Buying a Mule

[wysongdog]

Put Father's Day weekend on your calendar and do a road trip to Ralston, Wyoming (not too far from you-just outside of Cody). Jake Clark Mule Days. Check his website.

either this or chrome in the canyon sale in Utah.

 

[Mike 338]

I've got a couple. I got them young and started them and trained them up to ride and pack. I think it's smart to get a more mature one that's hopefully already good. Mules mentally mature slower than horses so you'll need much more patience with a young one. IMO, they really don't start to be good till after 6 years of age. Even if you get a seasoned mule, assume it doesn't know anything until you've checked and confirmed there are no holes in it's training. Horses and mules both are not like ATV's. Leave them unused for a while and they won't be how you left them. Their feet are probably to small so avoid marshy places or they'll sink in and start post-holing. Just get off and walk it yourself first. They can refuse to be led where they're worried about going. Don't give up in them though. It's always a training opportunity when that happens but you can be there for hours before they do what you're asking. It's very satisfying to see them progress and grow in confidence. Be careful. Try to see the accident before it happens. Just because you see other guys doing things on their mules doesn't in anyway mean yours can. You can almost always train safely from the ground before asking your mule to do something it's never done from the saddle. Once they start to be good, they'll kind'a start taking care of you on the trail. They all have a personality. No cookie cutters. You'll just have to figure that one out.

Getting horses and mules both are a combination not doing things that can ruin them and then doing things that will improve them. Nobody is born with that knowledge. If you don't have a seasoned mentor (and who does?), then purchase a training program from a qualified professional who has developed just such a program... and then follow it. It may be expensive but so is a month in the hospital.

Mules are great.

 

[87TT]

Seen quite a few that didn’t like dogs around. My best friend had mules and they would go after my dog.

 

[Pony Soldier]

There are horse people and mule people. Both depend on their training and time spent with their animals to develop the relationship.

I have spent my time with horses. I have had friends that had mules. Both were significantly injured by their mules. The last one ended up with a broken leg, hip, ribs and various parts. She had extensive horse experience. Like others I urge you to find a teacher to guide you through this for the sake of you and the mule.

 

[Maverick1]

My wife and I are in the process of listing our house and moving to a place with more acreage. I got the green light for a Mule so I’m in the early stages of my research. Ideally, I would rather pay the money for one that has a few years of training/packing/trail riding under its belt. I live in SW MT but willing to travel.

Any tips or suggestions on selection process would be greatly appreciated.

I do not own mules. Or horses. So take this for what it’s worth (or what you paid for it!)….

I have spent a considerable amount of time hunting in the mountains on foot and come across quite a few folks with both horses and mules. Many guys have an image in their minds of the silhouette of antlers strapped onto the back of a horse or mule, with the sun setting, and them gloriously riding down off the mountain. (If that was only the case! Some animals freak out over the antlers!) As mentioned above, animals take a lot of work. Pretty much a year round commitment. And, even then, there are a fair number of guys that I’ve run into that have shared stories where their animal goes complete ape $hit for no apparent reason. While the is a broad generalization, it seems most that own stock have had at least one incident over the years. Certainly not a reason to avoid owning them, as they can be great tools in the back country, but they can also be temperamental and challenging.

I’ve heard the noises from the unplanned rodeos a couple of times, actually. It is not a pretty scene.

 

[WeiserBucks]

I grew up riding a mule 30+ miles each way into/out of the wilderness for various reasons, sometimes solo as a child. My grandfather must have really trusted that mule in hindsight. It was a different time then obviously to send a kid out alone regularly.

My high school AG teacher was a lifelong mule man, a couple years into retirement he was bucked off and killed after hitting his head on a rock, after 10's of 1000's of miles owning and riding mules. They were his passion.

 

[spike camp]

That’s some cool history ^^ right there.

I work for a family that has horses.
Occasionally I’ll work with the farrier.

She (the hot barrel racer farrier) has a mule and a horse.

The mule sounds like an entirely different animal, by her accounts.

 

[WeiserBucks]

I used to plow a ferrier, she ended up doing the Forged in Fire TV show. Brought back a lot of memories!

 

[Ucsdryder]

I used to plow a ferrier,

Wait…what does this mean?

 

[WeiserBucks]

Wait…what does this mean?

Use your imagination homie, it's pretty straightforward.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Use your imagination homie, it's pretty straightforward.

Just confirming it meant what I thought it did.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Just confirming it meant what I thought it did.

It means exactly that! Never thought I'd see her on TV though. She was never a Council 10 but she aged like milk.

 

[Bouldercreek]

I would find an outfit thats letting some older mules go. An outfit I used to work for would let mules go for cheap when they get into their 20’s, they can still put together a couple weeks of covering ground just not able to do 2-3 months of running feed and meat anymore. Also most outfits don’t give them the high octane feed to keep the weight on during those times because of the cost. I bought a 18 year old riding mule and a 16 year old packer for $5,500 for both. I fatten them up before the season starts and they do great and I expect to get ten plus more years out of them.

 

[WeiserBucks]

I would find an outfit thats letting some older mules go. An outfit I used to work for would let mules go for cheap when they get into their 20’s, they can still put together a couple weeks of covering ground just not able to do 2-3 months of running feed and meat anymore. Also most outfits don’t give them the high octane feed to keep the weight on during those times because of the cost. I bought a 18 year old riding mule and a 16 year old packer for $5,500 for both. I fatten them up before the season starts and they do great and I expect to get ten plus more years out of them.

This is what I would do to start, then form your future plans based on a decade of experience.

 

[Brooks]

I had a big John mule a few years back he was 16 hands a big mule. All summer he was great,we road him up into the wilderness no problem. Then one day we went to get him to pack an elk out, he had destroyed the gate to the pasture and got into a big fight with a horse.

Ok, he’s having a bad day. I loaded him up and went to where we were going to unload him and rode him to the dead elk.
now this mule had packed probably 30-40 elk with no problem. We got one quarter loaded on him then I walked the other quarter to him and just has I was getting close hebucked up and kicked me in the leg there was a deadfall behind me so I got knocked back and hit the tree then flipped over the tree and hit the ground.

The quarter I had flew over my head and the mule tore the tree he was tied to down and took off at full speed down the mountain half way down the panniers came flying off. He got to the bottom and just stood there braying non stop. We walked him back to the truck and tied him in the trailer, he stood there and kicked the side of the trailer until he couldn’t stand anymore so he sat down on his butt with his head still tied up. That was my last mule experience.

 

[406flyfish]

Thanks for all the great info. I’m going to attend Jake’s Mule Day’s & Chrome in the canyon this year. My plan is to talk to trainers and breeders to see what will be offered the following year. This should give me enough time to test ride several Mules That will be offered at auction. As a talller rider.

I'm hoping to find a 16+ hand Mule. From viewing past auction results, it appears these Mules are in less demand, therefore c less expensive.

 

[Mike 338]

Thanks for all the great info. I’m going to attend Jake’s Mule Day’s & Chrome in the canyon this year. My plan is to talk to trainers and breeders to see what will be offered the following year. This should give me enough time to test ride several Mules That will be offered at auction. As a talller rider.

I'm hoping to find a 16+ hand Mule. From viewing past auction results, it appears these Mules are in less demand, therefore c less expensive.

I have a tall and a medium sized mule(s). I doubt I ever would have gotten the big one if I knew she would get that tall, but she's mine now. 16 hands is a big mule/horse. They're a little harder to saddle and a lot harder to mount, especially in uneven terrain. They're very tough to top-load and you have further to hit the ground when you come off them. It may not seem like much difference but when you're in the saddle on a big animal, you'll know you're way up there. You'll also hit more branches and brush on the trail on a tall one. My experience is that the big ones are a less athletic. When hopping up on a good sized step-up, a medium sized mule will gently put it's front feet up and almost seemingly step up. It's a smooth move. A big one has all that weight to move upward and it will "leap" up, using it's momentum. Because they're not built for it, big ones can balk more at certain obstacles. Big bold moves in the wilderness aren't desired as the unexpected is everywhere. Also, a big ribcage can mean sore knees after some miles. On the upside, a taller one will probably gait a bit smoother and maybe have a little more endurance.

I wouldn't let purchase price be a major factor in getting a horse/mule. It's by far the cheapest part of owning one, assuming you're not after fancy breeding. Feed, trimming, shoes, vet bills, fence repair, tack and tack repair, diet supplements, some kind of roof over their heads in the winter, getting unfrozen water to them in the winter/repair, trailer/repairs, license/registration, a round pen to work safely with them and all that for 20-30 years. You may also want to throw in your own medical bills too. Purchase price is nothing.

 

[406flyfish]

Great insight Mike. Based off last years auction prices, I have enough saved to purchase one outside the top 5. I’m 6’5 (225) so I always assumed a taller Mule would be in order.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Mike 338 - great points. When I started I didn't pay attention to height. Most of my early stock were a little under 15 hands. When I got a little taller stock my shorter partners hastled me of forcing them to find a fatman stump to mount. We usually lead our horses downhill to save their knees. By the end of the day, getting on can be an issue.

My last tall horse was 15.2 and I struggled at times to get back on and I am at about 6'. My more recent horse purchases are a little above or below 15 hands. Just a thing to consider.

 

[wyosteve]

My tallest mule was 15 hands, the middle 2 were mid-14's and my small mule was 13 hands. All except the small one carried me and other bigger folks just fine and were a lot easier to load with packs. When I helped a friend guide archery elk hunters, we had a 17 hand mule called 'Meathead' because his head was about 3 ft. long. He would pack a truck if you could get it up on him, but not a lot of fun trying to sling elk quarters up that high. My neighbor had an 18 hand all black Molly mule that he called 'Oprah'. He was 6'4, 290 and he looked small when he climbed aboard her! I'd be less concerned with size and focus on temperament and comfort for you.