MULE CROSSING: Crystal Ward Memorial 2014
By Meredith Hodges
A professional trainer, judge and animal inspector, Crystal Ward owned the Ass Pen Ranch in Placerville, California, where she raised and trained horses, mules and donkeys. The first year she came to Bishop Mule Days was in 1979. She happened to be coming through Bishop on vacation and it really intrigued her. She thought the mules were simply outstanding. Crystal had a show career with horses, but the following year she decided she had to own a mule. She showed up the next year with a horse trailer in tow, and at that point Bishop Mule Days was still offering an auction. She swiftly bought a mule at the auction and had been coming back ever since.
Her first mule was a wild little critter that didn’t make much progress. So the following year she bought a mule named Skeeter Sea from George Chamberlain, a dealer in mules in Los Alivos, California; the mule was previously owned by Slim Pickens. When Slim Pickens showed up as Grand Marshal in the Bishop Mule Days Parade, he told Crystal, “We used to own that 
mule.” She showed him with 55 mules in the class and won the Western Pleasure class that year. Although he was nice in the Western Pleasure classes, she couldn’t see owning this mule for the long term due to his generally bad manners. Later, she picked up a mule in Northern Montana and brought him back and started training him…his name was Final Legacy. He was a good honest mule and she kept him for the long haul.
Back in the early ‘80s, Crystal got really interested in riding side saddle, so she joined the International Side Saddle Organization and ultimately rode in the Presidential Inaugural Parade with Final Legacy in 1993, hauling him from California to Washington, DC, in the middle of January. He was a good honest mule and she loved him. She showed him in many classes at Bishop Mule Days over the years…from Western to English, dressage, driving and side saddle.
In more recent years Crystal switched to raising and showing donkeys. She had a variety of donkeys, from miniatures to mammoths. She fully understood that you have to take a different approach when training a donkey and produced training videos with Napa, California, videographer, Video Mike. She truly appreciated a good donkey: “Donkeys are like potato chips—you can’t have just one.”
In our interview in 2009, Crystal told me: “We call them [donkeys] ‘desert canaries,’ but that goes hand-in-hand with donkeys. They do like to talk and it can be loud, but you know I’ll still take a donkey any day. I live with the noise, but then again, I’ll have peacocks, barking dogs and roosters in my backyard. Donkeys are just one more noisy farm animal that I can certainly live with.”
For Crystal, it was always a matter of learning…English, Western, Side Saddle…the whole nine yards! She always performed to the best of her and her mule’s ability and she believed a lot of it was a matter of finding just the right mule!
Crystal enjoyed her interview for my documentary series, Those Magnificent Mules; she appeared in “The Bishop All Stars”episodes. (We have all of these episodes available to watch online from our website at www.LuckyTreeRanch.com in the LTR TV On Demand section.) She said: “We were showing back in the early ‘80s, beating the paths to Bishop Mule Days. The one thing I know about mule and donkey people is that it’s fun competing…nice rivalry. When you come out of a class, your fellow competitors will shake your hand and offer you a bit of encouragement. It’s like family when you show at a mule or donkey show. It’s something you always look forward to until the next time.”
You are so right, Crystal! You will remain in our hearts, forever a part of our Longears family… we will miss you!
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, EQUUS REVISITED and A GUIDE TO RAISING & SHOWING MULES at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.
© 2014, 2016, 2024 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
A wonderfully new and exciting addition to the Colorado Classic Heart Fund Benefit this year was opening night’s Symphony of Champions. Riders from all divisions were given spots to ride to the music of the Denver Symphony’s Young Artists Orchestra. American Show Horses, Saddlebreds, Arabians, Half-Arabians, Morgans, National Show Horses, Tennessee Walkers and mules danced to the music of Beethoven and Broadway hits, and then came together for the grand finale to the William Tell Overture. It was an evening of beauty, an evening of humor, an evening of suspense, an evening of the deepest emotions – and the audience loved it! What an exciting way to kick off a show!
saddle mules in the country! Performance classes began with English Pleasure, and then went on to show some of the smoothest jumping mules ever in Hunter Hack and Hunter Under Saddle classes. There was a stunning touch of class by Tammy Dishong and Dena Hodges as they emerged in the Side Saddle class.
Back to Tammy Dishong and Dena Hodges again for Youth Pleasure, where the girls exhibited their mules in a truly professional manner, explaining why each had claimed their World Champion placements at Bishop Mule Days in California just two years before! Until recently, California mule exhibitors seemed to claim most of the world titles, but two years ago they had to start working a little harder because our own Colorado mule exhibitors began doing better than ever, giving them a run for their money!
Drive & Ride and Ranch Riding were cancelled as the show was running late and the judge needed to catch his flight home, but in the spirit of the Colorado Classic, the otherwise refunded money was donated to the Heart Fund. Our deepest thanks to all of the mule exhibitors who took time out of their busy schedules to help support this show with their avid participation: Bitterroot Mule Company of Bennett, Colorado; JD Diamond Ranch of Bennett, Colorado; Lucky Three Ranch of Loveland, Colorado; Mountain Shadow Mules of Longmont, Colorado; Kristin Pettinger of Littleton, Colorado; and Steven White of Westminster, Colorado! Everyone did a superb job and is to be highly commended for their excellent performances! Thank you all and let’s hope that we can have even more support and participation next year! Results are as follows:
By Meredith Hodges
Competitive riding requires constant discipline and dedication to lessons, clinics, shows, and practice sessions for the purpose of conditioning the bodies of mules and riders to perform what is learned. In turn, that which is put before the public is continually more impressive in the quest for perfection. As mules and riders meet new challenges, the appeal of the animal itself is broadened and becomes more positive.
C.D.M.S meeting are held every two weeks at the Lucky Three Ranch in Loveland, Colorado. Members arrive at about noon and spend two to three hours in a video-taped group lesson and practice session after which is a supper meeting. During the meeting, our video-taped session is evaluated and critiqued and each rider is given his riding and training assignment. Club business is then discussed and the meeting adjourns.
C.D.M.S. is not just for mules. We support and appreciate the donkey and his contribution to this industry. We recognize the importance of Donkey Power! We hope that as we grow as a society, we can establish an equally fun and interesting program for our donkeys. The World Champion Mule Show at Bishop, California, held in May recognized this need and a “Donkey Driving” class was added to their schedule. In Colorado, we have had limited donkey halter classes and driving classes. We hope to add to these. At the Queen City Donkey & Mule Show (July 30-Aug. 2), we added a Wild Burro Halter class. We hope this will help to promote the adoption and care of these beloved animals. The driving classes are split according to size and we hope to see more donkeys in the smaller sections. If enough donkeys show, we will be able to break off an exclusive Donkey Driving class and eventually add Donkey Trail, Pack Trail and Donkey Pleasure. Please help support our donkeys!
Halter classes were dotted with mules of all sizes and colors. They ranged from black to white, from Paints to Appaloosas, all clipped and turned out with elegance. Grand Champion Model Mule went to Maggie, a 16.1 hand gray molly mule owned by Danny Langston of Denver, Colorado and shown by Dick Ayers of Blue Cloud Stables in Longmont. Reserve Grand Champion Model Mule was Lucky Three Mae Bea C. T., a 15 hand brown dun molly mule, owned and shown by Meredith Hodges of the Lucky Three Ranch in Loveland, Colorado.
The Mule Side Saddle class took its place in the Coliseum arena amongst elegant saddle horses and Grand Prix jumping. Winner of this class was Rambling Rose, owned by Diane Walston of Longmont and shown by trainer, Joan Triolo. “‘Rose” was immaculately decked out in beautiful, handmade Mexican attire, impressive to all who were fortunate enough to be present. Second place was awarded to Nifty, owned and shown by Zella Brink of Fort Collins, Colorado.
In the Single Hitch Driving, Lucky Three Mae Bea C.T. rose to the occasion, capturing first place, with Rambling Rose in second place. First in the Drive & Ride went to Princess, owned and shown by Tom Mowery of Brighton, Colorado. Tom is an active participant in the promotion of mules in Colorado – much of what has been done here could not have been done without him. Thanks, Tom! Second place went to sweet Rambling Rose, a formidable contender. In the Team Driving, Oscar and Yoyo were awarded first place, owned and driven by Bob Potestio of Parker, Colorado. Princess and Buster, owned and shown by Tom Mowery of Brighton placed second. Ranch Riding, a combined Reining and Trail class, was won by Nifty, owned and shown by Zella Brink of Fort Collins, with Lucky Three Mae Bea C.T. taking second place ridden by Meredith Hodges. First place in the Costume Class went to Rambling Rose and Joan Triolo in their impressive Side Saddle attire, while Tom Mowery took second place with his pack string Buster and Princess. Congratulations to Tom Mowery with High Point Mule, Princess, and to Reserve High Point Mule, Rambling Rose!
In October of 1987, Leslie Busque will cross over into the ranks of adult riders, but she has had a youth career in mules of which any young rider would be proud. In 1983, she competed at the Texas State Fair, where she captured Reserve High Point Mule, a first from any age group in Colorado. In 1984, she again received Reserve High Point Mule at the Sandrifters All-Breed Show held in Colorado Springs and was elected Princess of the Prairie Ramblers Riding Club. In 1985, her uncle, Bob Anthony of Colorado Springs, bought a three-year-old molly mule from Judy Krol of Arizona, which he encouraged Leslie to train and show. At the Sandrifters All-Breed Show that year, Leslie rode Frijoles Dixie Belleagainst adults (there were no youth classes at this show), where she captured 1st place in English and Western Pleasure and Grand Champion High Point Mule. She went on to compete at the Colorado State Fair where she won 1st place in Green Western Pleasure (17 competitors), Open Western Pleasure, Youth Western Pleasure and Showmanship at Halter. Later that year, at the Desert Donkey and Mule Club Bicentennial Show held in Phoenix, Arizona, Leslie again competed against adults, taking 2nd in Mature Mules at Halter (3 yrs & over), 1st in Open English Pleasure, 2nd in Open Western Pleasure, and Reserve Grand Champion English Performance Mule.
In preparation for college, Leslie moved from Colorado Springs to Loveland, where she rode as Assistant Trainer for the Lucky Three Mule Ranch. At the Denver Queen City Horse Show, she showed Lucky Three Mae Bea C.T., taking 1st place in Youth Showmanship and Youth Pleasure (14-17), then rode Lucky Three Ciji, a four year-old molly, to victory in the Adult English Pleasure.
By Meredith Hodges
Dena spent several years practicing her riding skills on horses until 1986, when she asked her mom if she could start showing the mules. At the Douglas County Fair Mule Show she rode Lucky Three Sundowner, a 16 hand saddle mule, in the Boot Race. No doubt, her fourth place was somewhat attributed to the time it took to climb back on board! In January of 1987, Dena entered the Youth Western Pleasure (13 years and under) at the National Western Stock Show in Denver on Lucky Three Mae Bea C.T. and took second place her first time showing seriously. In April, they again entered the Youth Pleasure at the Colorado Classic Mule Show, placing first! Then it was on to Bishop Mule Days and a fifth place ribbon in the Youth Pleasure out there. At the Denver Queen City Donkey & Mule Show at the beginning of August, Dena really showed her stuff in her division winning the Youth Showmanship and the Youth Western Pleasure, still with “Bea.”
She attended the Foxfield Riding Academy in Westlake Village, California, which further sparked her desire to ride Dressage and begin jumping. She worked at improving her English flatwork so she could be well prepared before she started jumping the Lucky Three mules. Dena added Side Saddle to her list of accomplishments and showed Rambling Rose at the National Western Stock Show for Hal and Diane Walston. The choices she has made concerning the mules have all been her own, but it seems she is following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother before her, as she has expressed a desire to become a mule trainer. At thirteen years old, Dena Hodges was an active member of the Colorado Donkey and Mule Society and promised to be one of Longears’ shining stars of the future. Her dedication and enthusiasm have certainly made her parents very proud and happy to have her help!
By Meredith Hodges
and what is not present in the training books and videos is compiled in A Guide to Raising & Showing Mules. Not only do you get a review of feeding, maintenance, and training, with reference to the other products available, but you also get information on breeding, caring for foals, diseases, safety measures, supplies needed, all about showing, points programs, how to set up shows, clubs and organizations and a wide variety of other mule related issues that are important in the raising, showing, promoting and selling of these animals.
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.
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.
Miniature horses, donkeys and mules all have one thing in common; everyone else is taller than they are! That makes eye contact with the trainer very difficult if not impossible for them. As the saying goes, the eyes are the window to the soul so it is understandable that they would become anxious if they are unable to look into a person’s eyes to decide whether they are friend or foe. I have five miniature equines: a mini horse named Mirage, a mini mule named Franklin, a mini molly mule named Francis, and two mini donkeys named Augie and Spuds. To help them all succeed and thrive, I’ve structured my training program for them based on the same one I use for all of my other equines, with one important modification. With safety always as my first priority, I work with my minis from a lower position whenever it’s safe to do so. That way, I can make eye contact with them, and I make certain they are always lavishly rewarded with an oats reward for their compliance. The results have been amazing! I’ve received total cooperation from them almost all of the time.
None of my minis were born at my ranch, so I knew that they would each first need to explore their surroundings a little at a time, and would also need ample time to get used to my staff and me. Mirage, the miniature horse, was my first mini. It wasn’t long after I acquired him that I acquired Franklin, the mini mule, who quickly became Mirage’s buddy. Since both Mirage and Franklin had previous training and because minis seem to accept training more willingly when done with a partner, we did all of Mirage’s and Franklin’s groundwork lessons together and, true to form, they learned very quickly because they were allowed to be together.
I think it is critically important that all equines have a space they can call their own—their personal oasis of comfort and privacy—so when I got my mini donkeys, Augie and Spuds, I decided that the first thing they would learn about was their living quarters or, as I like to call it, their “bedroom.”
When your mini is comfortable with you coming into his pen and interacting with him, the next step is to ask him to go into a bigger turnout area, where you should repeat the same simple lessons. Now that your mini can be loose in a larger space, ask him to come to join you for another picnic. After a few times, bring a hairbrush with you (It’s the most efficient brush to use on donkey hair).
A halter doesn’t even come into play until after grooming in the pen is easily achieved and your mini will follow you to and from the pen without the halter. When it is time to introduce the halter, bring it with you into the pen for your picnic. Do the brushing and then show your mini the halter while you sit on the ground. When he sniffs the halter, he should be rewarded. Once he is unafraid of the halter, hold it on both sides of the noseband, feed your mini some oats, and then gently push the noseband of the halter over his nose and then take it off, rewarding him again. At this point you’ve got all kinds of oats in your lap and your mini’s got his head down, eating the oats, so when you put the noseband on again, just reach over his neck, grab the strap of his halter on the other side, bring it behind his ears and fasten it. If done correctly, this should not bother him. Then reward him with more oats, pet him as he complies and say, “Oh, how good is that?!” You can then take the halter off again and end the first lesson there.
Once your mini is used to having his halter put on, let him graze while supervised in a larger pasture area with his halter on while he drags the lead rope behind him. When you want him to walk away from you, simply stand up and let him go off on his own. After a few minutes, approach him again, grab the end of his lead rope and sit down again. You can give a little tug, say his name and ask him to “Come.” He should come easily when you gently tug on his lead rope. This action makes him look at you and think, “Oh, my human is sitting down again, so I’m going to come over and get more oats!” As he comes toward you, take up the slack on his approach. Once he comes to you easily, you can stand up and ask him to come while you’re standing up and reward him for it. And that’s how to teach a mini to follow you.
Breaking things down into little do-able steps seems like a long process in the beginning, but as your mini begins to understand the reasoning behind your approach, his reactions to tasks will become calmer, more automatic and more natural for him. When you allow your mini to learn to follow your lead without the halter in the beginning of each task, learning to follow you on the lead rope will be a lot easier for him, and when you finally move on to more specific tasks in training, he will oblige you much more willingly. In Part 2 of “Getting Down With Minis,” I will cover how to approach the tasks necessary for formal training.
First, this morning, we would like to present Meredith, riding her 16.2 hand Quarter Horse mule, Lucky Three Sundowner, exhibiting the discipline of Dressage through a First Level Test! Sundowner has recently taken the step up to First Level after spending 18 months at Training Level, learning to travel in a cadenced, rhythmic, and balanced fashion. At first glance, this pattern may look rather simple and many of you might think, “Oh, that’s simple!” But I challenge you to actually get out and try to do this. You will find, as is the case with many things… that it is not as easy as it looks. Many hours of training have gone into this animal in order to make this mule look as smooth, balanced, and rhythmic as he is. Though he is under the rider’s direct control, he must appear that he is doing of his own accord.
Next into the arena we have Meredith driving Lucky Three Mae Bea C.T., a 15 HH molly mule. Driving used to be a matter of necessity rather than pleasure. There was not much need to have the animal do much more than go forward at all three gaits, with the trot being most prevalent, and to back and turn. Mules today are being taught to drive with finesse through training in Dressage. Driving classes that are offered in the shows include Pleasure Driving, Obstacle Driving, Drive & Ride, and Cross Country. All of these classes require a good communication and understanding between mule and driver.
and begins to learn submissiveness to the bit. By not throwing too many things at the animal all at once, we are allowed to work on these things in a natural progression that will facilitate an obedient, free-moving, and calm animal. As the training becomes the animal, the animal itself becomes a more dependable and pleasurable mount.
Most of the world’s calendars begin with New Year’s, but a mule lover’s calendar begins and ends with Bishop Mule Days held in Bishop, California, over Memorial Day weekend each year. This year marked the 17th Annual Mule Days Celebration with over 600 mules participating in everything from the parade to packing to steer roping and jumping. But Bishop Mule Days is more than just a mule show. It is an annual rendezvous of mule lovers from all over the world. It is an opportunity for these people to come together, exchange ideas, demonstrate their talents and pay their respects to the one animal most responsible for the building of this great country of ours – the mule!
Just as the mule has suffered great injustice to his character throughout the ages, so have his admirers and advocates. Stories and rumors have repeatedly portrayed the mule as an unattractive, stubborn creature, but modern day mule lovers have found that these rumors are simply not true. Fast breaking and gross impatience are probably the underlying reasons for such ignorant remarks. Mule lovers today are doing their level best to educate the general public about the true nature of the mule. The simple fact is that he’s generally better than the horse out of which he came, and much more personable!
The hard work and dedication of the owners, Dr. Robert and Debbie Miller and trainer of “Jord Ass Jean” was also quite apparent; she exhibited the grace and agility of a truly fine animal. Congratulations on tying for World Champion Performance Mule! It was well earned. Not to be outdone by horseracing, mule-racing fans cheered the victory of Cajun Queen, owned by J.P. Rogers, as the World Champion Running Mule. She was indeed a queen! Demonstrating speed and skill, the World Champion Packer was awarded to Tony Holdridge of the Red’s Meadows Pack Outfit. He did it so smoothly! The best for the best – good mules need a good farrier and Lee Green was where it’s at! Congratulations to our World Champion Farrier! Is it that wonderfully loud shirt, or was it the mule? Congratulations to Johnny Enos and Poco Streak, the 1986 World Champion Working Mule!
As more people are educated about mules, we see more participants in Bishop Mule Days. Ordinarily Bishop is a town of only 4000 people, but streets were lined with 50,000 spectators for the Mule Days Parade, the largest non-motorized parade in the world. In 1986, the parade consisted of 240 entries. Among those entries were real diehards such as the Vision Quest Wagon Train and Tindell Wagon Train. Both wagon trains travelled over 300 miles to take part in the Bishop Mule Days Celebration. The impressions they left along the way will probably go down in history. Once arrived, the young adults from Vision Quest gave us an extra-special treat with their multi-talented marching drill team. Our deepest thanks for their special contribution!
Sunday afternoon, Wadi, an Appaloosa mule, was chosen for the part. Congratulations, Wadi! In addition, Dix Country Pictures will also be putting together a documentary about the Bishop Mule Days Celebration. With their enthusiastic help, we should be able to reach more people than ever in praise of mules! In addition to the actual mule show, special events and people are an important part of Bishop Mule Days. The Governor of California, George Deukmejian participated in the parade and later held a press conference. Ted Dawson, award-winning sportscaster for KABC-PV Los Angeles, was honored as Grand Marshall for the Bishop Mule Days Parade. Struck with “Mule Fever,” enthusiastic Ted also participated in many mule events, with his memorable performance being in the musical tires class. Surely, it is a time he will never forget…and neither will we! Semi-truck pulls, steer packing, large hitch demonstrations, and races with eight to ten mules per wagon were just a few of many special events enjoyed by spectators that year.
All the way from Colorado, the Coors Belgian Hitch gave several impressive performances during the weekend show. Under the steady hand of Jim Hilgendorf, the Belgians exhibited an awesome display of power and grace. Monty Montana, 1978 Grand Marshall of the Mule Days Parade, returned to tantalize the crowd with his intricate rope tricks and trick riding, a wonderful contribution to Mule Days. Even the United States Armed Forces were represented at Bishop Mule Days – two were from the Mountain Warfare Training Center. Rumor has it that mules will still be replacing some modes of transportation in the more mountainous regions. The overall feeling is that mules would be more practical and economical for this type of use.
Each year, before the Saturday and Sunday evening performances, a very special lady, Nita Vick makes her contribution to Bishop Mule Days. Affectionately known as “Sarge,” she takes rookie volunteers and shapes them into the Bishop Mule Days Drill Team. No one would know from the actual performances that this team had the absolute minimum practice time, only one hour of practice before the performance on Saturday and only one hour before practice on Sunday! Their performance “Under the Flags” is a sight to see!
Mule Days is the most important American Association Show – it appeals to everyone in some way. Western cuisine, Western art shows and Western dances add to the overall picture of Bishop Mule Days. Fiddlers across America rosin up their bows for the Mule Days Fiddling Contest. As they wandered the grounds serenading the crowds, they were joined in harmony by singing donkeys and mules, and dancing exhibitions and spectators. A fun time was had by all! Bishop Mule Days is more than just a mule show. The area around Bishop is filled with mountain lakes and streams and offers backpacking and hiking, fishing, swimming and even skiing. Couple this with unique and spectacular entertainment and you have the opportunity for the time of your life! Memorial Day weekend is the beginning of the year for these maligned animals and the unique people who love them!
By Meredith Hodges
Over 600 mules competed in more than 100 different events, including packing scrambles, English and Western classes and games, mule shoeing and comedy and specialty acts. As mules have progressed in their unique abilities, the art of Dressage has been added to the agenda. Lucky Three Sundowner of the Lucky Three Ranch in Loveland, Colorado, was invited to exhibit his grace and ability toward dance in an exhibition during the Sunday afternoon performance. He was the highest level Dressage mule to perform at Bishop this year. Lucky Three Mae Bea C.T. preceded the exhibition by winning the Mule Jumping class with no faults!
During the Saturday and Sunday performances, Bobby Tanner and friends reenacted the old 20-mule team hitch exhibition with mules that had only been hitched together since the preceding Monday afternoon! Such skill and Mulemanship is a sight to see…for sure! Another skillful performance was demonstrated by the Bishop Mule Days Drill Team comprised of exhibitors who practiced only once before each performance over the weekend under the strict and skillful command of Nita Vick, fondly known as “Sarge.” Pack scrambles, chariot races and comedy packing kept the audience in suspense and stitches with their wild and crazy antics. Rodeo announcer Bob Tallman added still more fun and excitement to the weekend events with his outlandish quips and stories. Other highlights included the Country Western dances on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, preceded on Thursday night by hit songwriter Michael Martin Murphy, who captured the audiences with hit tunes from past, present, and future recording albums. Western artists, craftsmen and salesmen displayed their wares throughout the weekend with a wide variety of items and art from past to present day. Bishop merchants store windows were painted in celebration of “Mules” and mule memorabilia could be found everywhere!
By Meredith Hodges
Bishop Mule Days always has something for everyone. Mule lovers, their friends and family can enjoy fine Western cuisine, games, dancing and good conversation in addition to the show itself. The celebration is kicked off by three mule shows on Friday—there were over 90 different classes and events for competitors. They included: Pleasure classes, Reining classes, Trail, Musical Tires, Barrel Racing and Pole Bending. Also, Jumping, Cattle Penning, Steer Stopping, Team Roping, and a Balloon Bust. For the packers: Pack Train classes, Packing contests, Box Hitch and Diamond Hitch packing contests (pro and non-pro), Team Packing and the Team Packing Scramble, which you must see to believe!
There was an Individual Packing Scramble for those wild and wooly mountain men or women who preferred to “go it light,” Western Saddle Races for those who wouldn’t be caught dead sitting on a postage stamp, and Forging and Hot Shoeing for our more artistic farriers. All these events and more were narrated by the “Man with the Magic Voice,” Bob Tallman from Reno, Nevada. He is one of many extra-special people who participated in this year’s Mule Days Celebration.
the French archives as early as 1121. The breed has been protected by the French government and has remained pure for 300 years. Sonnette was one of only 60 Poitou donkeys in existence in 1985 and the only one of her kind in the United States. Her companion Savane was one of an estimated 150 Mulassiers in existence in 1985 and the only one of her kind in the United States. Mulassiers are a powerful draft horse used exclusively to breed with the Poitou ass to produce the Poitou mule, that has been extensively used in agriculture in France for hundreds of years. Seeing these two extremely rare animals was a very special treat indeed!
After grooming the left side, move to the right side. Brush the head with a Dandy brush and use a multi-bristled human hairbrush on the mane and tail. By adding a little Johnson’s Baby oil to the mane and tail during grooming, you can train a mane to fall to one side and keep other equines from chewing on manes and tails. Finish with a soft body brush. Finally, use the grooming cloth to wipe around the ears, face, eyes, nose, lips, sheath (if it’s a male) and the dock of the tail.
You can spritz a little water and hair spray to make the hair easier to handle. The quickest way to secure the braids is by using tiny rubber bands. It’s also very easy to do and it’s great for one-day shows or quick changes between classes.
By Meredith Hodges
Mules come in as many different sizes and colors as horses, donkeys and ponies. Donkey sizes range from miniatures that are 36″ and under to Mammoths that are 56″ and over. A mule is a miniature if he measures 50″ or less at the withers. Saddle mules come from a wide variety of the larger pony breeds, all light horse breeds and some draft horse breeds. They range in size from 50″ to 72″.
Over the past few decades, through trial and error, we equine owners and trainers have discovered that, when communicating with our equines, harsh bits are not really necessary. Rather, it is safer and more beneficial to use milder tack and equipment, to concentrate on learning correct body language and to give clear cues with our hands, seat and legs to elicit the desired response from our equines.
When it comes to rider/equine communication, bitless and/or brideless techniques do not work as well as the simple, direct rein action of the snaffle bit in concert with your seat and legs.Many people are under the impression that having a bit in the mouth is painful for an equine, and the seeming “nutcracker” action of the snaffle bit when it is in your hands suggests that it might pinch your animal’s tongue when you pull on the reins. The mouthpiece of the snaffle bit actually “breaks” in the middle, allowing it to slide easily across the top of your equine’s tongue. It does not pinch his tongue, but it does put pressure on the corners of his mouth. The snaffle bit is correctly defined as a bit that promotes “direct rein action,” meaning that when you pull right, you go right and when you pull left, you go left. A snaffle bit does not have a shank. If it did have a shank, it would be considered a curb bit, regardless of how short the shank really is (as is the case with a Tom Thumb bit).
Learning to go forward in the beginning of your equine’s training in a snaffle bridle is paramount to properly developing his body so he will learn to carry a rider in a strong and solid frame and in good equine posture. The forward training teaches him to stretch his head and neck forward, to step well underneath his body to propel himself forward, and to elongate his overall frame to keep the vertebrae in his back from becoming compressed and rigid. When he is moving correctly in a straight line, he will have more suspension and flexibility to his gait, and when he turns he will be able to bend easily through his rib cage.
Although it would seem that a bitless bridle could achieve this same end, it has a different action on your equine’s head and neck, which inhibits proper bending through turns. The straight forward motion can be achieved with a bitless bridle. However, reins on a bosal (a type of braided rawhide noseband used with the hackamore-type headstall), bitless bridle reins, and other bitless configurations do not have the same lateral effect on the equine’s head and neck as does the snaffle bit. The equine’s head and neck form two sides of a triangle. The rope reins on a bosal, although lower on the nose of the equine than reins that come from the corners of the mouth, can cause the equine’s head to twist slightly sideways during the turn because, during any directional indication, the rawhide bosal around the nose twists through the rope reins which are both secured together underneath the jaw. The rope reins pull the underside of the bosal in the direction of the turn, but the nosepiece goes the opposite way and can cause your equine to improperly tilt his head through the turns. On bitless bridles, the reins are attached substantially higher than the corners of the equine’s mouth. When you pull on the reins attached higher on the equine’s jaw than where the bit would be as is the case with a halter or bitless bridle, the angle of pull is sharper and more abrupt, since the head side of the “triangle” is so much shorter than the length of the neck. It will cause the equine to try to turn his head too sharply from the poll, which can cause kinks and pain in his neck.
To prove the point, try this experiment. Preferably using an untrained animal, take hold of the halter and gently but firmly pull on the halter in an attempt to make him bend his head and neck to the side. The higher position of the halter is like a bitless bridle and you will feel slight tension and resistance to this action before the animal finally complies. Next, gently insert two fingers into one corner of the equine’s mouth while standing at his shoulder and by squeezing and releasing your fingers, ask him to turn his head and neck to the side toward you. If done correctly, without yanking on him, he should give easily to your cue to submit and turn his head and neck. You will notice that he extends his head and neck slightly forward before turning it to the side.
Now try this action on yourself. Stand in good posture and, without extending your neck, turn your head to the side. Do you feel the tension at the brainstem on the back of your neck? Now, stand in good posture, stretch your neck in an upward and forward arc and then look around the turn. Can you now feel the release from tension in the back of your neck? Your equine experiences the same feelings. The shorter angle of the side-pulls and bitless bridles will have a more abrupt pull and can cause some pain, while the longer angle coming from the snaffle bit at the corners of his mouth will allow a smoother and painless response. NOTE: Any bit can be painful to an animal when in the hands of an inexperienced rider who uses only the bit for control.
The equine that has not had this kind of advanced training will possess neither genuinely good posture nor the knowledge of how to respond correctly in an abrupt and unpredictable situation. He will be more apt to be frightened and, as a result, may bolt and run, putting you and everyone around you at risk. However, the equine that is properly and conscientiously taught how to communicate through the snaffle bit will be a safer and more reliable animal to ride and to take into public places. He has learned to stop and wait for cues (communication through the bit) and is less likely to bolt and run if frightened because he understands and trusts the communication coming from his rider. He will now be more correct and solid in his good posture, yielding confidence in his attitude, and he will be a more reliable pleasure and show animal to ride.
For better or worse, an equine inherits his hooves through his genes. If your mule has inherited good feet—black, oily-looking, and with good shape—then you are fortunate and hoof care and maintenance should be relatively simple. If he has inherited a softer or misshapen foot, you will need to discuss more specialized care with your farrier.
lubricate your mule’s hooves as needed with one of the commercial products available. But before you use an artificial hoof lubricant, first check with your farrier to make sure that it is actually needed. Many people use hoof products too frequently, which can cause hooves to become too soft. When this begins to happen, you will see horizontal rings appear around the hoof wall, and sometimes, vertical lines. Try not to let the hoof get to this point by using lubricants sparingly, but if you see that these rings are beginning to appear, immediately discontinue use of the lubricant and allow the hoof to harden. Then check with your vet to make sure it is not a founder condition. It does not take much to adequately soften the hooves of an animal with rock-hard feet. During the really dry seasons, lubricant application once a week is usually sufficient.
Assuming that your mule has a normal set of dark, healthy hooves, he will probably not need to be shod, as long as he is used strictly for pleasure or only sporadically. However, if you are going to use your mule on excessively rocky or hard ground, you might want to look into getting shoes for him. Mules that repetitively participate in more stressful and demanding activities (such as parades, showing and endurance events) should be shod to protect their feet and to keep them healthy. Prevention of bruising or cracking and maintenance of good foot and leg posture is critical to the equine athlete.
I believe that horses and mules, doing what they would naturally do alone—on terrain that is neither hard nor rocky—do not need to be shod. But mules that are asked to repetitively perform with a human on-board in varying surface situations should be fitted with the proper kind of shoes to help protect them from the additional weight and other demands that will be put upon their bodies. For example, my trail mules wear regular shoes on all four feet when they are being regularly used for trail riding and a variety of other activities, lessening the potential for injury. Then, when there is an occasional misstep on hard ground or rocks or when we trail-ride in the more challenging mountains, the shoes help to absorb some of the shock that would otherwise be absorbed by the hoof itself. It is my experience that young mules (and horses from two to four years of age) bear most of their weight on their front legs until their bodies are carefully and properly conditioned, and this is when you will see the most wear and tear on their feet. Because of this, my young mules that are just beginning saddle training wear regular shoes on the fronts only until their bodies are balanced and their activities clearly defined. Our broodstock, youngsters (under three 
years of age) and equines that are not used under demanding conditions can go barefooted year-round, but they all still get regular trims every six to eight weeks.
Granted, there are a lot of mules that may not need to be shod, but there are also many that do need shoes, so each individual mule’s feet must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Because of this fact, the generalizations that “mules don’t need to be shod” and “all equines should go barefoot” are not always correct. You must take into consideration how your particular mule’s genetics affect his hooves, what he will be used for and how harsh the demands put on him will be on his feet. These important factors will determine whether or not he needs shoes, and if he does need shoes, what kind of shoes will best suit him. And don’t forget to check your mule’s shoes on a regular basis to make sure that all is well and that his shoes are staying on tight, but most of all, that he is comfortable and happy.
