotmail.com. If you can get it treated, you will have years of fun with your donkeys and will certainly be able to ride them. Even founder can be treated and they would be able to be ridden after the problem has grown out, but I would not begin any stressful training until this problem is cleared up.

Daily stall and pen cleaning and an ounce of Mazola corn oil in the crimped oats mix we recommend can help minimize these kinds of problems.

Question: First I want to commend you on a wonderful website - I've been on for two hours and would stay for another two if I didn't have to get up for work!! Others questions have answered several of mine. My question is on gelding-we have a very limited pool of vets here and none that have previous experience with mules. the first mule we gelded was yearling-vet seemed competent (vet I'd used for 25yrs on horses retired) but he bled for most of 24hrs then kept biting at wound and opening it up-had to use cradle to stop him and couldn't turn him out for fear he'd get hung in something. Turned out ok but scary.

Answer: We recommend that you castrate your young mules and donkeys at five months and wean at six months. This gives their testicles time to develop to a point where the surgery can be done easily and at a time when they can still receive the emotional support from their dams. The older they get, after about 4 years of age, the more dangerous it becomes to have them castrated. It just becomes too hard on their system. Often, mules and donkeys will fight the effects of anesthesia giving the false impression that they have not been given enough. If they are fighting it and they are given more, they can overdose easily. It makes more sense to keep them calm, give them a normal dose and have their dam, or a buddy, present to keep them calm during surgery to minimize potential problems.

Male mules and jacks not used for breeding need to be castrated to be safe and dependable adults. Alert your vet that during castration, mules and donkeys need to be both tied and cauterized. Male mules and jacks that are not castrated can exhibit aggressive and unmanageable behaviors that can be very dangerous. It is my 30 year breeding and castration experience that mules and donkeys do not necessarily require more sedation, but rather the same amount as a horse of the same size. The trick is to be able to keep them calm during the process as it is the anxiety about it that will cause them to have the equivalent of an "adrenalin rush" that will pop them out of sedation. Then when given more, they often will overdose. We just keep the dam tied nearby during castrations, or if they are older and not with their dam, we tie a "buddy" nearby. This has worked like a charm.

In male equines, the testicles are often visible at birth, and in many cases, always dropped. The inguinal ring, the tissue band that anchors them in the scrotum, closes down at 24 months. If the testicles are above it at this time, the animal is a cryptorchid or monorchid.

During the summer months, he should have them dropped at some point. Keep looking behind him. Actually rolling him over to look tends to make them pop back up.

Do keep a close eye; if you don't see any sign of them normally down in the scrotum at all, it's likely a more complicated surgery is necessary. ANY jack with a retained testicle is not suitable for breeding.

Question: Is my mule herd bound or just anxious? I have a molly mule that I have had for a year. She is 13. She lived outside for most of the winter, but I wanted her to get used to living indoors in a stall, so we brought her inside in April. We put here in a large stall with big windows to the alleyway. At first she paced and brayed a lot but then she was fine.

Answer: It is important for equines to have plenty of exercise time in between their training sessions in order to remain calm and stress free. They need time to be who they are...a gregarious, grazing animal. It sounds like she was afforded this in the beginning, but is now suffering from acute anxiety.

She is not herd bound; she just doesn't get the time with her friends that she used to, nor the exercise and she is now living in solitary confinement most of the time. It would affect anyone this way. You should either arrange for her to be turned out longer with her buddies, or find another place for her as these anxious behaviors will only get worse under the circumstances.

Question: Here is a link to professional farrier talk on the BB#3 - Farriers Helping Farriers General Discussion Bulletin Board at horseshoes.com about your show that I think you would really enjoy.
http://www.horseshoes.com/fhelpf/bb3/messages/7972.htm. Keep up the good work!

Answer: Thank you so much for sending me the link to the chat the farriers had about my TV show. It is nice to know it prompts this kind of discussion. I have been researching equine behavior and athletic potential for some time now and though it wasn't pointed out on the program, it should be that the more athletic animals would go "heel/toe" in their forward movement. Those who are going "toe/heel" are actually doing a backwards movement while going forward. The same principles apply in dancing.

Farriers would need to be careful about the shoeing of animals that are not moving correctly because it might be that the animal's conformation is the real problem and not just the foot. If an animal is shod correctly, in balance, paying attention to the angles of the bones in his legs and feet, then training can help correct his posture and build the muscles evenly throughout his body. This will give him maximum efficiency of movement for his particular conformation without compromise.

If an animal is corrected in the feet without respect to his bone alignment, it can stress and compromise other parts of the body and eventually render the animal incompetent. I agree that there is a degree of correction that can be done to help straighten the animal's feet, but it must be done without stressing the tendons and muscles in the legs. If there is stress, it will start with problems in the legs and can move to other parts of the body that are used to compensate for the incorrect alignment.

There will always be problems with those who have less than good conformation and one can only expect minimal success with those individuals. They can certainly be improved, but will never be as good as those whose conformation is more correct, are shod in balance, are conditioned properly and can initiate movement fluidly because they are anatomically structured to do so (Physics 101).

It is important to realize that each element of this conditioning is important to the overall picture and one element or another cannot make ALL the difference. In other words, the farrier may be able to get the animal shod correctly, but if the exercise program does not build the muscles properly, then athletic potential is lost. It is the conscientious use of a combination of elements that create the true athlete.

Thus, I would expect the true athlete to come forward like a dancer with a heel/toe action in the foot. When they back, they should back toe/heel. The animal that is flat footed is just that and no more. He does not possess the "spring" to allow the energy to move freely forward. The animal that tracks toe/heel" is moving out behind and is actually dragging the hindquarters like a trailer with the brakes on. I do appreciate your input and I would like to post this email on the website for others to see. I think it could help many people in a lot of different ways. Maybe they will appreciate the difficult job that farriers have to do. Like many jobs, it looks easy to the casual observer, but as I am sure you know, there are details to consider to be a good farrier. My hats off to all of you! Your job is not an easy one and is often gone unappreciated.

Question: I have question on the degree to set the mule hooves. Amish say 62 for trail riding and 64 for pulling. Mules & More say 52 to 53, which is quarter horse settings. Do you have any information on this subject?

Answer: All equines should be trimmed and shod at the angle that is already established by the structure of the leg that the hoof is attached to. The angle in the hoof will be predetermined by the angle and direction of the bones involved in the leg and quarters. Mules should be trimmed more upright than horses because their angles are more upright than horses.

The hoof should reflect the same angle and follow the same line as the bones involved to make sure that each leg is properly balanced, thereby creating a solid structure for the support of the body. This is difficult to explain without visual aids, but any variations in trimming to correct crookedness in the leg will result in overstressing some tendons and contracting others making for a weakened foundation for the animal.

Very mild corrections are acceptable, but if an animal has imperfect conformation (which they all do to some extent) trimming to correct this will only result in soundness problems. So, each leg on each animal has to be assessed individually and needs to be balanced to what would be the optimum angle for that particular leg, on that particular animal. The result should be that the equine can uniformly and easily balance equal weight on all four feet.

If your molly has been trimmed improperly in the past, this could account for her lameness and would explain why she is doing better now that she has been allowed to grow out a little.

Question: I have recently realized the importance of an independent attitude for mules used in endurance riding. I didn't realize how lucky I was to have my mule Maude until I rode some horses were extremely herd bound.

Answer: Mules and donkeys are rather like people when it comes to having different personality types, but you can instill confidence and independence in your foal if you follow the guidelines in our resistance-free video training series. Not only that, you will also minimize the incidence of undesirable behaviors that often lead to depression in the mule's character and improper response.

Our series is designed like grade school is for children and it addresses the physical, mental and emotional well-being of your animal through the use of behavior modification and a good athletic conditioning program. We emphasize the importance of doing things that are appropriate for the level of understanding and the physical base of your animal for the best results.

If you don't have the entire series yet, you may want to go ahead and get the rest of the tapes so you can see how one thing builds on the next and so you can see how what you do today will impact the tasks that are yet to come. I designed this training series as a solid foundation for whatever equine athletics you choose to do. The important elements in any athletic endeavor are clearly the same: good attitude, confidence and developing the physical athlete slowly and completely to avoid injury and breakdown.

It is important as your foal is growing that you do set aside a reasonable amount of time to spend with him so he can develop good habits and so you can mold his character in a positive fashion. It is also important that he get consistency in the way the training is practiced.

Setting up the environment for success is paramount for the best results. For example, you can't really succeed with DVD#1 if the foal is always on pasture. He needs to have a smaller area that you can bring him in each evening and feed him, then feed in the morning and turn out when you are finished with him.
This gives you a workable area for training and makes for a clear definition between his work and play.

Another factor is feeding. Mules and donkeys can founder on the feeds we give horses. Horse feeds can cause hypertension and an inability to concentrate for longer periods of time. When the feeding is not properly balanced, the animal is unable to get the most from what you are teaching. The premise of our resistance-free video training series is to set the animal up for success so training goes smoothly...and it really works when applied correctly. Those who try to take shortcuts will not see the same results as those who really put the correct time into each phase of training.

Question: My husband and I are hoping to buy a mule within the next year. We have been asking questions about raising, training, etc. Someone told us that mules require shoeing monthly!!!!! Is this true?

Answer: Equines in general need to be shod every 6-8 weeks. Mules hooves are tougher than horse's hooves, so in many cases they do not require shoeing at all. They should still be trimmed or shod every 6-8 weeks.

Reasons for shoeing mules would be:
1) If they have light-colored (softer) hooves and are ridden regularly.
2) If they are ridden regularly for prolonged periods of time, everyday.
3) If they exhibit hoof problems such as cracks, frequent abscesses, etc.
4) If they participate in events such as Combined Training (cross country jumping, stadium jumping & dressage)or endurance events
5) If they are ridden as a work animal each day, as in the case of a cattle ranch.
6) If they are to be ridden in rocky terrain regularly.
7) If they are ridden or driven on hard ground
8) If they are competitive pulling animals
If the mule is an occasional riding animal, they generally will not need to be shod which is actually healthier for the foot.

Question: I am an Equine Training Advisor on HorseCity.com. --I have 6 horses and 1 mule. We bought the mule about 4 mo. ago and he was kept in the pen next to the horses and they socialized over the fence during this time. When we put Festus in with the horses he attacked them so viciously that I cannot show my Arab mare in halter any more because of the scarring. He chased my paint mare into the fence and while she was in the wire, he actually bit a hunk of flesh out of her back and kicked her.

Answer: Male mules, gelded or not, between the ages of 4 and 12 are very male and full of themselves. What "Festus" is doing is asserting his dominance over the herd (not necessarily in a polite fashion!). Most young male mules are this way about females. I do not see him getting over this until he is between the ages of 12 and 15 years old.

Because of this same problem, I pasture my horses away from the mules, even though the mare mules and some of the older males get along with the herd fine. I have even had to separate some of the older mules from these young "hooligans!"

Now, my young males just go after each other and have figured out their pecking order. The females are docile and submissive and hang with whatever male chooses them. The fights are not as brutal as they were before.

Male mules can be very sweet and extraordinary performers, but they are behaviorally quite different from horses. Their primary companions are not generally the animals they are stabled with, but rather their human counterparts. They can be reprimanded by their dams if they are present in the herd, but as they get older, even the dams may have trouble with the younger males. They are generally VERY MALE!

Question: We have a herd of mules and horses. We started having trouble with the tails being chewed off. We have moved them around to different pens and have narrowed down the tail bitters to three different mule. Is there a way to get them to stop biting other mule and horse tails. Is it problem with their diet or a behavioral problem.

Answer: I think a lot of tail chewing is the result of boredom, but that doesn't make it any less of a problem and sometimes the solution could be impractical. I used to have this same problem until I began grooming everyone once a week, using Johnson's baby oil on the manes and tails. It keeps the hair from drying out and discourages them from chewing on each other's tails. It also keeps the manes and tails from getting too tangled to brush easily. If you go to a show, you just wash it out.

Question: I have a 20-ish hinny that I adopted from a rescue. He was abused (?). He is attached to my 25-ish Belgian that I saved from New Holland auction and France. I have been working with him, Now he can get his feet trimmed, but it was difficult. Donkey and mule people have been giving me advice.

Answer: Your hinny just needs to settle in and get to know you. I would think it would be more beneficial to have the farrier come to him as animals usually do better at home with their friends. You can set up the situation so he is comfortable by tying his Belgian friend nearby during these sessions and by having a bucket of oats for him to eat while working on his feet. Keeping him comfortable and as stress free as you can will really help.

As for sheath cleaning and floating teeth, we set up a comfortable environment for them, a hitch rail near their "friends" and then use a mild sedative. The only danger in using sedatives with longears is when they are stressed to begin with and you try to solve the problem with the drugs alone. They can come out of sedation in an instant if their adrenaline starts to flow. When they do come out of sedation because of a rush of adrenaline in their systems, some vets have been known to give them another injection which can overdose them. This is why you would want them to be handled with their "friends" nearby.

Question: I have just acquired a mule colt, 6 weeks old, and need advice on training him to be separated from his dam for a short period of time, or if this is advisable at all. His dam is trained to drive and her owner wants to show her in 2 weeks time. I am training him to tie and lead as you teach in DVD #1. Also working with him to pick up his feet. He's just starting to eat Omolene 300.

Answer: I can't imagine anyone needing to show so badly that they would take a mare that just foaled six weeks ago to a show. Preparing for classes requires that the animal be in peak athletic condition in order to even place. It takes many months to get an animal in that kind of condition. They may be very good with their response, but a judge will see the lack of preparation and conditioning.

As for the foal, it really isn't fair to him to be separated from his dam during this very important time in his life. Foals are generally weaned at six months for a reason. There is a lot of growing they need to go through both physically and mentally in that six months in order to grow up to be a healthy and well-adjusted adult. Even foal classes at shows don't require the foals to be separated more than a few feet from their dams during judging.

In my estimation, new mothers and foals shouldn't even be taken to shows and exposed to the possibility of disease brought in by animals from so many different places and the heightened possibility of injury in such a busy situation. They're immune systems have already been compromised by the trauma of the birth and the chaos of showing is highly stressful. It's just really risky.

In addition, mares should not be given grain of any kind six weeks before foaling and six weeks after, grass hay only. Then, grain should be introduced slowly and it should be a low protein grain to prevent possible post partum colic, or founder. Mules require less protein for maintenance and the Omolene grain mix is too hot for a mule of any age, let alone a foal (see DVD #8 in our series for feeding recommendations). I have my horses on the same feed program as my mules and they seem to be healthier overall as well.

You are doing the right thing in beginning to teach the foal some basic ground manners to complement what he is learning and really, that is about all you can do if this woman is determined to show this mare. Your idea of keeping the foal close during the class is really the best you can do. If he isn't perfect, don't worry about it. Just make sure that when the mare is away, you and the foal are in a safe place, one where he and you won't get injured if he does become a little silly.

Question: I think this would be great information to post, I totally agree with everything Meredith said. All the farrier can do is take care of the basics and should be careful about how much changes are done at one time, the best policy is to take it slow and give the rest of the body time to catch up. Farriers should establish a good foundation and balance the feet, keep up with the latest information and continue to improve there work.

Answer: I share your views and agree it is important that those of us who know should share with those who don't for the benefit of our equines. I would like to post your comments on my website, so people will have the opportunity to read what you say.

Question: What are the pros and cons of spaying a molly? we have a two-year-old molly that is very obvious when she is in heat- even when we are working her she squats and pees, makes 'baby mouth' and it is very inconvenient, not to mention unsightly. We hope to show her under saddle and her cycles may interfere with show dates and other plans!

Answer: I have had a lot of experience with molly mules in heat and also with animals that have been spayed. Spaying does not seem to help at all and in some cases has made things worse. The best course of action is to lighten up on the week she is in heat and lower your expectations. If you are sensitive to the fact that she really cannot control this (any more than a human woman can) and put less pressure on her at that time, she will be more apt to give you the best she can.

I recommend our resistance-free training series for optimal performance. Begin with DVD’s #1 and #8 (feeding and maintenance, advanced showmanship). Take the training in sequence and this will guarantee that you'll be doing the right kinds of things in their proper order to insure that you get the best from her, making your time with her both safe and enjoyable. Even molly mules who are in heat will exhibit less aggressive behaviors during their cycle if they have the benefit of this training. You will just need to use good judgment and lower your expectations of mollies and jennets during these times.

Question: I have a 9 year old molly. I have had her 5 years. She has become a great pet as well as ridding companion. She does have a physical problem with the tendons that run from the top of her rump to the back of her legs. This causes her to step short when walking. I have had 3 vets look at it and all agree it was either a birth defect or result of training accident long before I got her. It appears to cause her no pain normally.

Answer: There may be some kind of physical therapy that can take place with your mule that would help the tendons to stretch and stay flexible. She may never be completely normal, but rest assured, she will let you know if there is any discomfort.

It is difficult to assess her any further without seeing her, but be careful of babying her too much as well as this could cripple her even more than she already is. She does need to do mild exercise to stay strong and somewhat flexible for her overall health. Our lead line exercises would be a great help to her overall core strength and could relieve some of the stress on her tendons.

Question: I want to thank you so much for all of your help, your books and videos (which have been a life saver!!) and for being here for all of us, when we have all the questions and look up to you as the "Mule lady" A few weeks ago I had asked you a question about feeding, It helped so much that we told our friend who is a trainer and has a small ranch, and she has now switched all her animals over and is not experiencing colic anymore! So thank you, thank you.

Answer: It sounds like Jake is a very well mannered jack already and this puts you ahead of the game. Castration would make him a safer animal to be around since he would not have the high testosterone levels after awhile that can make jacks aggressive and dangerous. Jacks are typically very sweet and affectionate. They just have moments where their instincts can kick in when they are not castrated.

I do agree with your trainer, however, that Jake should be kept by himself for awhile after castration and the young mules should not be turned in with him until they are at least three years old. They do need time to grow and be able to fend for themselves before they are turned in with any older animals with the exception of their dams or gelding horses. Even other equines, male or female could assert their dominance over these youngsters and possibly injure them, or worse.

As long as you and your mother practice safe horsemanship with Jake and don't let him take advantage, he should be safe for your mother. Good ground manners should be practiced every time you take out your equines. They are like children and will learn to be polite and considerate as long as this is what is expected from them each time they are handled

Question: We have just purchased a two year old mare mule. I would like to know which vaccines you suggest besides the Coggins. She will be used primarily for trail riding on the property and national parks in the Tenn.

Answer: Thank you for your email. Coggins isn't a vaccine. It is a blood test to make sure that the animal is not carrying any disease. You will need to consult a veterinarian to see what vaccines are needed for your area.

Question: My mule has cut the tip of his nose. I have tried to doctor it and he is good about it but the cut will not heal. I think that when he is grazing it keeps the cut open. Do you have any suggestions? Hope is well with you and your mules...love the show.

Answer: You can use Neosporin and it will clear up just about anything. If that doesn’t work, there is only one thing I know that seems to heal just about anything a mule or donkey can get and that is Panalog (sometimes sold as Animax). You will probably need a prescription, or get it directly from your veterinarian. If anything will clear up your mule's problem, this will!

Question: Have been unable to get consistent answers to my question about good/proper/correct time to geld our new john foal. I understand that mules/donkeys can be more prone to bleeding than a horse as a result of the castration procedure, and likely to remember the last person who handled them prior to the pain associated w/needles and or procedure. Especially the johns.

Answer: I have raised a lot of mule foals and over half were john mules. I have worked closely with my veterinarian for more than twenty years and we both agree that it is best to castrate the john mules at five months when they are still with their dams, then wean at six months.

Castration is a traumatic event and if it is done at five months, it gives the testicles time to mature enough for the surgery to be effective and it lowers the stress level for the mule foal because he has his dam with him during the recovery period.

Mules have been known to come out of sedation because of stress and some who have been given more sedation afterwards have actually overdosed on the drugs. There can be excessive bleeding as you have mentioned, but taking the precaution of both "tying" and cauterizing makes for a clean castration.

After castration, it is important that the mare and foal are kept in a clean run with good shelter, so that the foal can get enough exercise to inhibit swelling and promote proper drainage for the site to heal properly, but not so much space that would allow him to over exert himself. Castration is ideally done after the first freeze of the year (October/November) so that bugs and insects are not a problem.

Question: We have found a beautiful mule weanling 4 and 1/2 months old that we would like to buy. She is out of a registered Tennessee Walker by a mammoth jack and should mature at 15 hands. Our concern is her hooves. They are white, which I know are softer than dark ones and they turn up. My first reaction was that they look like hooves of foundered animals. Can a baby that age have foundered?

Answer: You are wise to have a soundness check done on this baby before you buy her. She sounds very nice, but you are also right about light colored feet being softer and more prone to chipping and breakage. They can, however, be protected with shoes when it comes time to ride her. Until then, she should be trimmed regularly.

I suspect the owners didn't realize that it is important for foals to have their feet trimmed as early as two to three months and then maintained every 6-8 weeks to insure proper hoof growth. This is probably why her feet are curved and have the appearance of early founder. Since she is still nursing, it is highly unlikely that she has actually foundered. It is also conceivable that she has a genetic problem with the structure of her hooves which would not be good, but your vet should be able to determine whether this condition is genetic or not.

Question: We had two Jacks until today. We had 3 until 2 weeks ago and a neighbor wanted one for her herd of goats. We had a dad and his two sons. So they have grown up together on our 20 acres. The sons are about 4 and 5 years old. Just within the past 4-6 weeks the 5-year-old remaining son started chasing his dad to exhaustion but he does/did not chase his brother at all?

Answer: I would not recommend putting your stallion or jack in with any other animals...EVER. Being an intact male, he will be obnoxious and potentially dangerous to other animals and could possibly even kill them. Pasture breeding is not that safe as it is not like being in the wild where there is plenty of space and no fences to run into. To keep them safe and healthy, they need to be managed differently in modern day society. Stallions and jacks can be quite contented with a good feeding, a regular training program and a routine breeding program if used for that purpose.

All other jacks should be gelded and if they are gelded later in life, it is still not advisable to pasture them with anyone else, especially animals that are smaller or weaker, and cannot defend themselves as jack behavior will not change that much once they are adults.

Equines will typically chew on fences and that can become a real problem. Mules and donkeys are very clever and can get out of just about any kind of fencing. I have found that what works well is to line the inside of your fence with a hotwire and make sure all gates are chained shut with snaps that do not have a protruding catch in them (like truckers' snaps). Jacks MUST be adequately fenced in.

There are some kinds of fence that you definitely want to avoid. That would be barbed wire or any other kind of wire that would allow them to get a foot caught in it. You can use just about any kind of fence as long as it is high enough (4 1/2'- 5 1/2') but I haven't used a fence yet that I didn't have to line with hotwire to keep the mules and donkeys in! They're ext in a lot of cases extremely smart!

We have vinyl fencing with a hotwire run through the posts at the top and between the first two rails that is attractive and works well. The only fencing that you wouldn't need to use a hotwire on is one that is made from portable stock panels. Tube metal fencing can be okay, but it needs to be 4 rails high (at least 5') and should not be spanned too far from post to post because they can bend these!

Get rid of any barbed wire on your place altogether! Even with the hotwire, barbed wire can still be very dangerous and if you have ever seen what it can do to an equine, you wouldn't want it anywhere near them! It is better to fence with wire horse fencing and a top rail with the hotwire running along the inside of the top rail to prevent cribbing or contact with the fence. It may be a little more costly than barbed wire, but when you take into account the possibility of barbed wire vet bills, it is actually cheaper!

Question: Watch your show every chance I get. (love it) I have 3 questions.

Answer: Mules and donkeys do lose their winter hair a lot slower than horses and will usually only be really sleek for about a month, to a month and a half before growing in their winter coat again. Do not worry too much as this is their natural protection against bugs and parasites and their natural insulation against the heat and cold.

The pear shaped body is from a lack of proper exercise that would strengthen the core muscles over the back, around the rib cage, in the abdominal area and give it a more contoured look.

Question: I just recently got a mammoth gelding, saddle donkey and a bred jenny and one with a new baby. In past with our mules, have used daily wormer/Strongid-C. I am curious if you recommend daily wormers for donkeys. The vets in our area are not familiar with donkeys and haven't been any help. Have heard of this daily wormer causing soft hooves, white line disease by some people. I want to do everything right for our donkeys.

Answer: I would be suspicious about using wormer everyday. It is important to have a good worming program to keep animals relatively free of parasites, but worming every other month is sufficient and does not cause toxicity in the body.

There are different types of wormers for different types of worms. It is important not to use the same wormer all of the time, so the worms do not build up a resistance to it and so you can be sure to kill the broadest spectrum of worms.

We use ivermectin every other month until November. Then in November, after the first freeze, we worm with Srongid to break the predictable cycle of worming and to kill any worms that are not affected by the invermectin.

I can understand your fear of riding after the accident you described. If you take time to educate yourself about your donkey and get practice with groundwork and riding properly, you will become more adept, your confidence will grow and your fears will subside. Our resistance-free training series can help you. It is designed to begin with DVD’s #1, #8 and #9, no matter the age or experience of the animal and take the training in sequence. We teach you how to develop a good working relationship with your donkey and how to develop good riding techniques.

Question: I am training two - a six-year old Molly and her ½ brother, a 5-year-old John. Earlier this summer Molly had a dislocated knee that went back in later in the day. We found her that way one day-dragging a hind leg. There were no marks, bumps or anything. I checked her again in a few hours and it was back in. She was not limping, trotting around and seemed normal.

Answer: Mules are very active participants in life and occasionally do injure themselves just as a young child does during the early years of exploration and un-coordination. They will get bumps, bruises and sprains that will come and go; some need treatment, some don't. Your molly mule is an individual who hasn't really ever been conditioned properly; her muscles around the joints are not strong and evenly strengthened. It is much the same as a person who does not exercise regularly, or properly. She is lacking core strength.

It doesn't take much to cause a sprain or worse. If you are concerned about her performance in the future, she will need to begin an exercise program that will strengthen her body in the correct posture to lessen the chance of this reoccurring. Our training series can help you with this. Though your mule is already trained to some extent, it will be necessary to still begin with DVD #1 and go through the series in sequence. As in any exercise program, you should be prepared to go slowly. It takes time to condition the muscles and give the mule the strength to be able to carry a rider or pull a cart without putting undue stress on their bodies.

The mistake people make most often with equines is by trying to ride them too soon. Equines shouldn't be ridden until they are at least three years of age and that should be light work only until four years old or better. Horses only live about 25-30 years on the average, but without core strength they won't even last that long if they are started too early. Mules mature even slower than horses, but they live a lot longer, 40+ years. You can afford to take your time and do it right. If you do, you will have a happy, willing animal, with a considerably longer life span and there should be next to no resistance during training. This makes the whole experience, day-by-day, more enjoyable and fulfilling for both you and your animal.

Question: I know this might not have everything to do with mules and donkeys, but I could think of no one else to ask. My friend told me about a woman at her barn that gives her horse fruit and vegetable salad. I'd like to start doing this occasionally as a little treat for my horse.

I just need it plain and simple, what fruit/veggies can it feed and what can't or shouldn't I? Thank you so much!

Answer: Treats such as you describe can actually cause problems. The treats of crimped oats that we use to reward animals for positive behaviors are what the animal should be eating in their diet anyway and serves as a supplement for extra work. The treats are only dispersed for positive behaviors and the rest of the time, the animal is expected to behave.

When treats are not done in direct response to a positive behavior, the animal can become aggressive and disrespectful in search of the treats and can become dangerous.

An herbivore’s diet is supposed to be grasses and plants such as this. They are not prone to go after fruits and vegetables unless there is nothing else present. Fruits and vegetables are simply not as healthy for them as grass and oats.

Question: Would one pound a day still be the same for a mule in extreme cold weather? I am weaning my mule over to crimped oats from 12% sweet feed. He looks great and not hyper with the sweet feed but I found out from you and other mule people sweet feed is not the best.

Answer: The ration of 1½-2 cups of oats that I describe is for an average size mule. Miniature should receive half as much and draft mules twice as much, but they should never need more of the oats mix, just more grass hay or pasture. More grain will make them grow too fast and break down earlier in life than they would otherwise.

We get cold here in Colorado as well, but as long as they have free choice grass hay and the prescribed grain mixture, they will do well. If you feed beyond what I have suggested, you could put your animal at risk for colic and founder as well. As far as extra vitamins and selenium are concerned, you would need to establish the fact that the animal actually has a deficiency before giving it to them. Otherwise, you could cause problems of toxicity.

Question: Just came back from the states; am always happy when I catch your show on RFD TV. In the program you mentioned that mules don't do well on sweet feed. In what regard do they not "do well"? I feed a mix cut with crimped oats, living in a hot climate I don't feel too much sweet feed is good for the mares or the mules.

Answer: Sweet feeds and other high protein products can cause hypertension in mules and donkeys that will result in short attention spans and stress to organs. They can cause severe colic and founder that could ultimately result in death.
Some of the more mild problems can be accelerated growth that results in weakness in the bones, muscles and tendons which will later manifest itself as splints, ringbone and other such maladies.

Question: Do you have some good advice, maybe an article about feeding donkeys? It is always a talking point, when donkey-people meet.

Answer: You are so right! Many people are overfeeding donkeys...and mules, too. These animals only need the bare minimum of essential vitamins and minerals. Just for the record, straw has no nutritional value at all, so it isn’t good for much except bedding.

I have not done scientific studies in a laboratory, but my advice comes from the practical experience of feeding over 30 mules and donkeys for nearly 40 years. Through trial and error, we have discovered the best feeding program for our equine athletes (horses included) and they are all doing well.

We do have a section on feeds and nutrition in DVD #8 (available in PAL) of our resistance free training series, Equine Management & Donkey Training and in Equus Revisited that are translated into French, German and Spanish. We recommend 1 lb. (2 cups) crimped oats mixed with 1 ounce of a vitamin supplement such as Clovite or Sho-Glo, and 1 ounce of Mazola corn oil (for a shiny coat and digestive tract regularity). This is for an average size animal.

For the smaller mules and donkeys, we only give a handful of oats (roughly half of what we give the average sized animals, just enough to mix with the oil and supplement.

Average animals get two flakes grass hay morning and evening. Smaller mules get one flake or less morning and evening. When we increase the work, they are rewarded while working with addition oats, so the oats are not increased at feeding time. We will increase hay at feeding time relative to the work they are doing. Monitoring their weight is done visually on a day to day basis. You learn to watch the crest of the neck and over the croup for fat development and feed accordingly to keep those fat deposits from forming .A certain amount of exercise is critical, but it doesn't have to be a lot.

We believe that the first order of training is to consider all aspects of the animal's well being, emotionally, physically and mentally. These things need to be in balance for the best results.

Question: We have purchased two of your books and they are very helpful; however two things are still unclear to us. Our donkey is now 7 months old, and we are not sure how much grain he should receive a day.

Answer: If you have purchased the book, Donkey Training, it has most of what you will need to know, however the DVD’s that go with the book are a lot clearer since you can see everything that is happening. You should feed your 7-month-old donkey no more than 2 cups of crimped oats mixed with an ounce of Mazola corn oil and about an ounce of a low protein vitamin supplement such as Sho Glo or Clovite once a day. Feed and monitor weight gain with grass hay and pasture time. These things are covered in DVD #8 of our video series.

The lead rope should be attached under the chin. When you begin showmanship training, you will attach your lead shank differently than you would a lead rope. This is covered in DVD #1, #8 and #9. Actually, our DVD series is the detailed version of the books. The first 7 DVD’s are designed for both mules and donkeys´ basic training. They are to be taken in sequence beginning with DVD #1 whether your mule is a foal or older animal that needs better training. DVD #8 is on management, fitting, grooming and advanced showmanship. DVD’s #9 and #10 deal specifically with the differences in training donkeys.

Question: I just bought (saved) a 20 yr old john mule. He stole my heart; I saw him working every time I went to the saddle shop. He is very boney and looks like the old mule in the Disney comics. The Amish have been using him to haul logs out of the woods.

Answer: Fifteen pounds of grain is too much and may even hinder weight gain. He can eat free choice hay as long as it is grass hay, but no alfalfa, or broad leaf hays. They can cause colic or founder. We feed a grain mix to our average sized mules of 1-2 cups of crimped oats, 1oz. of a vitamin concentrate such as Sho Glo or Clovite and 1 oz. Mazola corn oil (for hooves, coat & digestive tract regularity) fed once a day in the evenings and grass hay twice a day. We monitor weight with the hay intake and pasture time. Miniatures should get 1/2 as much of the grain mix and grass hay and drafts twice as much..

When we train, we use the same crimped oats as a reward since it gives them the extra energy they will need during training. Crimped oats are also a treat that they will never tire of and will continue to work for. Carrots and other treats will not work the same way and will not yield the same results. Crimped oats may have more fat, but I have not had any serious medical problems since I began using this program over 15 years ago and my equines have remained in remarkably good shape. We have had the broodmares on the same program and colic has ceased to be a problem.

We feed the same amount to foals that are growing as we do the animals that are older and have average use. Mules are generally easy keepers and the 2 cups of oats is primarily for animals who live in a colder and harsher climate and who tend to lose weight in the winter. Those who live in more moderate climates will do fine on a 1-1½ cup mixture of oats, vitamin concentrate and Mazola corn oil throughout the winter months.

Some mules that are just easier keepers and maintain their weight just fine on the 1-1½ cup mixture. Generally, we try to monitor weight gain or loss with the grass hay consumption before increasing, or decreasing the mixture of oats.

As they get over twenty years of age, some mules can develop problems with their teeth. Chewing and digesting the hay and oats mixture can become a problem and they may need to have their oats, vitamins and corn oil mixed in a blender with grass hay cubes each feeding. If they are anemic, you might need to add Red Cell. This is very rarely a problem with younger animals.

Exercise plays an important role in the weight gain of an animal even at twenty. Muscles need to be maintained in good condition for an animal to carry his true weight properly. As the muscles are toned, he will pick up more weight simply through this conditioning process and his body will take on a more proper shape.

Question: I have a john mule approximately 25 years old. We have noticed that he does not eat much hay. Lighting does not have the teeth he needs to chew hay. He just seems to gum it. I know he needs hay in he's diet. But if he can't chew the hay, should we add a supplement to maintain he's weight and health.

Answer: I agree your mule needs to be able to consume enough of the right kinds of things for him to continue to stay healthy. As they get over twenty years of age, some mules can develop problems with their teeth. Chewing and digesting the hay and oats mixture can become a problem and they may need to have their oats, vitamins and corn oil mixed in a blender with grass hay cubes each feeding. If they are anemic, you might need to add Red Cell. He should also have free choice grass hay, or timothy just to have something to keep him busy even if he spits it out.

It is also important to have your vet check what teeth he does have left and make sure they are floated to avoid sharp edges which may compromise eating.

Question: In a recent newsletter you mentioned a feeding maintenance for mules. I am unable to find crimped oats in my area - would steamed crimped oats be the same????

Answer: The "steamed" oats are basically the same as crimped oats, as are any oats that have been broken open. Whole oats cannot be fully digested by equines and therefore, have no nutritional value. When the oats are steamed, crimped, cracked or rolled, they are broken open and the equine can then get the full nutritional value of the oats.

Question: Your website was very interesting and useful. Made me want a mule. Here's my Novel Mule Question. A minor character in a novel I'm writing goes on Mountain Man trips in various locales in the West with his mule during his summer vacations.

Can you give me an idea of what size and breed of mule? He would be likely to have? He uses it mainly to carry his gear but I suppose he wouldn't be opposed to riding it from time to time. My character, who goes by the name Diogenes on these trips, is a 220 lb six-footer.

Answer: I would imagine that your character would need a mule of steady temperament, good size and affection for his/her owner, as most mules would have. This would probably be a 15.2 hand Quarter horse type. Mules that are used for packing need good strength, thickness of bone, but not too much height, since they are often in the woods with low branches everywhere.

Depending on the character of the man in the story would dictate the sex of the animal. Mules become the "companion" of their owners. This is what differentiates them from horses. If you want this man to be a manly man with little reference to women, he might find the male mule to be a better companion; but if he is a man whose heart has been broken and had decided to avoid women, he may find solace with a female mule. You can choose for the development of your story.

Question: I’m an old retired PRCA bullfighter and announcer now taking over my family’s ranch. We raise some real nice mules and quarter horses around Baton Rouge, LA. Our place is called Cactus Ranch and Retreat Center, We are an Ole West outreach. We are trying to tell people about how life really was 100 yrs. or so ago, and also tell them about Jesus.

Answer: Thank you for your email and kind words of support! It is always nice to know our efforts are appreciated and it is fans like you who keep us on the air at RFD-TV. We really appreciate your taking the time to write!

You can request autographed books when you order either on the website at www.luckythreeranch.com or if you call in your order, 1-800-816-7566. We would be happy to do reciprocal links. I will copy this email to my webmaster and he will arrange to have you put on our links page and ours on yours.

Question: I love your web site... I am wondering about the ring cuts on a mule's tail. What is the difference between a mule that has one ring, two ring or three ring tail?

Answer: Belling the tails on mules originated with the military and was a way that they could readily identify the animals. Upon arriving at their new company, both were assigned to a platoon. The mule was given a number from 1 to 50 - almost the same number as in a GIs platoon. The mule's number was put on his halter and his saddle.

He also got a GI haircut on his tail that told his platoon number. A one-bell cut was the 1st platoon, a two-bell cut was the 2nd platoon, the three-bell cut was the 3rd platoon, and no bells was the 4th platoon.

Another is the amount of training- a "shavetail" was a green mule, one bell (once the shave had grown out) meant broke to pack, two was "broke to pack and harness" and three was "pack, harness and ride" - but again these also vary in which order the mules were trained.

Question: When it's snowing outside and it’s freezing should you put a
blanket on them?

Answer: Equines will usually acclimate to their environment, but in some cases, drastic changes in temperature will cause animals to become too cold and they may require a blanket. If they are standing in a perpetually "hunched" position with the tail tucked tightly to their rear, then they would probably appreciate a blanket.

Usually an unclipped equine will need the blanket only overnight. Take it off during the day (provided it warms up a little) to keep the hair coat healthy and doing its job of keeping them warm naturally.

Question: I have a TWH mare that is EXTREMELY pacey. I also recently acquired 1/2 interest in a jack who has produced gaited mules from MFT mares. Is it true that the swingier the mare the better gaited mule you will get? Lucky the Jack has an awesome disposition as does the mare. Both of them are people-oriented animals.

Answer: You would have a good chance of getting gaited offspring if both parents are truly gaited. Donkeys are generally not truly gaited, so predictions about the offspring are often dicey. It really isn't a matter of being swingy, but rather, the pattern and regularity of the footfall pattern and sustaining it at different speeds determines if they are truly gaited.

The guidelines for the specific gaits will also be different from one type of gaited horse to another (i.e. Tennessee Walking Horse, Foxtrotter, Paso Fino, Saddlebred,, etc.). Pacing is not necessarily considered gaited. So, it is difficult to even predict whether the offspring will be truly gaited, or not. Some will be more strongly gaited than others. All you can do is pick a jack and a mare that you feel best exhibit the gait for that breed and hope they produce a strongly gaited mule. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't.

Gaited or not, mules and donkeys are very gregarious and affectionate animals and have a need to really bond with their owners. It is important to know the steps involved in this bonding process to get the best from your mule or donkey, and even horses, whether you are starting with a foal or just beginning a new relationship with an older animal.

Our resistance-free video training series is designed to begin with DVD’s #1 and #8 (feeding and maintenance) and take the training in sequence whether you are training a foal, or just getting acquainted with an older animal that has been previously trained. This will guarantee that you will be doing the right kinds of things to insure that you get the best from the animal, making your time with him both safe and enjoyable.

Even gaited mules need to develop good balance at all three normal gaits before they will be able to sustain their natural gaits efficiently and in good posture.

Remember, you are cultivating a friendship with your equine that should last a lifetime! This is why it is important to take it slowly and do the kinds of positive things that will enhance this friendship and result in a safe and enjoyable relationship, and to learn how to effectively set behavioral limits for your animal to avoid negative confrontations. At the same time, consider your animal's posture, frame, balance, coordination and muscle development during this process. If he is comfortable in his body, he will be better able to perform.

Question: I have a White Donkey. She’s a standard and I would like to breed her to a paint horse. But I'm not sure what size horse to use. My Donkey is 12 hands and the horse I'm looking at is 14 hands. Would that be too large for her? I'd like a Hinny, and I thought if I bred her with a paint horse I'd get a paint or medicine hat hinny. Is that possible?

Answer: Thank you for your e-mail. Color genetics is quite a bit different from horses when you are breeding donkeys and horses. Generally speaking, you need two spotted parents to get paints. One spotted parent will usually yield solid colors with white socks.

If you would like to know more about this type of genetics, you should contact the American Donkey & Mule Society, PO Box 1210, Lewisville, Texas, 75067, (972) 219-0781, Fax(972) 420-9980. They will be able to give you more details.

Question: I also have questions about colors of mules. I study color genetics in horses, but donkeys, and mules are a whole new ball game. Is there any information available for breeding mules about color?

Answer: We have a chapter (Chapter 2) in our book A Guide To Raising & Showing Mules that is all about color genetics in longears researched and written by Leah Patton from the American Donkey & Mule Society, PO Box 1210, Lewisville, Texas, 75067, (972) 219-0781, lovelongears@hotmail.com.

Question: I've looked all over your site as well as others to find an answer to this question and have been unable so I am going to have to trouble you with it.

Answer: Thank you for your email. There are really very subtle differences among donkeys, mules and hinnies. But, here is what I have discovered from my own experience (in general):

1) Donkeys do not respond well to horse training techniques. They are a very thoughtful animal and need purpose for what they do. They will eventually learn the same thing as horses if approached in a "donkey logical" manner which is often not in the same chronological order as horses and mules. They have varying personalities, but their response is always thoughtful and slow.

2) Mules have the donkey mentality in regard to intelligent thought coupled with the athletic ability from the horse. They respond basically the same as horses, but they need to be approached in a fair and considerate manner in order to perform the best. They have varying personalities, but take on a great number of physical attributes from the mare. They are said to inherit the best from the jack and the mare.

3) Hinnies appear to have a more horse-like response to things and they can often look more donkey-like through the body. Horses can be a little frantic and flighty in their response to fear. A mule will be more thoughtful and aggressive. Hinnies and mules are very difficult to tell apart physically. They are said to inherit the worst traits from the stallion and jennet.

Whether this is actually true, I do not really know since I can usually get the best from any equine. The main concern with breeding for hinnies is the size of the foal at birth. Most jennets are not large enough to birth a foal from a stallion easily. The mares have a much easier time birthing mule foals. Also, a lot of stallions will not show interest to a jennet. A jack is much more sexually aggressive and therefore, easier to breed to another species.

I have had 5 Arab cross mules and they are all just wonderful, both in temperament and athletic ability. The secret is in the way they are trained. They are too intelligent to be bullied into submission. As for the reverse cross (hinny), if the size was close, you may still have to contend with a more flighty attitude.

Question: Getting ready to purchase my first mule. What are your thoughts on the differences of attitude, physical abilities, trainability , endurance, strength and so on between a john and molly mule? Thank you very much for your time.

Answer: I believe that the questions you ask in reference to trainability, attitude and physical ability are better examined from an individual point of view.

Mules and donkeys are more like people than we sometimes care to admit. They have very different personalities and attitudes from one to the next and it is my experience that sex really doesn't make that much difference.

Both males and females can become difficult during breeding season. That just requires a little more ingenuity and patience from the trainer at that time of the year, but it certainly doesn't imply that males, or females, are better than one another. Certain individuals can be more difficult than others.

We have a chapter in DVD #9 of our resistance free training series that addresses how to assess the trainability of individuals. There are three separate tests you can do that will yield certain personality types. There are also ways to measure the animal to assess their athletic strengths and weaknesses. We use donkeys to exhibit these tests in DVD #9, but they are the same for any equine.

Question: I am interested in longears. They are beautiful animals, including their ears. However, I am wondering if it is wrong to be interested in them. It appears to me that many people have negative attitudes about them. For example, they seem to believe that longears are stubborn, when in fact they have a strong sense of self-preservation.

Answer: Mules are wonderful animals! They are smarter than horses, have much smoother and more forward gaits, they are more resistant to parasites and disease, they are more surefooted, require less feed for good health, are less likely to hurt themselves and are cheaper to keep.

Any animal can be misunderstood when they have problems doing what you ask of them. That is how mules have gotten such a bad image. Your animal needs the proper groundwork before riding to help strengthen muscles correctly for the stress you are putting on them. When you train for a task or sport, you need to do the same as they do in people sports and go through an exercise program to strengthen muscles for the task.

Don’t think that the task will condition the animal's muscles properly. This is not correct as there are only certain muscle groups that are used in certain tasks, and the one's that are not used in the task would be at risk. If you do exercises to strengthen the entire body, then they will be better able to perform at their best.

The old stereotypes have come from the need to get these animals broke quickly for work in the past. This often results in a confrontation with mules. They will object where a horse will submit. The trainer that can gently appeal to the mule’s sensitivity is going to get better results than the trainer who is hurried and tries to force the issue. Unfortunately, there was no time for this kind of gentle training in the old days without industrialization and technology.

Question: I purchased an 8 mo. old male donkey 3 months ago who had never been handled. After viewing your videos and books and applying your methods, he has come along quite fast and I just adore him.

Answer: I do agree that your donkey needs to be a little more polite about his approach for the sake of safety! Donkeys and mules will always be more this way than horses, but there is something you can do about this.

When he approaches too aggressively, he needs to be handled the same way as if he were biting. You just slap him hard on the side of his mouth (where it will make an impression), put your hand up like a stop sign and say, "No" very loudly in order to startle him. Then he will probably either step back or throw his head up and back and when he does, you step forward and give him a reward for giving you your space. He will soon learn that when you put your hand up like a stop sign it means stand back.

My jacks are very happy to see me, too, but they have learned that they need to stop when I put my hand up and they do. As he gets older, he will be less aggressive and more likely to behave than he is now, but he will always be very loving and affectionate if trained correctly. He will just learn to be more polite!

It is important to teach him good ground manners as much for him as it is for you, your safety, and the safety of others. Just be consistent and practice good horsemanship safety rules until he is older and don’t let inexperienced people in with the animals when they are not contained.

I don't know if this trivia is actually true or not, but I think it falls into the category of more people are killed by "doing stupid things" than are killed in plane crashes every year. If you practice good safety rules around you equines, you greatly reduce the risk of injury and you will pass these attitudes and information along to your children and grandchildren, greatly reducing their risks as well. Many things in life can be injurious to your health were it not for the rules of safety that we learn. You really can’t live your life in fear of everything that might hurt you. That’s not living!

Question: I have a perplexing problem with my donkey gelding that is breaking my heart. I read about some similar problems on your website but none were exactly like mine.

Answer: Mules and donkeys are very tenacious animals, more so than horses. When you geld a horse, he may try to breed afterwards for a time, but is easily discouraged after a few unsuccessful attempts and calms down into his new role.

A donkey jack is a whole different thing. A jack who has never bred anything (mares or jennets) will not have established his persona as a herd boss (sire) and will calm down after a time if he is gelded as an older animal. Your Solomon has already established himself as a herd sire and the "Boss." He has bred jennets and his testosterone levels are high and behaviors have been established in this position. He is now very jealous of anything that appears to be taking his position of authority.

It may be that after some time of being kept separately, he may calm down provided he is given another significant role in his life as a riding or driving animal. Until then, he will be dangerous to be around to those who are not able to deal with his studdish behaviors. If he gets enough personal attention during training, he may eventually forget about being a breeding animal, but it will take quite awhile (in all honesty).

I think you would find our resistance free training series very helpful. It is foundation versatility training for any equine discipline. When you do things in this natural order it helps to build muscle in the correct frame so when you finally ride your longears, he is able to execute movements easily, including picking up leads with smooth, coordinated transitions and a balanced body.

Ground manners are also addressed in great detail and essential for a safe and enjoyable experience with your animal. The same is true with driving and at the very least you need to participate in the training process so that you learn the same things that your animal is learning to avoid confusion later. It is done in great detail and affords you the day to day exercises for training your longears from beginning to advanced levels.

Question: Thanks for your wonderful letter. I will use your suggestions on both my horse and the donkey. I was wondering If I can register the donkey even if I don't know the parents. I think she should be [registered], she is such a lovely donkey and pretty too.

Answer: You can register your donkey with the American Donkey & Mule Society. Here is registry information directly from the American Donkey & Mule Society web site:

The ADMS Registry Books
MDR - the Miniature Donkey Registry. Founded in 1958 by Bea Langfeld. Now run by ADMS, this registry is exclusively for Miniature Mediterranean Donkeys. Up until 2009, any donkey under the height of 36" at the withers could be registered as long as it met basic type and conformation.

Since the numbers are now over 54,500, the book will close to "untraced" donkeys in Jan 2009. This means that ONLY donkeys that have both parents already registered as Miniature Mediterranean donkeys will be placed in MDR.

If one or both parents are not registered as Miniature Mediterranean Donkeys, the donkey will be placed in the "ADR" book.

ADR/ADJR The American Donkey/Jackstock Registry. Founded in 1967 by Paul & Betsy Hutchins. This book was open to donkeys of all sizes for many years. In the 1990s, Miniatures were put exclusively in the MDR book. However, a good number are registered in ADR as "Miniature Mediterranean Donkeys" prior to the 1990s. Their offspring (providing both parents are MMDs) will be eligible for inclusion in the MDR book.

Have a donkey of any size with no pedigree, but still want to register it? This is where they go! Unsure? Don't worry, we'll place them in the appropriate book.

(Remember, the key is BOTH PARENTS registered as Miniature Mediterranean Donkeys to go in MDR. Anything else goes in the ADR book.)

AMR The American Mule Registry. Mules, hinnies, all sizes, all types. No pedigree? NO PROBLEM. However, any known pedigree or parent info is appreciated so it will appear on the mule's papers. Send a photocopy of the dam's papers if you have them!

AMRR - for Racing mules, the American Mule Racing Registry covers anything (mule or hinny) that's on the track. Slightly different registration form and rules, ask for applications if you have a mule colt that's destined to go into training for the track.

ZEHBRA - Zebras , Exotic Hybrids/Bloodstock Registry. For pure-bred zebras, their offspring - whether it is zebra x horse, pony or donkey.

Donkey Under 36" (or expected to mature so) - SIRE is registered Miniature Mediterranean Donkey, DAM is registered Miniature Mediterranean Donkey (MDR) (donkeys up to 38" at maturity will still be allowed with the Oversize rule)

Donkey Under 36" (or expected to mature so) - One Parent is registered Miniature Mediterranean Donkey, the other is registered American Miniature, European Miniature, British/English/Irish Miniature, or is unregistered (Donkey with untraced parents, or unregistered parents, under the height of 36" at maturity (ADR). Larger Donkeys still go in ADR as well.

For more information about the ADMS, mail to P.O. Box 1210 Lewisville, Texas 75067, call (972) 219-0781, or visit www.lovelongears.com Join the American Donkey & Mule Society to receive their bimonthly magazine with even more valuable information for a mere $23/yr.

Question: I would like to take a moment to thank you for teaching people that mules are not bad animals and they do not require brute force to train them.

Answer: I totally understand your concern and there are a number of questionable trainers out there. I am also concerned about what people are being taught and am trying to reach as many of them as I possibly can. That is why I am not on the road doing clinics.

I found that when I went to clinics myself, there were a number of problems. First, the clinician could not give individuals much time and attention. Secondly, the information was only highlights and not the day to day training information that one really needs to get the job done. Then, once you get home, if you do run into problems and need to ask a question, you can never catch up with the clinician to ask them. The other reason is that I can get more work accomplished if I spend more time at the ranch. I can continue writing more educational books and producing more videos and TV shows for the general public. If I were on the road, I would not have the time.

This is why I do things a little differently. I know that mules and donkeys (and all equines really) bond to the person who trains them, so I first encourage people to train their own. I put all my training techniques in a training series that is designed like grade school and takes these things in a natural order. I have people get the series and begin their work.

Each video represents about a year's worth of training and can be used on any animal at any age... they all begin at DVD #1! Then, if they do run into problems I have them contact me here at the ranch with their questions via mail, email or phone and I can personally talk them through the problems. I have been doing this for many years with tremendous results!

People that have never even seen an equine before are training their animals! It is the first ever equine correspondence training course. This way I can really be available to people. Richard Shrake takes my brochures to his clinics and expos. We have worked together closely for more than 20 years. That way, I can still get the exposure in the field at his clinics.

I would suggest you consider having the library at Los Angeles Pierce College invest in this training series. I would be happy to make myself available to the students on a personal basis at any time I am needed via phone, mail or email. I would hope to inspire more colleges to pick up this program.

Question: Full & Half Grade Draft Horse Registry is open to all Draft and Draft crosses! We also take Draft mules! It’s ok if you don't know the name of the Mare and Sire! This registry is open to all grade horses! So PMU horses are welcome too!

Answer: We are happy to post this information for those who might be interested.

Question: Just wanted to relate the fun interaction between my 18 month old Morgan mule "Dooby" and my 8 year old, pinto gelding "Chico". Dooby and Chico are buddies and some days "like today" they like to play grab the halter. Now Dooby is 1/2 the size of Chico but when Dooby grabs Chicos halter under the chin Dooby takes his "stubborn mule stance" and Chico can't move! It's very funny to watch.

Answer: The playtime activities of your two are really comical and yes, typical mule and donkey behavior! They will do things to amaze you on a daily basis if you are there to see it! That is one of the most endearing things about mules!

You should see my old dressage mule. He makes so many different faces, sometimes he reminds me of Jim Carrey! I am concerned, however, that these animals are turned loose with their halters on. I don't know if you realize this, but a halter on a loose animal can become caught on any number of things and can cause severe injury and sometimes death. I knew a man who did this and he thought there wasn't anything for the mule to become snagged on.

Well, she got her face wedged in the gate and subsequently pulled too hard to get loose. It didn't kill her, but she is now paralyzed on one whole side of her face. Her ear and lips droop on that side; she drools out that side and has virtually no response to the bit on that side. Her owners are keeping her and making allowances for her condition, but not many can afford that kind of care. Its better just to prevent this kind of heartache from the beginning. There is no equine that cannot be taught to come to you if they are hard to catch. It just needs to be done the right way.

Please don't feel badly. We all make mistakes until we know better. I know you love your animals and want the best for them. Chico and Dooby sound like a riot! Keep up the good work!

Question: It's great to hear from you. I can't wait to speak w/you at Bishop. I am still very interested in attending school at CSU. What I would really like to do there is do a donkey/mule breeding study. I would like to speak w/you about this at Bishop and see if you would be interested in such a project.

Anyway, can't wait to see and visit w/ you in Bishop. We will be there on Sunday and busy showing all weekend. I will get by before Friday. I'm trying to go for the All around amateur thing this year and boy I think I've entered everything possible. It will be lots of fun. See you in a month.

Answer: I am looking forward to talking to you as well. You are right that there needs to be more equine research done with donkeys and mules. CSU and Louisiana State have done some research as has Texas A&M, but there is still a lot to be done.

When you get to CSU, you should look up Dr. Josie Traub-Dargatz. She has done a lot of research on neonatal isoerythrolisis and helped me through a lot of breeding concerns in that area.

Question: Hope you are doing well and you are getting ready for Bishop. I wanted to thank you for the info about a place to board my mule near Fort Collins. Maybe attending school there in the Fall of this year but not it's not for certain. I was wondering if it would be ok to add your website to our links page on our website. I would like to direct people to you for information on training of mules and donkeys. We always get a lot of training questions? And you are the Expert!

Answer: Thank you for your offer of reciprocal links. Of course, we would be glad to link back to your site and appreciate that you would like to link to ours!

I am going to post this letter in the 4-H section and would be happy to post any articles that you would like to write to give other 4-H kids the benefit of your own experience. They need all the help they can get!

I hope my book, A Guide To Raising & Showing Mules, will help those who wish to use mules for 4-H, as it was modeled after the 4-H equine project manual.

Question: We have tried for 2 years at the local level to gain acceptance of mules in the 4-H horse show. We are told by our local level that it is out of their hands, they simply can't accept mules in the program because the Wyoming 4-H rule book explicitly says no mules or lamas. They tell us we have no options. We believe we may be able to go to the state level and change this ruling.

Answer: I do believe that they are allowing children to do their mule projects concurrently with the horse division in states where it is accepted.

I don't really know what Colorado or California is doing, but I cannot imagine anyone keeping a child from learning to care properly for any animal. After all, isn't that the point of all this? To exclude certain animals would surely plant seeds of prejudice and encourage negative attitudes in children. 4-H has never done that before. What the heck has happened to good sportsmanship?

I would approach anyone and everyone I could think of about this. The angle of your approach will be paramount. I think I would be tempted to approach on the side of good sportsmanship and about what the children are supposed to be learning...not from a competitive angle.

Hang in there and do the best you can. It takes years to make changes like this, so don't get discouraged. You are right in your cause!

I'm here if you need me to do whatever I can. If people want to know about the suitability of mules and donkeys for children, send them to me! If they don't, tell them to talk to me anyway!

Question: I understand from the grapevine that you were instrumental in the process of changing the 4-H rules concerning mules in California and Colorado. We are in the process of introducing mules to our local fair and have met with a considerable amount of negativity at the local level.

Answer: I do support kids who want to use longears as their 4-H projects. There should be no discrimination when it comes to interest in livestock of any kind and there are currently a lot of shows where kids can participate with mules and donkeys. It is my experience that things will only be changed at the state level once there are enough local clubs accepting the animals. Currently, there are a lot of local clubs who do accept mules and donkeys as 4-H Club projects.

You might try sending people to my website at luckythreeranch.com to show them just how versatile and athletic mules really are. And, the most important thing that mules can do that horses can't is to teach people how to be good sportsman. You have to be kind, patient and considerate with mules or they simply will not oblige you!

The horse publications are jumping on the bandwagon in favor of mules and donkeys these days as well.

Education of people about the reality of these animals is the only way to open people's mind and get them to see the benefits. Keep plugging at it! Sometimes things take time to come around, but your cause is a worthy one and should eventually yield success! I am certainly willing to help in any way I can.

Question: I am so glad you answer letters. We have seven horses and two mules. The mules hang out all year and work a very little while during tobacco season. Their names are Pete. I love them and learned a lot from a book you wrote and also from a magazine put out by the American Donkey And Mule Society.

Do you know what anyone can do to outlaw rusty bits and bleeding mouths at this so called "celebration" of the mule? I'm willing to do whatever it takes, Everything I've tried and the people I have talked to around here ( S.W. VA) will not get involved and they don't see anything wrong with rusty bits. They have grown up here and rusty bits are an accepted way of controlling mules around here.

Answer:Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, the folks who use these bits that are really too harsh (and they aren't always rusty), do so because they know no other way to control their animals. They are bound in ignorance and have no real way out.

We are making strides in this direction, but it seems to need to be handled on a case by case basis. Last year there was a TV show aired on RFD-TV about training mules that had the same kind of abuse going on. I believe it was made by some of those who attend Columbia Mule Days. There were enough people who wrote in to the station to get it bumped off the air, but that was the best they could do.

There was another case a couple of years ago where two men were halter breaking a mule in a city park by dragging him with their pickup truck. The mule was severely injured and his hooves were grossly damaged. The two men were arrested and convicted of animal abuse. One of the men committed suicide after the incident. I don't believe he really knew it was abuse and probably felt terrible about it after the fact.

The only way I can see any of this changing is to educate people on the proper approach. Those who can understand, will. And those who cannot, no amount of pleading, or force, will make a difference. The worst part is that animals usually end up getting abused by a lack of consideration. People who are trying to show off, or those who try to make money off of animals, will abbreviate training methods and thus, become unfair and abusive in their attempt.

Those who take time with training and just revel in the joy of being with their animals do not have this problem. If they are abusive, it is usually an honest mistake and they learn better each time. I use my website at www.luckythreeranch.com as a forum for these sorts of issues. I will add this letter to the letters in "ASK MEREDITH." There may be individuals out there who can help take positive action. At the very least, some of these people may rethink their approach to avoid the negative publicity. Eventually, more people will be prosecuted for animal abuse. Penalties are being reviewed and stiffened for animal abuse across the country. It's only a matter of time.

It would definitely behoove Columbia Mule Days to make some rule changes concerning bits in their pulls. I know that the rules in most pulling contests do not even allow the handlers to touch the animals to avoid abuse. The bit is just another issue to the same end. I have heard the same complaints from a lot of folks about mule pulls. Those who sponsor the pulls might take heed that a lot of potential spectators are being turned away in disgust! It's a whole lot more exciting when it's done right! Once again, thank you for your concern. I will always be an advocate of humane treatment of any living being!

Question: Dear Friends and Committee Members,

Answer: I have received e-mails from a couple of folks on these issues in the last few months. Kathleen Conklin and JOHN HENRY are having problems in the jumping and dressage areas and John P. Roche wrote to Wendy Wares (AHSA) and they were prohibited from driving competitions. What I feel we need to do is apply for a mule division in the AHSA. This is where I left off ten years ago. There just wasn't enough mule competitors in these areas to warrant going any further at that time, but it may be that we can meet the AHSA criteria today with the new interest generated. You may need to obtain a new copy of the criteria that would need to be met through the AHSA to be accepted as a division.

Question: It has been awhile since I have talk to you. Good news... I talked to AQHA yesterday about there trail ride coming up at Palo Duro Canyon June 12th. Look up there web site aqha.com, anyway the horseback riding program, all-breed is OPEN to mules to join. If you don't believe me just call them in the trail ride department. I will be there to ride and my show mule!

Answer: It really is exciting about how far the mule has come in the equestrian society! Thanks to those like yourself who are willing to endure the negativity and go forth to show people what a good mule can do, the ignorant stigmas that have been attached to mules and donkeys for centuries are slowly being dispelled. It the wake of this is rising a new appreciation from equestrians everywhere!

Have a wonderful time on the trail ride and keep us updated on things you think would be of interest. I will post them on our website so others will know they can participate with their mules as well! After all, we DO want to keep our equines around in the future!

Question: I do eventing and was wondering if a mule could compete in my sport well. I was also wondering how well accepted mules are in dressage, jumping and eventing as competitors.

Answer: I have been interested and competing in Dressage and Combined Training with mules since 1986. I have 2 mules at low 4th Level Dressage and in 1993, I competed one of my mules to 1st place out of 56 horses in the Novice division at the Abbe Ranch Horse Trials. I have 16 other mules from 3rd Level down to Training level. I even ride one and drive another out front...and, I am lunging 10 mules together in a dressage "Liberty" team.

They are excellent jumpers and a lot more strong and steady than a horse. So, the answer is "Yes," they compete in your sport quite well!

For more information, visit our website at www.luckythreeranch.com and be sure to look in our "History" section. I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

Question: I wanted to tell you about my friend, Margaret Russell of Pensacola, Fl. In March of this year she competed in the Spanish Trail Competitive Trail Ride (NATRC) on her donkey BJ (Bundle of Joy). He is a spotted standard gelding. He was the first donkey EVER to compete in NATRAC in its long history. And he kicked the proverbial ASS.

Answer: Nothing thrills me more than to hear stories like this one! I know these animals to be superior equines when they are handled correctly. Please tell Margaret how very proud we are to hear of her success and tell her to keep up the great work! Thank you again for sharing this wonderful news with us!

Question: I saw that mules are now accepted by USEF in Dressage. Which is wonderful, I might add. I'm curious about owning a mule for dressage.

Answer: The beauty of mules is that they can come out of just about any breed of horse and they will inherit a good bit of the conformation, disposition and athletic ability of the horse out of which they came. Coupled with the intelligence and strength of the donkey, this makes for a superior athlete in a lot of cases.

I personally have schooled to Training Level in Combined Training and 4th Level in Dressage with my mules. Because they were not allowed in AHSA (USEF) approved divisions for so long I was not able to actually compete at those levels, but we did show at schooling shows and actually won first place against 56 horses in the Novice Division at the Abbe Ranch Horse Trials in 1993. At that time I was working at Training Level, but was not able to enter that division.

My 4th Level Dressage mule showed at 3rd Level Dressage at Bishop Mule days and took first at that level two years in a row, as that was the highest level they offered at the time. It has been very rewarding and I now have another mule working at 3rd level.

The equestrian world seems to be cooperating with the mule people now since there are a lot of new people challenging themselves and their mules to better their own skills. This is the result of a very young segment (mules and donkeys) of the equine industry beginning to see more maturity and growth. I can see even more coming to the forefront in the future.

I think you would really enjoy the challenge of training a mule in Dressage and/or Combined Training. When you approach them the right way, they are actually easier to train than horses. They are easier to condition and never forget what they learn! They will be as different as horses in their conformation, so some will be better than others for Dressage and Combined Training, but they are certainly capable!

Question: This isn't a question, its an update. I live in Texas and ride a lovely mule named Lily. I first contacted Meredith about cruppers, bits and cantering challenges, for I was going to show Lily at the Ft. Worth Stock Show and Rodeo in January of 2006. We worked for 3 months and went to the stock show.

Answer: Congratulations! That is so cool! I am so proud of you and Lily! You made my day and I really appreciate your progress report. With your permission, I would like to post your updates on our website. I am certain it would be an inspiration to a lot of others. Let me know if this is OK with you. Keep up the great work!

Question: Just wanted to send you a picture of Lily and I at our first ever little dressage schooling show. Yes, she was the ONLY mule and did respectful on her first outing; 3rd place intro level with a score of 61% (I include the score if you recognize USDF scores). I was told the judge was a tuffy and the scores were just 2 points apart across the board.

Answer: Congratulations! You and Lily look positively lovely! I am so happy for both of you! Very respectable score! I do have one suggestion for you that will help increase your scores without even doing much at all. Move your saddle back about 3-4 inches and add a crupper to it to keep the saddle over your center of balance (doversaddlery.com, 1-800-989-1500, has the kind that will attach to an English saddle with a metal "T" attachment). The girth should rest 3-4 inches behind the forearm. Mules are very narrow through this area and the girth wants to slide into the narrow area. That's the reason for the crupper. Right now, you are riding a little too far over the shoulders (in front of your center of balance) and this will inhibit Lily's ability to go forward as easily as she would otherwise.

Lily was no doubt very proud of her performance and decided to tell everyone all about it! How comical! That's a mule for you! In spite of what most people say, horses are not really afraid of mules as much as they are curious about them. The horse that was screaming in the background, no doubt, thought Lily was really special! And, I might add, he was right!

It doesn't surprise me that you both were the talk of the show! You will soon be the talk of the county and eventually the state! You both looked wonderful and made a lovely presentation. Again, congratulations! I am very proud of you!

Question: Jeremiah, Pardner and I just got home after an epic 5800 mile journey. First we traveled to Parker, Colorado to compete in the High Prairie Farms CDE. It was an excellent venue, with a tough marathon course and 8 challenging hazards. Deborah Terry and her excellent crew did a fine job of organizing the CDE and other activities and the community really came out to support it.

Answer: Congratulations! Jeremiah was probably just tired at the Laurels after such a long trek. But even so, he made a respectable showing and I am sure there were a lot of folks who were quite impressed. I know how much effort goes into preparation and competing in these sorts of events. Hats off to you and Jeremiah for all you have done in support of mules this summer and then some! Your efforts are greatly appreciated, even if I couldn't be there to see you! Best to you always! Keep me posted.

I love hearing about your accomplishments!

Question: Congratulations on your groundbreaking changes with the USDF. I know you have worked many years to achieve this. I am from Oregon and have been following your efforts.

Answer: There have been a lot of other people like you who have made a positive impact on this movement and helped to initiate the change of heart of the United States Equestrian Federation. I was certainly not able to do this by myself and I am eternally grateful for the effort and hard work that so many have put into their mules so they can be perceived differently by horse people.

I found your letter inspiring and have opted to post it on my website for others to read. Perhaps, It will be an inspiration for even more people to challenge themselves and their mules in the realm of upper level horsemanship and will perpetuate more of our mule people to become actively involved in the clubs and committees that keeps our equine Industry thriving.

It is important that those of us who love equines band together in their support and become the educators for those who may need guidance and support. My thanks again to you and the work you have done in support of longears! It has, no doubt, made an impact as well!

Question: I spoke with Carole Sweet last week--congratulations to all of you for your success in getting mules accepted in Dressage by USEF! I wonder if it will follow that they'll be accepted more readily now at non-recognized events? If at all possible this year, I am going to try and get my young mule Emma to a couple of schooling shows, just to get mules “out there” in the public eye. She is very young, so much will depend on the training progress we make this Spring, but it would be nice to start taking advantage of the groundwork you have laid!

Answer: We cannot expect them to do all the work while we just come to their shows! This is not a right; it is a privilege with responsibilities attached to it. If we do not regard it as such, they will no longer be so willing to accommodate our needs and make these opportunities available to us. They will rescind their decision.
There is a lot of restructuring we need to do in our own breed group that needs to take place. Leah Patton is already beginning work on a national rulebook for mules (just like the other breeds have). Though this is what NASMA tried to do, they have not really been as successful as we hoped. Too many internal problems.

Anyway, I hope this gives you some ideas of the kinds of things that need to take place from here to keep things moving forward. This is the kind of information people need. If people are having trouble getting into schooling shows and clinics, then they need to ask themselves about their approach. I have had no trouble in Colorado, but then I always approached them with a polite, considerate and helpful attitude...never with the idea that "my mule can do as much if not more than your horse!" This attitude needs to STOP!

If you need any help, please feel free to contact me at any time. I will be posting our correspondence on my website in the "Ask Meredith" section. No doubt, there will be a lot of communication on this issue and I welcome the opportunity to create a forum for ideas that will help us to go forward in a positive way for future equestrians.

Question: Thank you for your letter. I feel very strongly about: mules competing with horses outside of schooling shows, in AHSA events. This last weekend I placed 1st out of 7 horses in an open pleasure class on my 4 1/2 year old molly mule She was very accurate on her transitions and her leads and the judge rewarded us with 1st. This was also this mule's 1st show.

Answer:

Question: I was just at your website looking at the great mule info. I'm 37 and am finally getting my dream house on 10 acres Friday. I've spent my whole life dreamin' of horses, and have been researching horses like crazy for over 2 years so that I can get ONE lifelong companion capable of doing a wide variety of sports.

Answer: First, mules can be shown in a lot of different kinds of shows, but you need to call ahead and ask the show committees since it may vary from area to area. In the case of any AHSA (now USA Equestrian), they do not let mules compete in recognized shows at the higher levels because it would offset their points system that determines our Olympic hopefuls, but they will usually allow mules quite freely at the lower levels. Breed shows are usually good about allowing mules in the open classes and of course, there are numerable mule shows all over the country and the world. For more information about the shows in your area, contact the American Donkey & Mule Society, PO Box 1210, Lewisville, Texas, 75067, (972) 219-0781.

I am prejudice in favor of mules for a lot of reasons and I have had both mules and horses. Mules are loving and affectionate characters when they are treated right. They are stronger, more intelligent and remember everything they are taught. They are quite versatile in their athletic abilities. They are more resistant to parasites and disease and stay out of trouble that can result in costly vet bills. They require less feed to maintain good health which lessens the overall upkeep of the animal. They are by far the smoothest and safest ride I will ever have! I think you would love having a mule given your background.

For the same reason, I doubt that you would have any problems dealing with them since you are already familiar with clicker training which is very much the same as what I do; I just use my voice instead of a clicker, but I have heard that the clicker also works well with mules. I use my voice because you could land in a situation where the clicker could be lost or not present.

Question: This may sound bizarre, but if a mule was good enough, would he be allowed to compete in the Olympics? If you’re not sure, who else could I ask? Thanks for your time!

Answer: Not such a bizarre question. I asked the same question years ago. The Olympics is a horse event and mules are not allowed, however, you can school your mule in the same events and he will probably be better than most horses. There would be a chance that you could get an exhibition at the Olympics on your mule once he has become proficient.

Mules are allowed at a lot of Dressage and Combined Training schooling shows. They just require a call ahead of time to make sure the show committees are willing to accept mules. Most of them do. The American Donkey & Mule Society is in contact with various equine events that call for mule and donkey exhibitions as well as a multitude of other events and contacts.

You can contact them at
ADMS, PO Box 1210,
Lewisville, Texas, 75067,
(972)219-0781, Fax (972) 420-9980.

Question: American Horse Shows Association (AHSA) Officers issued the following statement.

Answer:

Question: Just thought I'd let you know Tuffy and I competed in our first dressage schooling show (found one that would let us participate) and we kicked ass!!. We took the intro A & B test and maiden training level1 test, our scores were 68.6, 69.4, 65.4. We took first place in the level 1 class out of four!!

Answer: Thank you so much for letting me know how your show went! You should be very proud! You did terrific! I am certainly proud of you and Tuffy! I will be anxious to hear about your progress, so please keep us posted! I am going to post this email on our website if that is agreeable to you. I think you are a great inspiration for others to follow suit!

Question: This time just a great big thank you! I'm the one who got kicked in the face by my Baby Morgan Mule about a month ago. We spoke on the phone. I followed your advice and I ordered 3 videos. He does everything in tape one pretty good. He is smart and affectionate and playful "Just as you described" he doesn't have a mean bone in his body. (the kick was entirely my fault if you remember) He has since had his feet trimmed and has been wormed and a nasal Vac. and has been good as gold for all.

Answer: I am so glad to hear things are working better for you now! It warms my heart to hear stories like yours! Congratulations on the showing! That's wonderful! Yes, you can pony him sometimes, as long as he is behaving. He will need to learn to keep his nose at your knee and never pass, just as he is supposed to follow your shoulder when walking.

Repetition is the key to building in good habits. He still needs plenty of practice walking with you, too, so don't substitute one for the other, just do both. It will make his sessions more interesting and more enjoyable for you both! People who are ignorant of mules will always make snide comments.

If they will allow you to show, then by all means, do it! They may have to eat their hats if your animal does so well the judge can't ignore it! But remember, there are also judges out there who aren't that educated either, so if things don't go well at one show, there is always the next! You have it right...just laugh along, go in and kick ass! But most of all...have fun!

Question: In the July/August issue of the Brayer, on page 23, there is a letter inviting people to join the USA Equestrian, formerly the American Horse Show Association.

Answer: Getting the (AHSA) to accept mules has been a long and tedious process. We are lucky to have gotten as far as we have. In 1986, I went to a USDF convention and introduced mules to the dressage people. They were very accommodating and have since allowed mules in the schooling shows, just not at the upper level shows that are sanctioned by AHSA.

They determined that the rule book was written for horses and ponies only. Since the US Olympic team is composed of horses, and since the rest of the world competes with horses, this is a designated world-wide event that is specific to horses and has been for a very long time. Having mules in the qualifying competitions would offset points and compromise the decision-making process for our Olympic hopefuls.

AHSA (now USA Equestrian) is trying to accommodate mules fairly by accepting them as a division of USA Equestrian with the ability to enter open divisions like endurance and driving. Dave Ketscher worked very hard to get mules into the driving division and was successful, but he has been at this for more than 10 years!

It is frustrating, but you should be able to participate in eventing shows at the lower levels. It is important to be courteous and call ahead to see if they are OK with your competing. They will usually agree to let you complete, though there may be certain individual show committees that may be in opposition. There are lots of events here in Colorado that do allow mules to complete and a lot of people are doing it. More than ever before!

Since I am no longer competing, and because I am short on time these days, I am unable to pursue this cause however, if you join USA Equestrian, you could spearhead the effort yourself and propose rule changes. I would be happy to lend support; I just don't have the time to spearhead the effort.

I would contact USA Equestrian and ask them what the best course of action would be. I have always found them agreeable when approached reasonably. You might also approach Dave Ketscher and get feedback from him since he has been involved with them directly more recently than I have.
Reedley, California 93654
(559) 787-2864
FAX (559) 787-3864

Question: I have a couple of questions. I'm not very familiar with showing mules but I have one that I will start showing. For the bits, is there a certain age to when they are not considered “green.” The mule is eight but only showed once before. Also, when is the best time to body shave. I'm hearing all types of things and I'm just confused on what to do.

Answer: Generally accepted rules for showing mules can be found in the rulebook published by the North American Saddle Mule Association According to the NASMA rulebook, Green mules are described, "A mule of any age that is in the first two years of showing under saddle. Any mule, donkey, or horse show in which the mule has shown under saddle shall count toward show experience. Competing in one show or more between January and December 31 of a calendar year counts toward a full year of showing. The two years are consecutive and in the event the mule does not show the second year it is still counted toward GREEN MULE eligibility. A green mule must be shown with a legal snaffle or bosal/hackamore using two hands."

The American Mule Association still goes by the NASMA rules, but they have gone into greater detail in their rulebook as far as clarification of equipment, entries, etc., but no where could I find a rule that said the mule would have to be considered a Senior mule if over eight years old. I believe there was a rule like that several years ago, but there have been revisions since.

To be sure to understand all of the requirements for showing, you should get a rulebook from both NASMA and AMA. And, though your mule may not be green anymore if he did not show the 2 "consecutive" years, you should still school him in the snaffle bit before moving on to the curb bit. They cannot really learn the basics in a curb bit! In the English division, you wouldn't have this conflict.

Question: I would like to know how the start of shaving the top portion of the mule tails got started......and why.......

Answer: The practice of shaving the top of a mule's tail, as far as I know, emerged in the mid-seventies when mule shows began with Bishop Mule Days. If it was done before this, I have not heard.

The army used to bell tails to make it easier to identify mules in certain divisions, but I don't believe they shaved the tops of the tails.

The tail hair at the top of a mule tail is a lot shorter than that of a horse and to maintain a neat and tidy appearance, they began the practice of shaving off those short hairs.

We now know ways to flatten those hairs and to encourage growth, so people have a choice of whether to shave or not. Since English classes were introduced to mule showing, a lot of people now braid the top tail hairs.

Question: I own a four year old molly who I have been trail riding for over six months now. I am on Tape #2 of your series (the free lunging part).

When I am ready to use the elbow pull draw reins, is there a way to attach them directly to the saddle without using a surcingle?

Answer: Yes, there is a way to attach the elbow pull to almost any saddle. There should be either d-rings or a leather piece to hold the excess of the latigo strap from the girth on both sides of your saddle. You can just take the end of the elbow pull rope and pull it through the leather latigo sleeve or d-ring, adjust the length and tie, or snap it off. If the snap won't fit through, just double the end of the rope, push that through and then tie it off.

If your saddle has neither of these (English saddles usually have small d-rings), you can just attach the elbow pull to itself in front of the saddle horn and tie it to the saddle horn so the snaps don't rotate out of position. Hope this helps.

Question: Meredith, I can't find a source for the crupper you suggest in you videos. Where can I get one?

Answer: It seems that tack shops are not carrying horse cruppers these days as a rule where they used to have them. You can order them from saddlemaker Rusty May (970) 663-4036 or CM Tack 913-631-4677.

Question: The reason I am writing this is because I am very disturbed about something I saw on a mule training show aired by RFDTV. I realize you must be very busy and you may not be able to do anything about it, but I just feel like I need to bring it to your attention. I don't own mules but I do own three horses, and I watch your show because I like the fact the you use gentle and resistant free training methods and I am glad people like you are trying to educate people on this type of training.

Thank you for letting me express my concerns.

Answer: This is dangerous information to be made so readily available to the public and the error of these people's ways needs to be exposed!

Mules and donkeys are the most fair and loving creatures in the world and it is people like this who give them a bad name! But more than that, they put newcomers to the industry at risk. These animals who are trained like this may give the appearance of being broke, but these are the same animals you hear about later that have caused a wreck during a parade, or some other kind of accident. It's no accident that these animals wind up unreliable in stressful situations.

Animals that are trained to fear are never calm and confident though they can appear to be. It is better to train with a program that lets them learn in a step by step progression that helps them to grow in a healthy manner both physically and mentally. Our program does this, as you well know. The training is totally resistance-free and the result is a confident, obedient, affectionate and reliable companion.