Amy McLean and her family own and operate the Sowhatchett Mule Farm in Madison, Georgia. The McLeans raise and train gaited and nongaited saddle mules. For Amy McLean, it's mules or bust.
"I, personally, would not ride a horse unless my other option was to walk," Amy says. "If you've ever ridden a mule in the woods, you'll notice differences in endurance and the careful steps they take as they negotiate the trail.
"Mules are also keener to predator animals, like mountain lions or bears, as well as being very observant of their surroundings," she continues. "Like a donkey, a mule most often will freeze before bolting due to a greater fight mechanism instead of flight mechanism like the horse."
Jim Porter has packed mules and donkeys most of his 61 years. In 1965, he and his wife, Julie, purchased Kennedy Meadows Pack Trains and Jordan Hot Springs Wilderness Lodge in Tulare County, California. "Over the years, we've had the privilege to be owned by a number of mules," says Jim, who currently rides the couple's herd sire, Merlin.
"Merlin knows I'm his person, and, every once in a while, thinks he needs to remind me where my loyalties belong," says Jim, offering the following anecdote as an example.
Last year, Jim and Julie were leading a group of friends through a section of the Golden Trout Wilderness when they stopped for a picnic. Jim picked a small handful of wildflowers for Julie, resulting in a quick kiss. Merlin happened to witness this exchange of affection.
"I looked over to the picket line where Merlin was tied," says Jim. "He looked right at me, reached up on a limb, and pulled down the extra line I'd tied there. Not wanting him to walk on it, I picked it up and put it back in the tree. As I walked away, I looked back just in time to see him reach up and pull it down again. With all of our group having a big laugh at my expense, I walked back to Merlin. Just as I approached, but not yet in range, he picked up a hoof as if he was going to kick. Now, Merlin has never offered to kick, so this was a big surprise."
Jim did the only thing he could think of. "I picked a small, single flower and put it in Merlin's halter. He put his head on my arm as if to say, all is okay now. I put the rope back up and he didn't touch it?again that entire trip."
On the trail: Meredith Hodges is a renowned trainer, educator, and advocate of the mule, and has worked with them for more than 30 years. Her popular program, Training Mules and Donkeys, currently seen on RFD-TV, offers a step-by-step curriculum for beginning to advanced levels.
Of course, Hodges wasn't always devoted to longears. Like many young girls, she loved horses growing up. She primarily rode Arabians, excelling as both a rider and a trainer. In 1973, Hodges' mother, Joyce Doty, asked her to help train the mules and donkeys on her 1,000-acre farm in Healdsburg, California.
Hodges discovered almost immediately that mules were "amazingly sociable, curious, and sensitive animals." She not only enjoyed the mules in the show arena, but also on the trail.
"When you take the time to train your mule or donkey properly, there's no more reliable trail companion," Hodges says. "A mule will never do anything deliberately to hurt themselves, so if you can establish this kind of rapport with them, you are totally safe. They will take care of you!"
One day, Hodges was riding her mule, Mae Bea CT, in the mountains with a group of five riders on horses behind her. The narrow trail winded around the mountain, with a steep uphill cliff on one side, and steep drop-off on the other.
As the group climbed up the mountain, the trail seemed to get narrower, and when Hodges rounded a huge boulder, she was faced with a trail no more than two feet wide. "It was too late to turn around, and I had five nervous horses behind me on the wider part of the trail," recalls Hodges.
The other riders were able to turn around on the trail, but Hodges didn't have enough room. "I couldn't even back around the boulder and down the trail without upsetting the horses," she explains. "So I asked Mae Bea to stand."
The mule stood quietly with her feet planted four-square, waiting for Hodges' next signal. Hodges then asked Mae Bea to rock her weight back onto her hindquarters and sit down on her haunches.
"She did a perfect 180 degree turn, sweeping her front legs straight over the 100-foot drop, landed facing exactly the opposite way she had been, and stopped to wait for the next cue," says Hodges. "My heart was pounding as I nudged her with my legs to continue forward behind the horses. The people on the horses, that were now prancing and dancing, were nothing short of amazed."
Selection savvy: To see whether a mule is for you, seek out someone who's owned and trained mules for the trail. Ride a mule. Find a local trainer who specializes in longears and learn how to work with mules, both on the ground and in the saddle. Mules like people, so find one that's gentle and people-friendly.
