Hey ole 270,
If you ever decide to breed that new mule you got, I would really be interested in having one of it's offspring.

In fact, I'd give $500 to see the looks on the faces of the people reading this right now!

Hey, being an FNG around here after 3 years, I figure I can at least bring some humor to the table?

Seriously, though, that is a good looking mule.
Horse man myself, but have rode a couple of mules that piqued my interest.

Good luck with the recovery.
Did you do any good in Colorado?

Semper Fi,

Might decide to breed him, but doubt it would do any good.
Colorado was fun, but too hot for much luck on elk. They were holed up in the black timber and hard to find. Son-in-law got a raghorn but I didn't get a chance to fill my cow tag.

Maybe you folks would like to hear an interesting story told to me by my best friend, now retired, who was a biologist with our Oregon State Fish & Wildlife Commission. At one of their gatherings, at a Forest Service Office location, biologists from across Oregon gathered to conduct their business, and they were invited to a short horseback ride around the area. My friend, Jim, told me several times through the years that whenever he had anything to do with horses, or whenever he had to ride horses, SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED, but I didn't pay much attention to such remarks. Anyway, wouldn't you know it, the most green guy in the outfit, a biologist who had not yet had any experience at all with horses, was the first to sit in the saddle of his horse, and it took off right away, like a scared rabbit, or a bat from hell. The biologist held on for dear life, yelling "stop, stop, you son of a bitch, stop!" The horse only speeded up, tearing up the lawn and grounds of the Forest Service area, as it ran into the woods, out of sight. After 15 minutes or so, the horse came running through the area again, so everybody could see the poor scared biologist still hanging on, scared out of his mind, and still yelling "stop, stop, you son of a bitch!" This sort of thing, with the horse showing up briefly and running away again happened repeatedly, but after about an hour or so, the horse finally came through, and stopped. The guys helped their friend off the horse, and they all to this day, have a good laugh about it all. My friend, Jim, and I had only one opportunity to ride horses together, after working together for 27 years, and something bad happened, unbelievable as it was, though nobody got hurt. So, now I believe my friend, when he says whenever in the past, he was around horses, something, indeed, bad happened, I am sure!

I never had a thing to do with mules of any kind, but years ago when I fought forest fires in Montana, especially a huge one, one year between northwestern Montana and northeastern Idaho, packing in for many miles with large firefighting crew of around 1000 men, several times I saw a woman who lead a string of mules packing in a huge lot of stuff; believe me, she was one tough human being, rodeo type, who loved her animals. Have no idea if she was lesbian or not, nor did I care, but do know that she could deck many men with ease, and among best of anybody with handling horses and mules.

I can see the problem with the green broke right away--the mane is to long--Had one of these while hunting in Wyoming years ago. I jumped off and pulled my 300 weatherby and shot him--cost me a 1000 dollars--but was worth it, I won.

Had several offers to do just that while I was in the hospital. Should of let them do it, ended up giving him away.

quote:

DOUBLERIFLEJACK - "... one year between northwestern Montana and northeastern Idaho, packing in for many miles with large firefighting crew of around 1000 men, several times I saw a woman who lead a string of mules packing in a huge lot of stuff; believe me, she was one tough human being, rodeo type, who loved her animals. Have no idea if she was lesbian or not, nor did I care, but do know that she could deck many men with ease, and among best of anybody with handling horses and mules.

Wonder if this young woman might have been the same one?

In 1988, my buddy and I hunted elk on an outfitted hunt, with Leo Crane, Clearwater Outfitter, Orofino, Idaho, in the Mallard-Larkin Wilderness, north of the Clearwater River. One of Crane's packers was a young woman, packing and handling the mules as expertly as I've seen. She was perhaps 25, 26 or so years old, had a nice figure, had a very nicely structured face and with some makeup, would have been quite pretty.

Over a period of time, talking with her, she related that she had grown up on a ranch in Arizona, loved horses, mules, the outdoors, etc. She'd packed mules in Arizona, Colorado, then in Idaho. She carried a four inch fixed blade knife in the small of her back, on a belt and a Ruger Security Six .357 Mag., 4" barrel in a belt holster.

She told us that the reason she left Arizona was because once her live-in boy friend got drunk and started slapping her around, so she got her .357 Mag. and fired a shot right between his feet into the floor. He left immediately, and she said she'd had a fill of him and Arizona so she moved north.

I can't remember her name, but she really knew packing, handling stock, and had no fear of the wilderness.

L.W.

quote:

If you ever decide to breed that new mule you got, I would really be interested in having one of it's offspring.

I thought they were sterile

he's joking

quote:

he's joking

OK Thanks. Thought my thinking had been in error for 50 years

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
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!

Just alot of fun to re-read this post and replace the word mule with the word wife.

For packing horses I used most that were over 15 year. I would if I was a mule person go with the same.

I used to make fun of my Dad for riding a mule when he could be riding a horse. Then I rode a mule in the Davis Mts of west TX and it changed my attitude. They aren't as fast as a horse but the ride is much better in rough terrain.

In flatter country though I'd go with a horse when you are trying to cover ground faster.
As my old man says, "you gotta be plenty cowboy to ride a mule".

A while back, my wife and I decided on buying for a pasture companion for her horse. She wanted a pony, but I came back from the auction with a little mule. She is a sweet animal, but the first time I took her out on a lead line, she was spooked and got away from me. I got her back into the stall about two weeks later. She was always a few steps ahead of me. She would go back to her stall in the evening, but if I approached to close the door, she was out before I got there. I have had her for years now and I must say, she goes to the stall on command and still is the sweetest animal we own.

I was raised on a big mountain desert ranch in the Big Bend Country of Texas, very rough high country with lots of slick rock..I was taught to break mules at an early age..I used to lie to my dad and tell him the mules were not ready to sell and still bucking so I didn't have to start on a green one. some of them kept me up all night worrying about the next day!

Mules require a lot of patience and ground work, and can't handle a lot of hard handling IMO..your far better off getting their confidence before you go much further and even then it touch and go..

there are places where a mule cannot be beat, such as hunting or pleasure riding but my preference is and always will be a good horse. Mules are hard to get anything done work wise on a ranch, most can't run fast enough to catch a cow for one thing and most won't work cattle very well..We always had a few of them for certain needs and early on we raised, broke and sold them.

That damn mule would have fed hounds for awhile.

My mule just committed suicide. I tied her up as usual to a tree while we were archery hunting elk. I came back and she was dead. Looks like she pulled back from he tree, the tree snapped and she went down, unable to get her heaed up to regain her balance. Her lungs were coming out her nose. Terrible! Prior to this, she was the smartest equine I've owened.

Holy crap. Sorry about that.