Just a warning from a sad experience.
I've been wanting to get a mule for elk hunting as the hills are getting fairly steep at 57 years of age. I've ridden a couple my son-in-law has and a few horses the last few years, just not frequently. Most of my riding experience is from when I was a kid, broke a couple of colts then as well.
To make a long story shorter, I bought a “green broke” 6 year old john mule that the guy said had packed a couple elk for them and his brother had ridden in Colorado one year. Hey for the price I figured I could put some time in on him and who needed one of those high dollar fully trained robots to go hunting? Now, you can't call me any name's I've not already used so don't bother trying.
I found out real quick the mule didn't have any idea what a bridle was, but he was friendly and didn't offer to buck or kick or any to those bad habits, so I just started working with him on a regular bases. In a week or so I had him neck reining fairly well and responding to weight shifts and heel pressure. He was a little spooky out by himself, but I figured that was just from not being with his buddies. The biggest problem I had was he didn't like being saddled or mounted. After you got on he was fine, just would take off while you were getting on. I tried a couple saddles including a mule saddle figuring he was getting pinched or something.
Anyway, about a month ago, I climbed on and a tornado hit. I still don't know if he spooked at something or what, but as I was dropping into the saddle he was coming up and at me. We met in the middle with the pommel in my crotch. I spent 5 days in the hospital with a broken pelvis and all the muscles from my right leg torn from the bone, luckily nothing else was hurt. Next week I get rid of the walker and can start using a cane to get around. The docs have said there won't be any lasting effects from the injury, it'll just take time to heal. Hopefully I'll be ready for 1st rifle this fall if I work hard at rehab. Won't be with that mule though!
I guess what I'm telling this for is to warn anyone else away from doing anything stupid. I hate stupid mistakes and usually have plenty of reason for re-learning that lesson.
By the way, the surgeon said I wasn't alone, they had a professional trainer in the day before for the same operation. A colt he was working with got to him.

Hope your recovery keeps going well.
Those things can happen.

Well, your first mistake is riding a mule under 8.

Want any more in the list?

BTW, here is Lilly, God's gift to muledom.

Good looking mule there Will, cleaner than most.
Actually my 1st mistake was thinking I was cowboy enough to break a mule virtually from scratch.
I've since found a very good mule, very well broke, though a little small at barely 14 hands. My son-in-law brought him down for me this weekend. He saddled and rode him a while Saturday evening and pronounced him a very good one. Wants 1st chance at him if I ever sell.
Hopefully I'll be back to riding in a month or so, sure getting tired of TV and computers!

Best of luck. One of the handiest senses a fellow can have is knowing what it feels like just before the wreck happens. Unfortunately, there is only one way that I know of to acquire that sense. I'm never bothered by a really nice animal that is just a little small. I'm frequently bothered by a really nice looking animal with snot for brains....

They just ain't horses..... kinda like dateing a fat gal it's fun , but you don't want your buddies to see ya!

I hope you heal up OK. I've got several friends who have broken their pelvis and it has not been easy for either one of them. It will be 4 years for one in May and it was a year in February for the other, Yes they are both back on horses. But it has been along painful recovery for both.

Both are not near as immortal now as they used to be.

quote:

Both are not near as immortal now as they used to be.

Damn, I'm gonna have to credit myself with that line. A good one.

quote:

We met in the middle with the pommel in my crotch. I spent 5 days in the hospital with a broken pelvis and all the muscles from my right leg torn from the bone, luckily nothing else was hurt.

that's it?

What did you do with the mule? Hope you feel better right away!

quote:

that's it?

Yep, I was real lucky. The docs were worried about my bladder, but I was more interested in the condition of external organs! Everything is turning out ok.
The mule is still here, waiting on me to heal enough I can at least catch him to show prospective buyers. Yes, anyone interested in him will be told the whole tale.
The mule is real friendly and wants to please, but there is something about the saddle or mounting that causes trouble. I still think a more experienced mule man could make a good one out of him.

FWIW,
I'm no mule man, but if you told me the exact same story about a horse I was interested in, that occurrence wouldn't bother me at all.

quote:

The docs were worried about my bladder,

That's exactly what happened to the one friend of mine. His horse slipped in some mud and went down on both front knees. His crotch collided with the pommel and he broke is pelvis in two places and ruptured his bladder when he folded over the saddle horn. He spent 13 hours laying on the ground on a February night at 16* temps, before the rescue crews found him. He is lucky to be alive. He spent 4 months in a hospital bed.

quote:

Originally posted by daniel77:
FWIW,
I'm no mule man, but if you told me the exact same story about a horse I was interested in, that occurrence wouldn't bother me at all.

Well, I have a horse for you.

quote:

Originally posted by Painted Horse:

quote:

The docs were worried about my bladder,

That's exactly what happened to the one friend of mine. His horse slipped in some mud and went down on both front knees. His crotch collided with the pommel and he broke is pelvis in two places and ruptured his bladder when he folded over the saddle horn. He spent 13 hours laying on the ground on a February night at 16* temps, before the rescue crews found him. He is lucky to be alive. He spent 4 months in a hospital bed.

Are you guys crazy? Riding in 16 degree weather, alone? Too tough for me.

Can't beat a good mule, the problem is finding one. Go buy a good old horse and leave the mule to you SIL. I have 2 mules in the pasture and 3 horses. At 57, you are past the mule stage of life if you are just starting to get into them. Buy a good old horse and get on with the hunt. That little mule your SIL just bought has a hole in him somewhere and one day you will find it.

It wasn't 16* when the horse went down at 2:00pm on sunny afternon. It was 16* at 2:00am when the search and rescue teams found him. He had a serious coming to the Lord meeting that night laying there in the cold mud with coyotes circling. Luckily the horse stayed with him. He coudn't get back on his feet or on the horse, but he pulled the saddle and blanket off the horse and wrapped himself up.

With the mountains and canyons we have, there are lots of areas where cell phones don't work, so he had left his phone in truck.

Hell, there are a lot of places here by Sprint that Sprint phones don't work. I wish the guy well. He's half tough for sure.

I once tried to train a good looking mule to ride, and after being thrown three times, I figured I wasn't good enough to finish the job. I was hard headed about it too, but I figured that eventually I was going to get hurt badly. My tail bone area is still numb, and hurts if I sit in one place too long. The mule rode great, until he changed his mind, then he didn't ride at all. He packed great though.

I got two of those Fjord horses - brothers - and never thought much about mules again. Those Fjord horses were just what I was looking for, and I didn't get thrown anymore.

KB

I have a brother that had good horses and then turned into a mule man. He and his therapists are working on recovery.
Other than that he is fine. As a person I mean. His neck, back, legs, feet, head still have some problems...

quote:

Originally posted by Fury01:
I have a brother that had good horses and then turned into a mule man. He and his therapists are working on recovery.
Other than that he is fine. As a person I mean. His neck, back, legs, feet, head still have some problems...

quote:

Originally posted by Fury01:
I have a brother that had good horses and then turned into a mule man. He and his therapists are working on recovery.
Other than that he is fine. As a person I mean. His neck, back, legs, feet, head still have some problems...

I have to ask. Are those therapists physical, mental, or both? Mules wear away at you from the inside too.

quote:

Originally posted by Kabluewy:
I once tried to train a good looking mule to ride, and after being thrown three times, I figured I wasn't good enough to finish the job. I was hard headed about it too, but I figured that eventually I was going to get hurt badly. My tail bone area is still numb, and hurts if I sit in one place too long. The mule rode great, until he changed his mind, then he didn't ride at all. He packed great though.

I got two of those Fjord horses - brothers - and never thought much about mules again. Those Fjord horses were just what I was looking for, and I didn't get thrown anymore.

KB

I thought of something else that may entertain you. I sold that mule to a big lesbian. She was about 6 feet tall, and really tough. Now I mean really tough. She packed mules regularly, and I met her on the trail or at high camp sites more than once when she packed in a string of mules all by herself.

We were friends, and more than once we shared a campfire and campsite. She made it clear that she didn't sleep with men, news that was a great relief to me, but I didn't say so to her. She made her point by making a display out of the fact that she shared her bed with a Ruger single action 357. Nothing like sleeping with a warm pistol.

My thought at the time was that she and that mule deserved each other. She and that mule got along just fine. Shortly after she bought it, and she was out riding on the ranch where I boarded the Fjords, I watched as she was working the mule. He put up a fuss and tried bucking, spinning, etc. She hunkered down, and put the spurs to him, and rode that mule all through the sage and gullies. When she came back the mule was lathered up pretty good, and she may have been too - I didn't check.

There are people who have great abilities with horses and mules, and she was certainly one of them. I have no doubt that mule worked out well for her. She was big on rodeo competition stuff too, team roping, and barrel racing and lots of other stuff. She grew up as a child back east somewhere, and in her 20's moved to Colorado, to be in the mountains and with horses and mules. Actually she was an incredible and awesome person.

I know of one time when she packed in high up and camped overnight, no tent just sleeping pad and bag and tarp, shot a cow elk with her 243, gutted and quartered it, and packed it on the mules - all by herself.

KB

Just an update:
Got the go ahead from the surgeon today to do about anything I want. Says if it hurts, just back off a bit. Asked him if that included the girlfriends when the wife wasn't looking and that kind of caught him off guard I think.
Guess I'll try riding a little this weekend.

I guess you guys don't ride mules "English"?!!!!
Peter

I lost a lung in a high-speed motorcycle wreck years ago, and some people think I'm insane for ever going near, let alone owning and riding high-performance rice burners in the city. Know what? I'd rather attempt doing a buck forty on the interstate in the rain, at night, with slicks, in moose country before messing with those animals you guys love/hate and use.

I guess what I'm saying is that I take my hat off (not cowboy) to all you crazy horse/mule guys. A tough breed of sonsobitches you men are, for real. Weird attire, though.

[quote]I'd rather attempt doing a buck forty on the interstate in the rain, at night, with slicks, in moose country"

Ha! Good one!

Well I got out a little after work tonight. My niece called and wanted to take a ride over the hills behind the house. Went pretty smooth considering the newer mule had only been ridden once since last fall. Her old quarter horse was sure having to hurry to keep up! Rode for about an hour and felt pretty good. After getting to the house and sitting for a while I sure stiffened up though. Got a long way to go to get back in shape.
I'm not much of a cowboy, but I feel much safer on 4 legs than 2 wheels.

Glad to hear that you're back to riding. I had a pretty bad horse wreck in '97 and it took a while to get my seat back fully. Keep it up and you won't be sorry. Good luck.

Daniel77,
I had not checked AR much lately so the answer is delayed. The Therapists are all physical, not counting me who tells him he is nuts once in a while. To be more clear; I have never seen a cure for “mule fever” and never found a Mental therapist who would even try…
He has been riding a nice Quarter horse colt he tells me so maybe God is working on his inside!
'taint any hope otherwise.

quote:

Originally posted by ole_270:
Well I got out a little after work tonight. My niece called and wanted to take a ride over the hills behind the house. Went pretty smooth considering the newer mule had only been ridden once since last fall. Her old quarter horse was sure having to hurry to keep up! Rode for about an hour and felt pretty good. After getting to the house and sitting for a while I sure stiffened up though. Got a long way to go to get back in shape.
I'm not much of a cowboy, but I feel much safer on 4 legs than 2 wheels.

You guys are a lot tougher than I. I wish you well.

quote:

Originally posted by Kabluewy:
I once tried to train a good looking mule to ride, and after being thrown three times, I figured I wasn't good enough to finish the job. I was hard headed about it too, but I figured that eventually I was going to get hurt badly. My tail bone area is still numb, and hurts if I sit in one place too long. The mule rode great, until he changed his mind, then he didn't ride at all. He packed great though.

I got two of those Fjord horses - brothers - and never thought much about mules again. Those Fjord horses were just what I was looking for, and I didn't get thrown anymore.

KB

Around here we use Haflingers instead of Fjords. Fjords are a bit rare and more money. Ain't a whole lot of difference in my book. Haflingers, like Fjords are plenty tough and people friendly. A bit choppy at the trot. I rode a Belgian until I got too damned old to climb on easily. You get to look down on the world from 17.2 hands.

http://pic100.picturetrail.com...987839/332014024.jpg

Mules are generally not for greenhorns, they are for the very best of cowboys until they have been rode to death..Most of the really good mules that I have owned have been at least 10 years old and my best ones were 15 to 30.

They are hard to teach or at least slow to teach as they have a mind of their own by nature and it is a survival mind..Lots of wet saddle blankets go into breaking and training mules, much more so than horses..A good mule is hard to beat, a good mule is hard to find, many have a flaw and they'll get cha before you find it! All the good mules I ever had died on my place because I was afraid I couldn't replace them...

I would kill for Wills mule, he is a dandy. I'd try and make a team roping mule out of him!

here's the mule that replaced the green broke one.



and here's the big green broke version.



The new one has turned out to be quite a buy. Had more than one offer to buy him.

Your new one looks like a dandy. Tell us more.

Agreed, I'd be curious to know what his horse half was.

Don't know his breeding, but he's got a trim head and neck and his legs are longer and lighter proportionally than most. Decent set of withers too. When the vet first saw him the first thing he said was "Man I like that mule, looks like he's got some running blood in him". I'm not sure he's tall enough for any TB blood, but he sure is worlds ahead of the old mule as a saddle mount.
Got back from Colorado a couple weeks ago, he did very well on some steep, long rides at up to 10,300 feet. A couple times I had to remind him which way I wanted to go, but overall he did great.

By the way, stirrup length has been shortened, this was just after the doctors allowed me back on my feet and I was protecting my healing pelvis yet at this point.

quote:

Originally posted by Kabluewy:

quote:

Originally posted by Kabluewy:
I once tried to train a good looking mule to ride, and after being thrown three times, I figured I wasn't good enough to finish the job. I was hard headed about it too, but I figured that eventually I was going to get hurt badly. My tail bone area is still numb, and hurts if I sit in one place too long. The mule rode great, until he changed his mind, then he didn't ride at all. He packed great though.

I got two of those Fjord horses - brothers - and never thought much about mules again. Those Fjord horses were just what I was looking for, and I didn't get thrown anymore.

KB

I thought of something else that may entertain you. I sold that mule to a big lesbian. She was about 6 feet tall, and really tough. Now I mean really tough. She packed mules regularly, and I met her on the trail or at high camp sites more than once when she packed in a string of mules all by herself.

We were friends, and more than once we shared a campfire and campsite. She made it clear that she didn't sleep with men, news that was a great relief to me, but I didn't say so to her. She made her point by making a display out of the fact that she shared her bed with a Ruger single action 357. Nothing like sleeping with a warm pistol.

My thought at the time was that she and that mule deserved each other. She and that mule got along just fine. Shortly after she bought it, and she was out riding on the ranch where I boarded the Fjords, I watched as she was working the mule. He put up a fuss and tried bucking, spinning, etc. She hunkered down, and put the spurs to him, and rode that mule all through the sage and gullies. When she came back the mule was lathered up pretty good, and she may have been too - I didn't check.

There are people who have great abilities with horses and mules, and she was certainly one of them. I have no doubt that mule worked out well for her. She was big on rodeo competition stuff too, team roping, and barrel racing and lots of other stuff. She grew up as a child back east somewhere, and in her 20's moved to Colorado, to be in the mountains and with horses and mules. Actually she was an incredible and awesome person.

I know of one time when she packed in high up and camped overnight, no tent just sleeping pad and bag and tarp, shot a cow elk with her 243, gutted and quartered it, and packed it on the mules - all by herself.

KB

This post has the makings of a full-length short story.

A friend in MO raised mules. His saying was: "a mule will take a measure of you quick."