Catching Your Mule

By Meredith Hodges

Not all mules are fortunate enough to be raised so that they gain confidence and trust. These mules need to be approached as if they were young foals just beginning their training. To begin their training, you must first be able to catch them.

There is probably nothing more infuriating than having a mule that you can’t easily catch whenever you would like. The young mule that has been introduced to the halter at an early age can pose a problem, just like the mule that has had no halter training at all. The reasons for their evasive behavior and the intensity of resistance are different, however. The mule that has been handled will periodically attempt to assert his dominance over you with a playful yet evasive attitude, while the mule that has not been handled will react out of fear and suspicion. You can deal with both of these mules in the same manner to produce positive results, but the one reacting fearfully could become aggressive and potentially dangerous because he feels a need to protect himself from you. The one that has been handled will seldom be as aggressive. He may kick at you, but he probably won’t touch you intentionally because he has learned that this is bad manners. Be careful, because the fearful and aggressive mule will most likely connect with his target.

When a mule is being evasive, it is fairly obvious that his attention is not totally on you, and in order for him to be obedient, he must be attentive to you. If you have observed mares and foals, you have noticed the mare nuzzling, bumping and pushing her baby into obedience. As the foal matures, he learns the limits of his behavior from his dam, and sometimes she has to get pretty rough to get her point across. Once she does, however, the young mule learns to check his behavior with her at regular intervals. For instance, while curiously investigating, he will check the object, then his dam. His attention then returns to the object of his curiosity. It is this kind of attentiveness that you wish to cultivate in your mule. This can be accomplished with a relatively simple procedure. The only requirements in the game are patience and persistence.

First, put your mule into a reasonably small pen, preferably with square corners because this will give you more of an edge. If you are right handed, hold your halter and lead in your left hand and approach the mule from the side, toward the point of his shoulder. Never approach from directly in front or from behind, because he cannot see you clearly and you may frighten him. When he does move away from you, you want him to track to the right if you are right handed. If you are left-handed, the situation is reversed. Upon your approach, mentally record the distance between you and your mule when he begins to move away. This is his space, or safety zone. You will use this distance to herd him into a corner and allow him to stop.

When he does stop, he will be looking for a route of escape. He may push his head through the fence and lean, or he may just dash back and forth in the corner. Whatever he does, keep your distance and allow him to settle before moving to the next step. If you are in a round pen, a lot more back-and-forth walking (or running) will be required to get him to settle in one spot and is not advisable.

Next, with the halter in your left hand, take a step toward his right shoulder, holding your left arm out so that it discourages him from backing out of the situation. Extend your right hand toward his head and neck. If he does anything other than face you with his head (i.e., backs up kicking, bolts forward, etc.), stop out of kicking range, smack him once on the rump with the soft cotton lead rope and say, “Face me!” If you can’t keep him in the corner and he gets by you, just follow him and set up the same situation again, and then repeat the steps.

He will probably get nervous when you smack him. Take a step back and allow him his space so he can settle down—he cannot face you if he is truly frightened. Continue this procedure until he stands still and turns his head to you. Then reward him with a reassuring “Good mule!” and offer an oats reward. If he faces you with his head but his rear is still straight to you, lightly touch him a second time on his hip with the soft cotton lead rope to encourage him to move over. If he doesn’t move, touch him again a little harder until he complies.

Once he has learned to stop and face you, you can move in more closely (as described earlier), talking softly and offering more rewards. It will take a few times before he will allow you to touch him, so be very patient. When he does, stroke him first along his neck, and then slowly work your way up to his head. Keep your left arm holding the halter out far enough so that he will not back out of the situation.

Once he settles, bring the halter and lead rope around behind his rear and to his neck on the left side. Wrap the fingers of your left hand securely around the noseband of the halter and slip your right arm under and around your mule’s neck. Then step to the left side of your mule, just in front of his shoulder. Adjust your arms so that you can hold his nose with your left thumb and slip the noseband over the nose. He will probably try to jerk away, but this position will give you the best leverage. If he does manage to get away, smack him on the rump with the soft cotton lead rope once more and repeat the entire procedure.

While you are trying to get the halter on him, move calmly and quietly, and speak in reassuring tones. If he allows you to halter him, reward him with the oats reward and gentle strokes on his neck. This work in the smaller area does transmit to the larger areas—you have taught him to submit rather than flee when cornered. There may be days when he still makes you chase a little because he needs to maintain some self-esteem, and sometimes he may just be playful. He will not evade you for nearly as long, and it will be a lot easier to catch him. Just remember to give a lot of positive reinforcement for compliant behavior.

To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.

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