 Training
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most important thing in starting a young mule is to lay
a firm foundation of respect and response; everything
the mule will be used for later will depend on it.
Training
starts in the round pen with a lesson on catching. I want
the mule to catch me and follow me around while free. |
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When
the mule catches me, we start work with the rope around the
mule's neck, girth area, flank, and all four feet.
I want the mule to respond to a feather-light feel and follow
that feel in whichever direction I direct him, and to be
comfortable with the rope touching him all over his body.
Also to disengage his hind quarter and step his hind foot
under. |
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From there, we progress to ground
driving in the halter.
This
starts reinforcing disengagement of the hindquarter, stepping
the front end across, backing straight and coming
forward on a soft feel. |
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The
mules are ground-driven through a variety of obstacles to
get them used to walking over and through different things. |
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| At
this point we spend time going through a very complete sacking-out
process where the mule learns to pack all sorts of objects
on his back, starting with the saddle. |
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After
the mule is comfortable with different things on his back,
I start taking him out into the woods where he learns to
pony and move down the trails with confidence. Both being
led and tied in a string of mules. |
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When
he is comfortable packing anything, we move on to exercises
that help him understand my cues from the saddle to prepare
him to be ridden.
The mule will learn to come up beside a fence and mounting
block to allow me to mount and learn to stand for this. |
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From here, we progress to the first
ride in a halter and he will carry a rider at all three gates,
plus backing, and learning to start and stop smoothly. |
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He will then be introduced to a
snaffle bit and learn to respond to it with a soft feel.
The first few rides are in the round pen and then we move
to an arena to refine what we have been working on.
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Then
to the great outdoors.
I take my training mules with me wherever I am going so
they have an education of going down various trail and through
different terrain (water, bridges, downfall, etc.)
I ride with a minimum of three dogs, so they get used to
having dogs coming and going and things jumping out of the
bushes and down the banks. They learn to highline, stand
hobbled overnight, and graze on a foot picket. |
