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MULE CROSSING: So You Think You Want a Mule?

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By Meredith Hodges

It was bad enough before computers and cell phones when people thought they wanted a horse and could realistically have one. They thought if they had a little patch of grass and a fence around it, it would be enough to keep a horse. They never thought about shelter, feed (they could just eat the grass!), vet and farrier care, and about a dozen other things that it takes to maintain an equine.

Those who indulged themselves and bought a horse under those conditions soon found out that keeping an equine was a bit more than they bargained for! If they got the equine for FREE, that was even better…NOT! If they got them cheap, it was GREAT…NOT! If they got them cheap from the Kill Pens and rescued them, Oh, how compassionate they thought they were being!  If they didn’t have a small patch of grass, but really wanted a horse, a Boarding Stable was the perfect option provided that the price was right! They would have the privilege of riding with their friends! Boarding Stables with limited exposure to their owners is not good for mules or donkeys, and are even worse for Boarding Stable employees that need to deal with them on a daily basis. Monitoring their feed in a healthy way at a Boarding Stable is next to impossible because they want to feed ALL the equines the same way, no matter what you write for them on a stable sign.

Cindy and I talked about the “Good Old Days” when we used to live on a ranch, had horses and could be gone all day riding with our friends! Today, our lives are so easy and require no experience to have the knowledge that you can now hold in your hand! The value of EXPERIENCE is diminished until you get hurt! There were so many things that we learned by having the full responsibility of cleaning pens, feeding, grooming, tacking up our own horses and then riding in so many different situations. One really LEARNED how to make decisions and analyze the knowledge that we gleaned. We soon learned the approaches and things that we could do SAFELY, and that kept our experiences happy and joyful! We KNEW it would cost a minimum of $5000.00/year to maintain and train our equines! Our relationships with our equines were good and they were able to teach us WELL!

When one grows up with all things done FOR them, one loses the benefits of all those lessons that Cindy and I were able to learn. Our lives were truly filed with the love and joy we got from being with our equines, and even more, the challenges that were put before us to be BETTER. That enhanced everything we did with our animals! It made us more curious and willing to ask questions of all kinds of people that knew more than we did…and we learned so much MORE! We learned about who to trust and who we should consider suspect. We heard all about the Horse Traders and discovered the differences between them, and the differences between honest people that were also selling equines.

If you do get an animal that you are not compatible with and you want to sell him to someone else, be careful about how you do that. It is good to advertise, but know what you are talking about. If you get in a situation where you can not longer afford to take care of the animal(s) you have, be careful what you do, or it can break your heart! The first thing to do is to ask around with people you know and see if anyone can take your animal. If not, then advertise in equine publications, or on the internet, and see if there is any interest there.

If the last resort is putting them in an auction…BEWARE! You might get stopped with your truck and trailer in the parking lot and a dealer that offers to take them off your hands right there! If you are tight for cash and looking for a convenient fix to your problem, you might think this is a great deal, but this is what KILLER BUYERS do!!!

When you are looking for an equine, don’t be afraid to talk to a lot of people, starting with people that you know are good horsemen. If they don’t have anything for sale, ask for credible references. You can usually find a lot of knowledgeable people at shows, fairs and exhibitions, but beware of what they tell you and remember that they want to SELL the animal and they know nothing about your riding ability and in most cases, they don’t care.

We learned to watch the animals at the auctions and the way they were being presented. Don’t be afraid to ask WHY they are being sold! Were they truly calm and well-trained, or were they drugged and would be quite different when they were taken home? It wasn’t hard after a while, to tell the difference among who the really good trainers were and those who “faked it” for a sale. It was even important to know the difference among trainers in case you would need help after purchasing your equine. Is the seller a true MULE PERSON?

It is important to know what kind of person YOU are (and be honest…quick temper?) before you decide what kind of equine you want to have. Research all it takes to maintain the different kinds of equines (small, large, active, docile, etc.) and whether their conformation is going to be sound enough for what you want to do with them. Ask a professional if your assumptions (and that IS what they are when you are ignorant about equines…assumptions!) are correct and sound, and will they work the way you would like them to work. Is this going to be the horse, or mule, for YOU!

The nice thing about buying a mule is that THEY will decide whether or not they like YOU! If they are not attracted to you…forget that mule! If you do find a mule that seems to be attracted to you and comes right up to you…he might be THE ONE! Then it is time to get a vet to help with a pre-purchase exam to make sure he is sound. Lots can be hidden with drugs, so take your time with this and give any drugs time to wear off. Have your vet and farrier do exams on the hooves to make sure the equine has not been “nerved.” When an equine has been “nerved,” their unsoundness can be hidden for months and years.

When you do think you have found that ideal mule, don’t be averse to asking the seller for a trial period, usually for a month to make sure things were not overlooked. This should be clearly stated in a contract between the buyer and the seller with stipulations about how things will be handled with the animal to keep him safe. You must assure the buyer that your facility would not be injurious to the animal and that he will be properly maintained. It is helpful to include acceptable surprise visits by the seller if he has any concerns at all.

If you hire a trainer and show your mule, be sure to have a clear contract with that trainer about expectations. Be sure to have a legal Power of Attorney drawn up in case of accidents that will clearly state how the animal is to be handled should something happen to you. The trainer should always be paid up in full and the animal should never be used for collateral for non-payment. As a rule, I only allow supervised youth riders on my mules for specific youth classes at shows. It is not a good idea to let anyone else ride your mule. I find that their relationships are VERY specific to the people they love! HAPPY TRAILS!

If you would like to have more information about buying and selling equines, I suggest you purchase Cindy Roberts’ book, HOW TO BUY A MULE & NOT GET SCREWED. It is an excellent resource for this kind of information. And, if you want to know as much as you can about Longears, take a look at all the books and videos that I have available both in the STORE and the FREE information under TRAINING on my website at www.luckythreeranch.com

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.

Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE, EQUINE MANAGEMENT & DONKEY TRAINING, EQUUS REVISITED and A GUIDE TO RAISING & SHOWING MULES at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.

© 2024 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The History of Horses in North America

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The image of a wild horse, free and running through a rugged landscape, has long been the symbol of the American West. This is echoed in our film and literature and contributes to the idea of America as a bold new landscape. However, much of the history of wild horses in America is disputed. The origin of this species is a debate that looks not only at the deep history of our planet, but also the claims to land management and ecology that various organizations and communities are involved in, to this day.

The once common idea that horses arrived in the “New World’ via Columbus in 1492, has now been discussed in several publications that look at the prehistoric records of North America. Wild horses have always been a part of the North American landscape. It is the question of whether or not this animal is “native” or introduced to the landscape that haspeople looking closer at this narrative.

[fancy_link link=”https://tacktrunks.com/whitepapers/the-history-of-horses-in-north-america/” variation=”blue” target=”blank”]Read More[/fancy_link]

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Sybil Ludington: The Female Paul Revere

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This article is a repost of Valerie DeBenedette‘s article at Mental Floss.  

“… the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five: Hardly a man is now alive …”

Yes, the famed Paul Revere set out on horseback on this day in 1775 to raise the alarm that British troops were on their way from Boston to Lexington.

Revere rode about 20 miles through what is now Somerville, Medford, and Arlington, Massachusetts, knocking on doors to raise people to defend Lexington. Another rider, William Dawes, was sent by another route to do the same thing. A third, Samuel Prescott, was also pressed into service. Only Prescott completed the night’s work and reached Concord; Revere was captured and Dawes was thrown from his horse while evading British soldiers, forcing him to walk back to Lexington.

It was a good ride for Revere, and it was good for the revolution. But a little over two years later, a 16-year-old girl did the midnight riders one better. Sybil Ludington rode twice as far as Revere did, by herself, over bad roads, and in an area roamed by outlaws, to raise Patriot troops to fight in the Battle of Danbury and the Battle of Ridgefield in Connecticut. And did we mention it was raining?

Sybil was the eldest of 12 children of Col. Henry Ludington, the commander of the militia in Dutchess County, New York. Ludington’s farm was a receiving center for information collected by spies for the American cause.

In April 1777, Colonel Ludington and the members of his militia were at their homes because it was planting season. But about 9 p.m. on the evening of April 26, he received word that the British were burning Danbury. The man who brought the news had worn out his horse and he didn’t know the area. Ludington needed to stay where he was to help arrange the troops as they arrived.

Who could he send? He turned to his daughter, who knew the area and knew where members of the militia lived. Sybil rode her horse from her father’s farm in Kent, which was then called Frederick. She first headed south to the village of Carmel and then down to Mahopac. She turned west to Mahopac Falls and then north to Kent Cliffs and Farmers Mills. From there, she rode further north to Stormville, where she turned south to head back to her family’s farm. All told, she rode nearly 40 miles through what was then southern Dutchess County (which is now mostly Putnam County).

Sybil spent the night traveling down narrow dirt roads in the rain with nothing but a stick as protection. To add another element of danger, there were many British loyalists in the area and more than a few “Skinners,” a word generally used then to describe an outlaw or ruffian who had no real loyalties to either side in the war. One account of her ride says that Sybil used her stick to pound on a Skinner who accosted her.

By dawn, Sybil had made it back to her family farm where the militia men were gathering with her father. By this time, the British had gone south from Danbury to Ridgefield. The militia of Dutchess County, led by Colonel Ludington, marched 17 miles to Ridgefield and took part in the battle there, which some considered a strategic victory for the American forces.

Sybil’s hard riding earned her the congratulations of General George Washington, but it seems she got little recognition for her feat after that. She married another revolutionary, Edmond Ogden, in 1784 and had a child. At one point she and her husband ran a tavern in Catskill, New York, but she spent the last 40 years of her life as a widow until her death in 1839. She is buried near the route of her ride in Patterson, New York, with a headstone that spells her first name as Sibbell.

So why do we all learn about Paul Revere in our American history courses and not Sybil Ludington? In more recent times, Sybil has received a bit more acclaim for the ride that she made—there have been books written about her, a postage stamp near the bicentennial honoring her, and even a board game where players follow her overnight path. And in 1961, the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution erected a larger-than-life statue of her on her horse in Carmel, New York.

Revere, of course, is justly honored as a man who served the Revolution in many capacities, including as a messenger and engraver (by trade, he was a fine silversmith). Perhaps his place in history was secured because he had Henry Wadsworth Longfellow serving as his publicist, with Longfellow’s famous (and famously inaccurate) poem—it leaves out both Dawes and Prescott—turning Revere into a legend. Sybil has no such fabled poem, no “one if by land, two if by sea” catchphrase. But perhaps as children we all should hear of the midnight ride of a teen with no fear.

All images courtesy Valerie DeBenedette.

 

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Mules and Donkeys in the Bible

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When I posted this on Facebook about mules in the Bible…

Origins: The mule is mentioned in mankind’s earliest records. Consider this passage from the Bible: “And Absolom met the servants of David. And Absolom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the Heavens and the earth, and the mule that was under him went away.” (II Samuel 18:9). If you choose to ride a mule, you will need a good sense of humor!!!

…we were asked about mules really being in the Bible.  We sent an email to a Rabbi inquiring about the translation of the ancient Hebrew word for “mule” or “pered.” Here is the reply:

“Solomon rode on a mule (1Ki 1:38) because his father David told  Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah to “cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule” (v 33).  This is the word for a “she-mule” (BDB, TWOT). Its three Old Testament uses are all in this  passage (see v 44), referring to one mule, David’s. Solomon’s riding on David’s mule in  company with David’s advisors gave a clear message: he was the successor David had  chosen. Years later in secular history, female mules became preferable for riding and males  for bearing burdens. That may have been a factor in David’s having this special mule.  Second, an observation. David’s sons all rode on (male) mules (2Sa 13:29) and Absalom  rode a mule at the end of his life (2Sa 18:9). Since a mule is crossbred between a mare and  a male donkey, and since crossbreeding was prohibited in Israel (Lev 19:19), mules were  likely imported (TWOT), and were thus more valued. They (along with horses, silver, and  gold, etc.) symbolized the wealth that other kings brought to Solomon annually (1Ki 10:25).  Third, a suggestion. The greatest reason for David’s choice of a mule rather than a horse  may have been God’s prohibition for kings (Deu 17:16): they were not to multiply horses to  themselves. David was careful in this. Solomon, to his own destruction, was not (1Ki 10:26,  28).”

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Breeding Letter from George Washington

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A letter from George Washington, written in 1786, was recently put up for auction by bookseller William Reese. The letter is in regards to a donkey sent to Washington’s Mount Vernon ranch for the purpose of breeding. Washington is well-known for his agricultural brilliance and for breeding the first American mule. The correspondence was written a during a breif period of retirement and a few years before Washington became president. washington-letter

Washington writes: “Dear Sir, When your favor of the first inst., accompanying the she ass, came to this place, I was from home – both however arrived safe; but Doct. Bowie informs me that the bitch puppy was not brought to his house. Nor have I heard any thing more of the asses at Marlbro’, nor of the grass seeds committed to the care of Mr. Digges. I feel myself obliged by your polite offer of the first fruit of your jenny. Though in appearance quite unequal to the match, yet, like a true female, she was not to be terrified at the disproportional size of her paramour; and having renewed the conflict twice or thrice it is to be hoped the issue will be favourable. My best respects attend [Mrs. Sprigg] & the rest of your family. With great esteem & regard, I am Dr. Sir Yr. most ob. serv. Go. Washington.”

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The History of the Missouri Mule

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The Missouri mule is a well-known symbol of American strength and perseverance, thanks to its significant contributions both within the state and throughout the country. Today, the mule still serves as Missouri’s official state animal, so the connection remains strong. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has put together a great photo slideshow about the history of these iconic equines and their role in the Show-Me State—click here to see the full slideshow! (You may need to reload the page when you get there.)

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