The Mule as a Working Cowhorse By Dr. Robert M. Miller DVM Tucker Slender cutting cattle with Donk-A-Lena, note she has no bridle on. Tom Meinhold Photography volunteered for the 10 th Mountain Di - and saw something that astounded me. A explained that she was out of a good Quar - vision near the end of World War II, cattle ranch there, in a place called the ter mare, and was “great in the rocks.” because I wanted to learn how to ski “Blue”, did all their cow-work with mules. That was my only experiences with sad - Iand because the training included They explained that they preferred mules to dle mules at that point. I still thought that mules. I wasn’t really interested in mules, horses because the country was so steep and their best use was as draft animals, or for but I loved horses and mules were, at least, rough. packing. partially horses. Two years later, on the North Rim of the In the years that followed I did some I didn’t get to serve in the 10 th Division Grand Canyon I saw a National Park packing in the Colorado Rockies but we however. The war ended as I finished in - Ranger riding a mule. I was surprised to see used horses, not mules. fantry basic training and they sent me into how attractively horse-like she was. Her I was a practicing veterinarian in Califor - occupied Germany instead. name was “Peggy” and, my curiosity nia when my “conversion” began. I at - In 1948, I was in East Central Arizona aroused, I asked the Ranger about her. He tended Bishop Mule Days one year and what I saw started me thinking. Mules this?” jumped at Bishop, were in packing contests, Bob said he’d find one for me. I ended roped steers, barrel raced, cut cattle, raced up with two mules, but they had behavioral out of a starting gate and ran in Class B quirks I didn’t like and I realized that the Quarter Horse Time. Then, a colleague, Dr. only way I would get what I really wanted Bob Bradley who owned fifteen mules and was to breed my own mares. competed at Mule Days every year spoke to So, I asked a lot of people at Bishop Mule me. I asked him why he liked mules so Days what jack sired their good mules, and much. one name came up quite often. Then I “Well,” he explained, “My family ranches booked two of my good Quarter mares to in Colorado and I go up there to fish every that jack. I got two superb foals and there - spring and hunt every fall. We ride in on our after produced my own mules. I have al - horses and pack mules. One year they didn’t ways started my own colts, beginning at have a sound horse for me, so I had to ride birth and all of my horses and mules have a mule.” behaved perfectly. “So?” I asked. Like so many equine practitioners, I get “So,” he responded, “Once you ride a invited to roundups, brandings and pack good mule you don’t want to ride a horse trips, so for four decades; I’ve used my again.” mules for such things. I’ve learned that “That’s nonsense,” I said. mules can do anything a horse can do. But, “Oh?” Have you ever ridden a mule?” except for endurance, ability to withstand “No,” I admitted. high temperatures and surefootedness, “Then, how do you know its nonsense?” horses can usually perform better than Tucker Slender on Sanger Red working “Well,” I answered, “If it were true every - mules. When it comes to cutting, reining, cattle on the ranch. Tucker ranches in cen - body would want to ride mules rather than racing, roping, jumping, etc., there is nearly tral California, near the town of Sanger, horses.” always a horse that can out-perform even a which is between Fresno and King’s “Okay,” Bob said, “I’m going to loan you top mule. But, the unique thing about Canyon National Park. His 21-year-old a mule. You can have him for eleven mu8les is their versatility. Properly trained, molly mule, Sanger Red, has done it all. months. Then I’ll need him back to team they can do it all. Consequently, mules are Out of a racing Thoroughbred mare, the rope on him next Mule Days at Bishop. great ranch “horses.” mule has three times been World Cham - He’ll convert you!” However, there is a catch. They are more pion Cow Working Mule. She cuts, ropes, At the time I had five horses, but none of challenging to train than a horse. There is a reins, sorts, and even jumps. But mostly them suitable for my young children to ride. common saying among mule people: she works cattle at home, gathering and They were either too hot, or too young. So “Mules must be trained the way horses branding. Still sound at 21 she is a testi - I asked, “Is this mule gentle enough for my should be trained.” It is a very true state - monial to the hardiness of mules, despite kids to ride?” ment. having won forty thousand dollars on the “Absolutely,” Bob replied. “And you can Most horses are forgiving creatures. racetrack, competing against other mules, do anything you want on him. You can’t Throughout history most horses have been of course. hurt him and he’ll take care of you. He is trained with crude and often abusive tech - Tucker’s advice: seventeen years old, was raised on a cow niques, yet most turn out to be pretty good. 1. Imprint train your foals. ranch in your county, has been part of a The rare exception we label an “outlaw.” 2. Avoid “broncy” mules. stage coach team and is a great roping mule. We blame the horse rather than our own And, at the end of the year he’ll have con - inept methods. creature. Immediate flight from perceived verted you into a mule lover.” Bob got If mules are not properly handled they predation is the way wild horses survived. eleven months free board for his mule. will end up as bad actors. That’s why they The donkey evolved in step, precipitous I rode Jerry as much as I had time for dur - have such a bad reputation and we hear terrain wherein blind flight could be fatal. ing the following month and really chal - statements like “He swears like a mule skin - The donkey, therefore, when alarmed, lenged him. He did fine. The, at the end of ner”, or “stubborn as a mule” or “mule-ish makes a choice between three behaviors: the month I got invited on a weekend trail behavior.” It runs like a horse ride by one of my clients. I took Jerry. He Some of the mule’s superior qualities It sees danger but feels it is safer to stand was barefoot. It was late May as sixty-five come from its donkey sire, such as heat tol - still. That’s where the reputation for stub - riders ascended Calabasas Peak. I put Jerry erance, sure footedness and stamina. Hybrid bornness comes from. at the back of the group. By noon the tem - vigor gives mules a long life span and re - 3. It will attack. That’s why some sheep perature was 102 Fahrenheit and Jerry had sistance to the diseases and unsoundness, ranchers are using burros to protect the worked his way to the front. which plague horses. But it is the donkey sheep against coyotes. When I returned home Sunday evening I half that give them their potential for versa - Mules inherit their anatomy, their physi - was enthusiastic. I called Bob and said, tility. ology and their behavior from both sire and “OK, I’ve had your mule thirty-five days The horse evolved on open grasslands, day. That’s why some mules will attack and and I’m converted. But I know that this is a inhabited also by prey animals like the big pretty special mule. How do I find one like cats and wolves. It is an extremely flighty Continued on next page and Pleasure classes on her. She beat United States. horses. She is the only mule ever invited to In Brazil, gaited jacks are bred to gaited jump at an Olympics (Los Angeles 1984), mares, like the Mar chador breed, in order never refused a jump in her life and was to produce gaited mules. These wiry, agile awarded the Hall of Fame at Bishop Mule mules are used for ranch cow work, roping, Days when she was 25 years of age. That’s reining, cutting, and even gymkhana events. what I mean by versatility. In some hot, rugged areas, like in Baja, Cal - I have seen mules used for working cattle ifornia, mules are exclusively used to work in Mexico and in Brazil, as well as in the range cattle on some ranches. Above: Debby Miller on Jordass Jean at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. “Jeanie” was invited to do an exhibition jumping at the Olympics, the only mule to ever be so invited. She was also exhib - ited Western, as in this photo. She worked cattle on roundups, cut cattle without a bridle, I roped on her, and so much more. Once we loaned her to Pat Parelli for a Nevada cattle roundup and she jumped over a five foot fence with him and a stock saddle, chaps and rope.