Mule headaches

[netman]

I got my mule home about two weeks ago. After a couple days of rest I saddled him up and went for a ride. He rode out good with one hiccup. We were going down a dirt road that’s grown up and he stopped with his ears perked up and he was looking at or for something. After a brief stop I pat him on the shoulders and got him off whatever.I heeled him to go on and he didn’t. Heeled again and nothing. So I turned him around and we went back to the main road and then on down to the barn. Nothing further.
So the next day I snapped a lead on him and took him for a walk. Got a short distance from the barn and he froze up. I did the ask tell demand and on the demand he started forward. Got to the end of my drive. I lead him off to the right. Nope he stopped. No matter how much I demanded we battled .
I turned him in circles and still nope. I then took him to the right. No problem for about a mile. I turned around and headed back. All was well until we got to my drive and he wanted to go to the barn. I tried to get him to go straight with no luck. He set the anchor. I took him to the barn.
I adjusted the knots on the rope halter to be more on his nose rather the sides. Took him for a walk and when he stopped I did the ask tell demand and with the knots adjusted he came on the demand. The next couple of days I would lead him up and down the road in all directions and he does good with the exception of getting in front of me. No more battles on getting bites of grass or different directions.
So I saddle him up which by the way is very easy. I ride him up through the yard and down to the road. We turn left and go a short distance and he stops and refuses to go. So I get off and lead him down the road for about a mile. It’s smoking hot so to keep the lessons short I turn him towards him and heel him. Off we go. I heel him again and he gets up to a trot. I’m cruising down the road with a smile. I slow up at my drive to a walk and direct him to go straight. Nope he stops. He wants to go to the yard or barn. I get off and lead him straight down the road which he does.
We walk around for a while then I walk him home.
A few more days of leading him with no problems.
Today I took him to the local saddle club arena. Got there unloaded him and walked him into the arena. He was sniffing everything so I took him for a couple laps on the lead. No problems.
I mounted up and heeled him and away we went. He was walking along fine for a few laps. Neck reigning as I was guiding him to follow his same foot tracks from the previous lap. So I’m thinking he is barn sour and we need to work on that. While walking I heeled him to pick up the pace which he did not do. I did not make a issue but was thinking about it.
After a few laps he looks over at a gate. Hmmm I thought. Then as we went past the gate by the truck he turns towards it and stops. Before he got to the gate I was steering him away but he fought off the reign and went to the gate. Stopped and not going any further.
So I tried encouraging him to go, heeled him non stop with no luck.
I get off and grab the lead which I have wrapped around the Horn and lead him around the arena for several laps.
I’m furious as I’m unsure what to do.
So I stop in the shade and think about what I need to do. He tries to go past me to the gate. I have a 12’ soft rope lead snapped on to the halter. I popped him across the butt with the end of the lead. Boy did I get his attention. I lead him around another lap and he walked behind me like a puppy.
I tied him up to the trailer where he could not get a bite of grass. I hung his water bucket on the trailer for him to have water to drink.
I kept him tied up for an hour before loading up and heading home.
At home I got him out of the trailer and tied him up again for another hour while I cleaned the trailer out.
I need some help and suggestions for what’s causing him to stop and go no further. I need help with getting him to go.
He loads the trailer with no effort, picking his feet up is very easy, saddling is easy, putting the bit in is no issue, he stands still while mounting, I brush him twice a day and he loves it.
His problem is not going .
I would appreciate some pointers, suggestions or how to.
Thanks

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

Take this all with a grain of salt as I’m a cowboy/outfitter. I pack mules I don’t ride them, I am by no means no mule skinner.

On day 1 that mule tested you and got ur number. When he stopped and you let him go back to the barn, he knew at that point he’d won. Then everytime he stops and you get off and walk, he wins again. I can see him back there laughing that you bought a mule to walk around, no offense.

The mule is smart taking advantage of every chance he can, Spurs may help get his attention and show who’s boss. But be careful as idk if hers seen them before. Use ur reins to pop him in the butt when he stops, make him go til you decide ur done. Then let him head back at your pace. When you get back to the barn leave him saddled for a while make gun understand that just because you let him come back doesn’t mean he just gets to go to pasture. Some days take him out, bring him back, tie him up, go back out.

Whatever you do though don’t let him win by stopping or making you get off and walk


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[Blueticker1]

Exactly what big antler said, remember spurs make a good horse/mule better. Don't get mean or aggressive but make them do what you want when you want, not what they want.

 

[netman]

I’ve been considering getting spurs. I have watched several videos on how to introduce spurs so you don’t have a rodeo.
Big antler when I turned back I knew I had given in. I had however sat there for ten minutes heeling his ribs non stop trying to get him to go.
I know from training retrievers to keep sessions short and on track.
Yesterday I wanted to get a few laps more and then shut down on a positive finish.
I’m just trying to figure out how to get him moving.

 

[Bubblehide]

Number one rule with mules is never pick a fight you are not going to win; they will NEVER forget it. If you have other livestock, if you mule is not at the top of the pecking order, perhaps lead him out on an all day ride, and at that half way point switch and ride the mule, taking your time to get back to the barn. In short, take him out and wear the crap out of him. Wear him down until he gives in to what you want.

 

[jolemons]

No mule skinner here either, but with a horse, I'm getting my way. I'm not opposed to tying one to the back of a pickup and pulling him where I want him to go if neccessary. I've heard mules hold grudges, so maybe my horsemanship style wouldn't be worth a damn on one.

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[MesaHorseCo.]

I’ve been considering getting spurs. I have watched several videos on how to introduce spurs so you don’t have a rodeo.
Big antler when I turned back I knew I had given in. I had however sat there for ten minutes heeling his ribs non stop trying to get him to go.
I know from training retrievers to keep sessions short and on track.
Yesterday I wanted to get a few laps more and then shut down on a positive finish.
I’m just trying to figure out how to get him moving.

I’d like to start by saying that I am not a mule owner or expert. I have, however, seen this type of thing on several occasions with both horses and mules. The common thinking is to just sit there With a straight alignment and keep kicking kicking kicking. If it didn’t work on the 8th kick it’s not going to work on the 30th. I don’t know how confident you are in the saddle or how far along your mule is in terms of training (but rest assured, you are training him every time you interact with him). If you can’t break him loose straight forward, which seems to be the case, try breaking him loose laterally (sideways) instead, and then ask forward again, if he doesn’t, send him sideways again. And again. And again. And again. And again. Depending on the training level of your mule, he may or may not understand what your telling him to do when you tell him to move his rib cage over. If he has a good foundation of training you can probably remedy this fairly quickly. This kind of stuff is hard to explain with text, but I could whip you up a short video of what I’m talking about if you’d like, but it will be with a horse not a mule. Many concepts are similar for each.

 

[Skerhunter]

Pretty common issue with young horses or horses that don't know how to work (go to barn, go to last spot tied). Sounds like mules are no different in that regard (never broke/trained a mule)? He's just being lazy though! My advice is your current short training sessions aren't going to fix the issue, so either send him to a good trainer or plan on putting in a lot of work/miles (no easy fix and no shame using a trainer if you don't have the time). When he quits moving, like others have said don't sit there and keep kicking. Pull his nose around towards your foot and make him cross over with his hind end with heal pressure on his flank (it's a lot of work for them to do this). Transition this into constant forward movement after a few rotations, either in circles (getting bigger or bigger) or just wandering around (probably want to stop if you go straight away). If he stops make him cross over his hind end again and start over. Keep trying to leave the place/trailer/gate area, don't quit until he is riding nice (away from those problem areas). The other thing to think about is he wants to go back to where it's easy. Don't allow those places to be so easy, work him out there (trotting circles around a trailer/ in front of the gate for a few hours makes the rest of the arena or trail look fun).

 

[netman]

Thanks for the information!
My mule rode out really good before I bought him. He is 13 yoa.
He loads and unloads the trailer easy
He saddles easy
Takes the bit easy
He stands for mounting
I can pick up his feet easy
He comes when I call him
Halters easy

My wife just asked me about his saddle. Maybe that’s causing him issues is her thinking.
When I went to pick the mule up I took the saddle with me. The guy I bought him from saddled him up and looked at the fit. He told me the saddle fit the mule real good.

I’m going to give the suggestions a try. His lot I keep him in is about an acre. I’m going to saddle him up again in the morning in his lot and just plug around and if he stops I’ll work on getting him to go sideways.
Thanks

 

[WCB]

I agree with what most have said above. Keep him moving somewhere and don't make home a gimme for him. I'm a fan with young stock to not have too much of a routine...meaning I don't get back and instantly every time tie up and unsaddle or tie up and water. Sometimes come back and ride around a pen or tie up and walk away and do other stuff for awhile then ride out again...etc. Kinda showing them just because we are headed that direction or are back home doesn't mean you get to be done.

 

[caleb_22]

Take this all with a grain of salt as I’m a cowboy/outfitter. I pack mules I don’t ride them, I am by no means no mule skinner.

On day 1 that mule tested you and got ur number. When he stopped and you let him go back to the barn, he knew at that point he’d won. Then everytime he stops and you get off and walk, he wins again. I can see him back there laughing that you bought a mule to walk around, no offense.

The mule is smart taking advantage of every chance he can, Spurs may help get his attention and show who’s boss. But be careful as idk if hers seen them before. Use ur reins to pop him in the butt when he stops, make him go til you decide ur done. Then let him head back at your pace. When you get back to the barn leave him saddled for a while make gun understand that just because you let him come back doesn’t mean he just gets to go to pasture. Some days take him out, bring him back, tie him up, go back out.

Whatever you do though don’t let him win by stopping or making you get off and walk


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Hes right, your mule is winning too many battles. When your mule puts the breaks on, your not big enough to move him. Tie him to your ATV or UTV and go for ride. When he balks then you pull him through it. Make sure halter and lead rope are big enough that he cant break it and get away. You have to win the battle or he will be back there laughing at you. I train all my mules to lead with a UTV and voice commands.

 

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

Man animals are crazy sometimes, I have a few thoughts and a story. Item one is feed, One of my mules and my first was being fed Alfalfa hay when I bought him. He was young and a little hot but I figured it was his age. I was not very experienced at all and just didn't really know. So ounce he was mine and I had some more experience I switched his feed to Bermuda only with just hoof supliments and mineral licks. This was a game changer for me, his antics and hotness really came down and he settled in. Some of that came from my side and my treatment of him. I was scared by the equine world into thinking like others above had regurgitated that you cant get after a mule cuz he or she will never forget. Well I babied my mule too much, when I made the switch to being more aggressive and being the boss and not putting up with any crap all my mules really came around and knocked off most of their animal antics.
So fast forward several years and a crap ton of miles and experience for me and my mules, Im riding one and leading 1 right out of the yard on a plowed 2.0 mile loop we have to work out our animals. Now keep in mind we have done this loop front to back year after year a few days a week and we have walked it with them, ponied, rode, packed, bareback, drunk, sober, slow, fast, with ATV's , other horses, dogs, dead cows, coyotes, you name it. So we are moving along and about half way around and starting back to the house and my mule im riding freezes and starts stareing and blowing at absolutly nothing and I mean nothing I could figure out. I even went back out there and walked around for an hour trying to find like a dead rabbit smell, or dead body or a tunnel of drug runners or something but long story short we had one of the biggest battles on the plannet and tore that patch of ground a new rear end for 20 minutes, I was soaking wet with sweat and so was he but we went back and forth over that ground until i felt like he was listening to me. It took spurrs (I never ever ride without spurrs including bareback) and aslo a big stick I broke off a dead tree, I was so damn pissed I was ready to sell that turd, well he never did that again and I still have no idea what the heck the deal was. Go figure, maybe I trained him or maybe something was really wrong Ill never know, their animals and every ounce in a while they are not on their game.
I would suggest a podcast by Bear Hunting Magazine and Clay Newcomb, he had the guy that owns Hollywood Mules and he has some good common sense info about mules, his all time favorite and best mule he ever had bucked him off a few times.

 

[Werty]

When my mare gets barn sour, I work her in the pasture or around the barn. Then walk off away from the barn. If she turns back I ride back to the area and exercise her some more. I only have to do this a couple of times.

 

[codym]

I got my first mule this year and she's a solid ride/pack mule. I have had some horses and train bird dogs so the training always interests me. The thing with all these animals is always set things up so no matter what you win. If things don't go how you hoped make sure you have a way to make them go your way. My mule put the brakes on the other day and didn't want to be lead. I made that mule move and move and move until she happily led for me. Make them work and move their feet, don't let them intimidate you or push you around. Make the wrong thing hard and the right thing easy.

 

[theleo91386]

He tested you day 1 and you failed. This isn't dog training, they don't have the inherent drive to please you like a hunting dog. A training session will take as long as a training session takes to reach your goal, what ever that maybe, so don't let them dictate when things are done. I don't care if it takes 10 minutes or an hour, but you need to address problems the first time, every time, or you'll be reinforcing the bad behavior. I'm not saying be abusive and beat on him. If he's going to stand there and refuse to go forward you can at least sit there and refuse to go back. Mules make for great partners, but you need to treat it as you're the partner with majority ownership. That first day your mule made up a BS excuse to get out of work, and you let him. Now it has been reinforced that he can punch his time card whenever he wants and you'll let him. Now you're both going to have to spend a lot of over time so he understands that the work day is over when you day so, not when he decides it is.

The way you keep lessons "short and sweet with mules" is by making goals small and obtainable. Sometimes there's problems that you have to work around and the lesson becomes long and frustrating. The more you learn each others quirks and how to work around them though, those sorts of frustrating sessions become far more infrequent.

 

[netman]

Well last week I met with a mule trainer. He has trained hundreds of mules. He lives about 1.5 hours away.
My phone call prior to the lesson was about what my mule was not doing. Aka going forward. David said it could be a couple of things but he would have to see for himself. He said his number one suspicion was saddle fit.
Upon meeting up with the trainer he went hands on with my mule checking his spine and muscles. He gave a thorough physical inspection. Nothing found.
He then had me get my saddle. My mule had been standing very quietly until he seen the saddle and got real fidgety. David put the saddle on my mule. He said there were four things to check. The gullet for clearance, saddle rock, tree fit and the skirt. On my saddle Colorado Saddlery mule saddle the skirt pushed down on his spine. There was no clearance for the mule spine at all. David said he thought this was probably my problem.
He got a extra saddle out of his truck and placed it on the mules back. He went over the saddle again with me and he showed me the clearance for the spine. Without a pad I could see daylight from the skirt all the way through the gullet.
So he put a pad on and had me to cinch the saddle up. I did good there.
We then took my mule into the arena and he showed me how to do groundwork drills. He explained everything very well to me and what was going on with the mule. After demonstrating to me I then did the drills.
We then worked on backing the mule up while on the ground. David told me this was going to be part of the cure for my mule not going forward.
We then put the bit in and mounted up. David went through the groundwork drills again this time mounted. Then it was my turn. All went well.
Then David mounted up and showed me how to back the mule up without pull back on the reins or using the bit. David said this was going to correct my mule. He said by the time we get done backing up your mule will be excited about going forward.
David backed my mule around the arena twice. Then I backed my mule around once. David said backing uses different muscles so after three laps backwards my mules muscles were going to be tired.
David then rode my mule around the arena several times going forward without a hitch. David picked up the pace for several laps . Then he wanted me to go back over the drills, back my mule up a good ways then go forward. Off we went. I rode around the arena for quite a while enjoying my mule.
I have been doing the drills daily since the lesson. I’m trying to buy a used saddle right now as I’m going to sell mine. David told me to take my saddle to a leather shop and have them rework my saddle to fit. I took it to a saddle shop that does that kind of work. The shop guy told me not to do the leather work. He said for me to sell mine and get another.
So I’m going to find a used one that will work for now and have a custom one made by the Amish. Crooked Creek Saddlery is about an hour from me.
I’ve got two more lessons lined up the next couple of weeks.
So for now my headache is gone

 

[MesaHorseCo.]

Well last week I met with a mule trainer. He has trained hundreds of mules. He lives about 1.5 hours away.
My phone call prior to the lesson was about what my mule was not doing. Aka going forward. David said it could be a couple of things but he would have to see for himself. He said his number one suspicion was saddle fit.
Upon meeting up with the trainer he went hands on with my mule checking his spine and muscles. He gave a thorough physical inspection. Nothing found.
He then had me get my saddle. My mule had been standing very quietly until he seen the saddle and got real fidgety. David put the saddle on my mule. He said there were four things to check. The gullet for clearance, saddle rock, tree fit and the skirt. On my saddle Colorado Saddlery mule saddle the skirt pushed down on his spine. There was no clearance for the mule spine at all. David said he thought this was probably my problem.
He got a extra saddle out of his truck and placed it on the mules back. He went over the saddle again with me and he showed me the clearance for the spine. Without a pad I could see daylight from the skirt all the way through the gullet.
So he put a pad on and had me to cinch the saddle up. I did good there.
We then took my mule into the arena and he showed me how to do groundwork drills. He explained everything very well to me and what was going on with the mule. After demonstrating to me I then did the drills.
We then worked on backing the mule up while on the ground. David told me this was going to be part of the cure for my mule not going forward.
We then put the bit in and mounted up. David went through the groundwork drills again this time mounted. Then it was my turn. All went well.
Then David mounted up and showed me how to back the mule up without pull back on the reins or using the bit. David said this was going to correct my mule. He said by the time we get done backing up your mule will be excited about going forward.
David backed my mule around the arena twice. Then I backed my mule around once. David said backing uses different muscles so after three laps backwards my mules muscles were going to be tired.
David then rode my mule around the arena several times going forward without a hitch. David picked up the pace for several laps . Then he wanted me to go back over the drills, back my mule up a good ways then go forward. Off we went. I rode around the arena for quite a while enjoying my mule.
I have been doing the drills daily since the lesson. I’m trying to buy a used saddle right now as I’m going to sell mine. David told me to take my saddle to a leather shop and have them rework my saddle to fit. I took it to a saddle shop that does that kind of work. The shop guy told me not to do the leather work. He said for me to sell mine and get another.
So I’m going to find a used one that will work for now and have a custom one made by the Amish. Crooked Creek Saddlery is about an hour from me.
I’ve got two more lessons lined up the next couple of weeks.
So for now my headache is gone

Excellent! Glad your getting it worked out. Stick with and soak up the knowledge!

 

[rayporter]

there is more sore backed animals out there than you can shake a stick at-----and the owner dont know it!

kudos to ya!