# Teach an Old Mule New Tricks?



## Bunnylady (Dec 22, 2007)

Merry Christmas, y'all!






I'm a newbie with a dilemma. . . .

In April. I became the recipient of the proverbial gift horse. Or half-a-horse. Maybe a half-of-a-half-a-horse.

Whatever, her name is Betsy, and she's a mini mule. She's about 33" and said to be 10 years old. Rumor had it that she could be ridden or driven, but I quickly found out that isn't the case! My guess is that she's been a pet/pasture buddy all her life. She' not big on hugs, in fact treats all physical contact as slightly threatening. She's particularly protective of her ears (gee I wonder why!) Her philosophy seems to be, "If it seems odd, get the heck out of Dodge!" Carrots, now - that's a language she understands!

With much patience and persistance, I can now do her feet, saddle her, and tah-dah! walk her around with my 45-lb daughter on her back. I used to take her for walks around the neighborhood, but once she figured out there weren't any other equines out there, her enthusiasm for that waned. Things became further complicated when my friend's 37" yearling mini filly came to live here in July. OH! Now she requires great amounts of persuasion to get her off the property! She's no better when the filly comes with us, so rather than let the kid see her bad example, she stays home. I bridled her for the first time about 2 months ago, and she spent the better part of an hour trying to get that thing out of her mouth (and no, the O-ring snaffle wasn't pinching her.) I was afraid she'd break a tooth, though I think it would take general anesthesia to find out





I would like to teach her to pull a cart, even though I'm clueless about how to go about it. Maybe I'm getting the cart before the horse - er - mule, but before I shell out several hundred bucks for cart and harness, I'd like a little input from some folks with experience with these things. I'm sure I could eventually harness her, and get her to pull, but I'm not sure I could ever get her to do so with me in the cart. Do you think I have a chance? I don't forsee getting rid of her, but I think actually having these skills would make her more useful (and more likely to be treated like something of value) in the event that it became necessary. Understand, I really do love this funny little beast, even if she does treat me like a mobile carrot dispenser!


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## FlatCreekFarm (Dec 22, 2007)

Welcome!!



I loved reading about Betsy



Of course, we love pictures here so... <hint-hint>





I am no help at all, but I truly believe anything is possible if you're willing to give time, patience, love. Will be anxious to see what the experts say!


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## MeadowRidge Farm (Dec 22, 2007)

[SIZE=14pt]Hi, and WELCOME from Wisconsin. Dont you just love how people can say anything about a animal to get you to take it.



Sounds like you mule is quit spoiled, and that she needs to learn trust, which might take you a little longer because of her age..



especially if little Miss Mulee is use to getting her own way.Once you have mastered the trust issue I would go on to slowly working my way up to ground driving. Just remember never to put your hands when your working with her above her withers or your going to come across as aggressive and you wont get anywhere with her training. We have another forum member who raises mules .. and she also drives. So I am sure she will be on here soon. I wouldnt be in any hurry to purchase a cart...she really needs to learn trust, manners, and ground work first.



Have fun and enjoy that funny little carrot muncher. We would LOVE to see a pic of her, this forum goes crazy for pics. Merry Christmas back at you! Corinne (Ce)[/SIZE]


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## Bunnylady (Dec 22, 2007)

Don't know how to do the pics, yet. I know even less about computers than I do about training horses, and that's pretty bad, 'cause my baby brother is a computer engineer!


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## MeadowRidge Farm (Dec 22, 2007)

If you cant post pictures or are having a problem doing it..just ask away..I think everyone on here had a problem when they first joined. Ce


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## minimule (Dec 23, 2007)

Hey there and welcome to the wonderful world of Half-butt equine! I raise miniature mules and love them.

I totally agree with Corrine. You need to develop trust with her. The biggest thing to remember with these guys is that if they think it is going to hurt them there is no making them do it. You HAVE to be very patient with them and take your time. Don't try to rush her or it will take even longer. Since you've all ready accomplished doing her feet, start working with the rest of her. Let her know that you will not hurt her long ears. My mules (and jack) LOVE to have their ears rubbed inside and out. Sounds like she might have had hers twisted at some point. Again, lots of patience and slowly working around them.

I would hold off on pushing her to ride or drive until she trusts you. It takes time but will happen. Personally I would shut down the carrot dispenser a little until she starts learning to trust you without them. She does sound very spoiled and that is going to be hard to overcome but again can be.

We're all pretty good about sharing and helping so feel free to ask any questions you have.


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## JumpinJackFarm (Dec 23, 2007)

Hi there and welcome from Washington State





It sounds to me that Betsy has come a loooooong way since she has owned you





I am sure if you keep working with her she will come along





We would LOVE to see pics of her!

Any of us will help you try to post them .... we *ALL* had a hard time posting pics at first.

Was she around other mules/donkeys in her past home?

Maybe that might be her offstandish problem??

Welcome again !!! Teri


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## Bunnylady (Dec 23, 2007)

Thanks,all of you, for your interest in Betsy and me.(Minimule, I



your website! The woodburning is awesome!) Re-reading my original post, I'm afraid I may sound a little, I don't know, cold-blooded? I'd like you to understand where we're coming from, mind if I elaborate?

As I said, Betsy was given to me. If I hadn't taken her, she'd have been donated to the auction at the Boy's and Girl's home in Lake Waccamaw. They sometimes auction BLM donkeys and horses over there, so I don't know, she might have lucked out, but in a sense, maybe she's a rescue.

We certainly do have trust issues, and I must confess that some of that is my fault. In my defense, may I say that she came with a good set of "vices," including:

Pulling like a freight train/refusing for no obvious reason

Knocking me around/stepping on my feet(deliberately,I swear!)

Nipping when she wanted/didn't want something

Pawing/digging so much, my son thinks she may be part Labrador





Anyway, I started out treating her as I would a bratty pony i.e. yelling at her, the occaisional butt smack - but I wondered.

So I tried . . . .THE FLY SPRAY.





Scenario: Betsy on my right. at arm's legnth, lead in my right hand

Flyspray bottle in my left hand, also at arm's legnth, pointed away from us both

I pulled the trigger on the bottle. . . .

And Betsy did a fair imitation of the cow jumping over the moon.

I said "Right. Gotcha loud and clear!" tied her up,and went to get a paper towel. Folded it up, stood about 20 feet away from Betsy, and flysprayed the paper towel. Left the bottle where it was, walked over and showed Betsy the paper towel. She was sure it was going to bite her, so I showed her my empty hand, dripping with flyspray. She was okay with that, so I started petting her, then switched to the paper towel, quick swipe here and there, gone before she could fuss, you get the idea.

Every day I got a little closer when I sprayed the paper towel, spent more time wiping her down. After about 10 days I tried spraying directly on her legs. She stood like a trooper!

That's when I decided she wasn't what I'd been told, a rotten, trained animal, but rather a very sensitive, sensible animal with no real training at all. I backed w-a-y off, but the damage had been done. For weeks, if my voice sounded at all irritable, she'd get visibly tense.

As to her ears? After what happened when the Vet was here, all I can say is, o-h-h, yeah. She knows all about having her ears twisted.





Nope, you don't bully a mule. I learned that with her feet. When I picked one up, if she wanted to put it down again, I had to let her. Otherwise she'd freak. I told her, "Baby Girl, you may be half donkey, but I'm half Dutch. You ain't got nuthin' on me when it comes to stubborn. If I have to pick that foot up 20 times, I will, but it isn't done until I say it's done." Up, down. Up, down. Sometimes I think she counted to see if I really meant 20! I'm 5'8", and it's a long way down to those little feet!

Anyway, that was April, and this is December. I hardly ever have to pick up the same foot twice now. I always do them in the same order: near fore; near hind; off hind; off fore. When I put down the off hind (the "touchiest" one) she goes lick, chew. Every time.

I feel like I'm walking a knife's edge when I work with Betsy. I have to figure out just how much pressure to put on her, not so much that she freaks out, but also not be such a marshmallow that she walks all over me. I'm nowhere near as good at mind reading as she is, but I am trying. I'm always asking myself if I'm being unreasonable, am I sure she understands what I want? I try to keep the carrots as rewards for good behavior, but she knows I've almost always got them, so when I go in her pen,

"I'm being followed by a mule shadow. Mule shadow, mule shadow.

A clippety clopping little mule shadow. Mule shadow, mule shadow."

(Apologies to Cat Stevens, or whatever he calls himself now. Or is that copyright infringement?)

Does Betsy trust me? Not implicitly. I fear she may not ever get that far. (I've had dogs that were abandoned/ abused, and some of them never quite gave their hearts to you. They were quite sweet, and safe to handle, but there was always a certain reserve.)People who knew her "before" are surprised by the change in her. When I touch her ears, she doesn't freak, she just ducks away - "quit that!" If I persist, she'll put up with it, but her attitude is "I'm ready for you to stop that!"I don't generally get fear from her, just a lot of "I don't really want to do this!" Do you think she'll ever get over the "I-don't-wannas?"


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## minimule (Dec 24, 2007)

Sounds like she has come a long way all ready. Give her time. She may never trust you completely but I think she will learn to love you and appreciate you too. Mules are very unique creatures as you're learning.

Thanks for checking out my website. I love to do the woodburns.


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## FlatCreekFarm (Dec 24, 2007)

Bunnylady said:


> "I'm being followed by a mule shadow. Mule shadow, mule shadow.A clippety clopping little mule shadow. Mule shadow, mule shadow."






I've been singing your version of "Moon Shadow" ever since I read this post. Cute!!



Can't seem to get it out of my head though








Life with Betsy certainly sounds interesting



Keep us posted, please


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## PaintedPromiseRanch (Dec 25, 2007)

Silly Bunnylady, don't you know.... you ARE a walking carrot dispenser! OH! i know i am <sigh> but i love my kids anyway...

it's late and i'm tired so i will share with you my Little Miss Maggie when i have more time... she was OUR first rescue, also a mini mule, and what a character... i really enjoy your stories about Betsy, you have a knack for telling a good yarn!


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## Bunnylady (Dec 26, 2007)

Thank you, Susan. I visited your website today - you're quite a storyteller too! Man oh man, I'm going to need to buy a waterproof cover for my keyboard - all this salt water can't be good for electronics.



Bless you.

I'm sorry, I don't know how to do quotes yet. Complete neophyte. I reckon Betsy isn't the only old mule around here learning new tricks! A question came up about Betsy's history. I'm afraid I know precious little about her past. In September of '06, my friend bought her, on impuse, off of a horse trader's trailer standing in someone else's yard over near Goldsboro. In December, she became Syd the mini's surrogate mom when she was weaned (at 3 month's)



In April, she was given to me, partly because Betsy was hogging all the sweetfeed. Betsy looked like a little brown pumpkin, and Syd was thin as a rake. Understandably, both were delighted when Syd joined us here in July.

I've had only a few chances to observe Betsy's interaction with other equines. We have a local fair, and Betsy has been there during the past two years. The first time, I watched her inventing silly games with the Arabian gelding in the stall next door(he is such a clown!) Last year, she seemed to have the warmies (how hot can a little mule get?) for an Appaloosa mini stud two stalls down. There were a couple of longears at the other end of the barn, but I didn't think to take her over to see how she'd react to them.

In July, she "kidnapped" me to go visit a gelding at the place where she had formerly lived with Syd. I had been grazing her on the lawn (on a lead,) and she just walked off! She had recently had some tummy trouble, and I was so glad she felt up to taking a walk that I let her call the shots. About halfway there, she became uncertain, and started "calling" down every side street. Gads what a voice! Not quite a neigh, not quite a bray, more like a cross between a steam whistle and the squeal of a very large pig. I took over the navigation, all the while wondering how I was going to get her home again! The gelding she remembered wasn't there, but a new one was. After they had socialized over the fence for a bit, she was clearly ready to go home. A couple of times she stopped, and called back over her shoulder as if to say "Are you coming?" Other than that, she gave me no trouble!

Betsy does seem to like boys! I once heard an old timer say he trained mules by hitching the new one up with an experienced one. I sometimes think I might get a nice, well trained gelding to pair with Betsy. That's just thinking out loud now, and a long way down the road in any case. For one thing, that's another mouth to feed, and that's the last thing we need around here, SO NOBODY GET ANY IDEAS!!!!!


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## minimule (Dec 26, 2007)

Oh trust me.....little girl mules can get pretty hot for the males. My oldest molly will back right up to the fence where her daddy lives and mouth like crazy. She'll also tease my poor stallions.



OH!


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