[Rural Missourian]

From my own experiences working with 1800 lb mules I have learned that no human can out stubborn a mule, at least on mule terms. When one of ours gets a little stubborn, which is very rare and for only brief moments as they are seasoned well broke mules, it is always for a reason, something has them scared for which standing their ground seems to them the safe answer. A sour, unbroken mule is a different story. Persevering patience coupled with a steady hand and calming voice seems to work the best. A sage muleskinner on the Rural Heritage Forum gave some excellent wisdom that helped me immensely. When confronted with something that stops a mule (and a horse for that matter I am sure) there are three ways to face it. One can use fear & force to make the mule submit, which makes the animal work from fear of its master, which diminishes its capabilities and can eventually backfire. One can turn around and leave, reinforcing the fear for whatever it was that caused it. Or one can calmly talk and work the animal through it, so it gains confidence in its driver’s capabilities. This last one has worked great for me and as I have learned this method, so our mules work much better and rarely, if ever, balk at anything. I have found though that when the mules signal with their ears and eyes that something is up, it pays to figure out what it is, if possible. I remember one time where I was making exercise rounds in our training paddock with our John Deere wagon and every time we came to a certain point the outside mule would suddenly shoot forward and push to the inside. This happened about five times in a row. From first glance I couldn’t see anything in particular that was causing her to jump, but when I stopped and examined the area more closely I discovered a slender stick about 3 feet long that was shaped like a snake that was pointing towards the mules right next to where they had to pass. I tossed it aside and that immediately ended the problem.

[Rural Missourian]

It really depends on what they are needed for and what positives and negatives you choose. We use Belgian draft mules to log here in Missouri, as they work quite well on the rugged hillsides, having excellent balance and slope savvy. They handle the extremes of the climate very well, thrive on basic grass hay, and we have had absolutely no hoof problems, even with rocky terrain. As far as muscle goes, Sam & Sadie, which weigh 1800 lbs each, can hold their own with most draft horses. They are very smart and at times stubborn (a self preservation trait), but they learn things well and bond quite closely, like horses.

[Rural Missourian]

lilbitfarmjh,

We are located about an hour northeast of Kansas City. Perhaps, we are too far, but we would be interested in doing a logging demonstration your farm sometime. Please stay in touch.

[Rural Missourian]

I am most glad to meet you Rod, but it appears that I posted my introductory thread as a reply to your fine introduction. The Rural Missourian 😮

[Rural Missourian]

Greetings from the ice covered state of Missouri. My name is Tom and I am one of three partners that are involved in building a restorative forestry — custom woods business in Ray County. We are about eighteen months and three quarters of the way into the startup and have made great progress. Our long term vision is centered on building local community that is both productive and generationally oriented in learning to rightly steward the land in a sustainable manner. In conjunction with this vision we also are moving towards incorporating pasture farming into our business so that we can best utilize the land in producing all the feed needed for our draft mules and animals, as well as producing for our families. We log with a pair of fine Belgian draft mules and operate a Cooks portable bandsaw and edger. We are now in the last startup leg of locating land for the business, where we can saw and dry lumber to sell and use to build with. Our worldview is biblically agrarian and quite proactive and hope filled. I am glad to be joining the group.

In His service and yours,

The Rural Missourian
🙂

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