Couple of mule questions(for now)

[netman]

My wife grew up in Missouri coon hunting on mules. I told her I was interested in getting one or two mules for hunting. Her eyes lit up when I told her that.
So here is the start of my questions...
I weigh 250 pounds. What size mule should I be looking for/at?
When I was younger up to college I have ridden horses. I have not been on a horse/mule since college. So let’s say thirty years. I plan to get with a trainer and ride under their supervision before I make a purchase. There are Several trainers near me.
Any suggestions for a riding coach? Type of trainer?
I’m going to approach this slowly. I’m in no hurry as I need a lot of studying on what to look for when buying a mule.

 

[wymtnpounder]

I don't really have any suggestions on coaches, but have been told a mule can carry 1/3 of it's body weight. I have way more experience with horse than with mules but a mule can definitely carry a lot more than a horse of similar size. I had a guy who weighed 210 plus a 30 lb. pack on ride my mule all day yesterday in knee deep snow and it never even phased him my mule is 900 lbs. 14.2. I would never put that much weight on a horse that size. My mule is for sale at jake clarks mule days this year.

 

[wyosteve]

Netman, I'm about your size and my mules have primarily been 15 hands or less, in the 900 to 1050 lb. range and have done fine even on long rides.

 

[netman]

Thanks guys! My wife and I are going to be out west this spring for a bear hunt(s). We have discussed stopping in at the Jake Clark event on the way back East.

 

[netman]

What would be the difference between a mule that cost $3-4000.00 and one 7k and above?
I have been on Equinenow.com looking around. There are some miles that are from out west with hunting experience for $4000 +-
I’ve seen where one should buy a mule that has had more training/experience therefore costing more. Where do you draw the line on initial price?

 

[wyosteve]

I feel price should be the last criteria, not the first. For me, age, size, gender and training/experience are my screening criteria. I don't have time to train one. A mule matures mentally later than a horse, so I prefer one 6yrs. old or more. Very generally speaking, johns can be a bit more feisty than Mollys. I want them to have experience in my type of riding, i.e. not just a trail tromper, but up/down hills, across logs, creeks, bogs, etc. In my experience, price is too often associated with 'color' rather than ability. 'Pretty' brings a better price.

 

[Macegl]

I've heard mules live longer than horses. Do you get more good riding years out of a mule?

 

[wyosteve]

Yes, 3 of my current mules are 36, 34 and 32 yrs. old. I still ride them.

 

[theleo91386]

It's hard to peg, looking online, why the price difference on some animals. Could be coloring, could be training, could be who trained it, could be experience, could be breeding, could be conformation, could be, could be, could be...

Personally I'm not as worried about training as I am temperament and experience. There's animals that get thousands of dollars worth of training for reining, or cutting, or... that never leave an arena and are little more than time bombs out on the trail. Then there's animals that get broke and then just see a ton of miles in the mountains. The most impressive animal I've been around or rode was broke when she was 4 or 5 and then just had a million miles put on her in the mountains with a bunch of different strings towed behind her. Her temperament is something along the lines of "I've got a job to do and places to go, so just shut up and lets go". It can be a lot of personality to deal with when you argue with one that has that sort of attitude, but she's rite a lot more than she is wrong (I can't remember winning an argument that I was rite about with that mule) . My current ride has more training in his background than I know what to do with (he went through that Jake Clark sale at one point) but ended up as the "fat guy ride" for an outfitter. He's big with a calm temperament, but quite honestly, not the same quality in the mountains as my dad's old mule that never saw training beyond being broke to ride. My dad and I both ride some well put together 12-15 year old John mules, my ten year old daughter rides the 28 year old molly. If that old mule is in front when we head back towards the trailer, my dad and I can't keep up, and that's with no input from the kid day dreaming in the saddle.

Some animals are priceless to the point $7,000-$10,000 wouldn't make you bat an eye. Some are just overpriced lawn ornaments. Just have to sort through a few, find one that will work with you, and then put the miles on it so you know what to expect from one another. My advice would be that you be in a position to pay $7,000+ for a good mule, but not be surprised if you get one for a good chunk less. Seems to me that $1,000 "dead broke" 7-10 year old horses or mules generate more medical bills than about anything in the mountains.

 

[netman]

theleo your words are close to my thinking. I’m dumb when it comes to mules however I have trained several waterfowl dogs. So I know what a polished trained dog is and the amount of work it took to get that finished dog. Not comparing dogs to horses in any way shape or form. I however will compare trained dogs/mules asking price. I just understand the price difference between a started dog and several levels above started to finished.
I have found Steve Edwards. I found him looking up saddles and then found a lot of videos and articles on/by him.
I guess what I’m looking for is a mule with a good foundation. Actually looking for two mules with good foundation.
I don’t think I need to define foundation to you guys.
So when looking for a couple of mules with good foundation what should I be seeing and asking?
I’m going to be headed west for spring bear and would love to check out some mules while going and coming back.

 

[theleo91386]

theleo your words are close to my thinking. I’m dumb when it comes to mules however I have trained several waterfowl dogs. So I know what a polished trained dog is and the amount of work it took to get that finished dog. Not comparing dogs to horses in any way shape or form. I however will compare trained dogs/mules asking price. I just understand the price difference between a started dog and several levels above started to finished.
I have found Steve Edwards. I found him looking up saddles and then found a lot of videos and articles on/by him.
I guess what I’m looking for is a mule with a good foundation. Actually looking for two mules with good foundation.
I don’t think I need to define foundation to you guys.
So when looking for a couple of mules with good foundation what should I be seeing and asking?
I’m going to be headed west for spring bear and would love to check out some mules while going and coming back.

Can you pick up all four feet? Will the mule stand till you're all the way on? Can you run your hands everywhere on the animal without it getting testy? How hard is it to catch in a corral? Those are all questions you should have visual conformation on. If all those are positive, odds are in your favor that animal has a good foundation.

The other things I would be wondering would require a day or two of riding. 1) Does the animal give you its head when you apply pressure with the reins? 2) Can it be ridden away from other animals? 3) When things go wrong is this an animal that freeze up or doesn't stop until its in a bind? 4) Can you deal with the annoying habits the animal has (they're there, they all have them)? 5) Does the animal care about the rider? The biggest of those questions would be 4, 3, and 5 for me. Question 4 is an obvious deal breaker. If the animal doesn't care about the rider and doesn't stop till it's in a bind, it better be impressive in all other categories because you're never going to be able to let your guard down around it.

Here's some examples of what I mean. My dad's current ride for example. He's good for question 1 & 2, OK on question 3, border line on question 4, but does not care about the rider. He's just always busy doing other stuff besides walking down the trail. The only redeeming quality about that animal is his personality is such a way that I don't feel bad when he get's ridden into the ground. His constant dinking around and lack of concern for the rider has got my dad hurt on multiple occasions (not an animal to ride in your 70's). I'm sure you see similar personalities in dogs, they're the kind that need a job or their annoying you constantly. My mule has some annoying habits from being a dude ride for a lot of years, being ridden by people he could play games with. If the trail takes a turn and there's grass straight off of that corner, he'll keep walking straight without breaking stride and go straight for the grass. Or if you've ridden a ways and stop to take a break where the animals can put their heads down he'll, without fail, graze making circle for a minute or two, till he's pointed back in the direction he came from, pick his head up and head back down the trail towards the trailer. That being said he cares about the rider, doesn't flip out, and can be ridden away from other animals. He's not fun to get on but that's an issue of how tall he is. The old mule my daughter rides one really annoying habit is that she's a handful to stay stopped if she knows she's heading back to the trailer or camp (she knows where she's going and doesn't want to here anything from you about it), but she's so good on her other qualities it's hardly worth mentioning. Last summer my daughter was riding with my dad when she fell off and got a nice cut on her chin (9 year old girl day dreaming in the saddle while in the mountains, we knew she'd fall off eventually). After the initial side step from a falling object, that mule turned around and stuck her nose in my daughters face to see what was going on. That mule has always taken care of her riders.

Some things for you to think about when you're looking at animals and evaluating them.

 

[netman]

Thanks theleo! Thanks a bunch!

 

[ZackLee]

This is great info! Thanks!