Post Farms Mules

Editor’s Note: In our November 2025 issue of Mules and More, we featured an article on Post Farms Mules — but we mistakenly printed their name as Post Mule Farms. We sincerely apologize for the mix-up and want to make sure the credit goes where it belongs! We’ve corrected the article and are sharing it here so everyone can enjoy it as it was meant to be seen. We truly appreciate the Post family’s understanding, and we’re so glad to have been able to share their story and the great work they’re doing.

Post Farms Mules: Faith, Family, and a Pasture Full of Mule Foals 

by “The Ranch Hand” at Post Farms Mules

In north central Arkansas, down an old dirt road way out in the country, the early morning sun crackles to life in the beautiful Ozark Mountains. It’s here, at Post Farms Mules, that Marlan and Robin Post start each day “from sunup to sundown,” tending to the animals and land they’ve loved for a lifetime.

At 80 and 77 years old, Marlan and Robin are living what they call their “golden years,” but slowing down isn’t in their vocabulary. Childhood sweethearts married for 62 years, they raised three children, Roxann, Dale, and Angie. And for the last 27 years, they have made mule raising their profession and passion. Post Farms Mules has been home to many mule colts of all colors and breeds over those years. 

“God’s been good to us. We keep our heads held proud, eyes sharp as a razor, and work hard for an honest day’s pay,” said the Posts. “We don’t count the days, we make the days count.”

When they’re not in the barn, you’ll likely find the Posts at The Wise Chapel Landmark Missionary Baptist Church in Pineville, where Marlan serves as a deacon. “Smart men walk on the moon,” said Marlan. “Daring men walk on the ocean floor. But wise men walk with God.”

Marlan and Robin Post with their broodmares in the background

Their lives are steeped in faith and the old-fashioned values of the cowboy code. “Rain or shine,” every day is a work day. They raised Charolais “Polled” cattle for 35 years, and even now, the baby mules grow up around hogs, goats, chickens, and guineas. 

Marlan has run a bulldozer for the past 40 years, and at 80, he’s still pushing down trees on the family farm. Robin’s two sisters, Judy Bennett and Kathy Winston, are quick to lend a helping hand when it’s time to deliver mule babies. They also watch over the farm when Marlan and Robin want to sneak away for a mule ride. The Posts take every chance they get to load up their mules, Comet and Sally (two big red mules that they raised themselves) and ride The Buffalo, Ozark and The Leatherwoods National Forest in Arkansas.

Each spring, the third weekend in April, Post Farms Mules opens its gates for “Mule Days,” a free community event that draws folks from all over the region. Visitors come for Coggins testing, veterinary services, and old-fashioned fellowship, complete with down-home cooking and southern hospitality.

When mule foals start arriving each spring, the Posts say it’s like a box of chocolates: “We never know what we’re gonna get.” But their breeding program, which has been refined over many years, shows consistency, with their 2023 crop averaging 85% color: paints, leopard appaloosa, blanket back, and spotted.

On one side of their breeding program are their two mammoth jacks, Tennessee and Nacho, who the Posts say both have very good dispositions and good qualities. Tennessee is a 10-year-old, big boned red roan jack who stands 15.1 hands. Nacho is a 4-year-old black jack who stands 14.3 hands with good bone. Both of these jacks walk and trot with the ‘jack shuffle.’

On the other side are their carefully selected broodmares, who consist of Tennessee Walker, Friesian, Missouri Foxtrotter, Rocky Mountain Horse, Saddlebred, Walkaloosa, American Quarter Horse, Standardbred, and the American Paint Horse, as well as a large selection and a good variety of gaited broodmares. They said it’s taken them many years of looking and many miles of traveling to get the set of broodmares that they currently have. 

They take pride in all of their broodmares and make sure each receives proper care.“Twice daily, they receive sufficient amounts of grain ration, and roughage is pure Bermuda hay fields. With all the fresh water they want, we feed only pure Bermuda round bales. They always have salt blocks and loose minerals. We worm every first frost, mid-spring, and mid-summer. A veterinarian comes to ultrasound every mare, to confirm breeding. We keep a current file on every broodmare from the time we receive her, and what color and kind of foal she has. There is always a current Coggins on every animal. We make sure they also receive the correct prenatal care with plenty of good nutrition. Because the mule foal develops modestly during the first two trimesters of their pregnancy. 30 days prior to foaling, we give a vitamin A and selenium shot, preparing the mare for the foaling process. Then she goes to the mule barn one week before foaling.” 

The Post Farms Mules mule barn is a safe haven for the foals born there. “We always keep a very well-ventilated and clean barn, so it’s a healthier and safer environment for the broodmares and their baby mule foals. From cedar shaving to mucking stalls twice daily, it’s just a regular routine barn maintenance down on the farm.” 

The Posts imprint the mule babies as soon as they are born, spending lots of time and patience with each one. The babies and their mothers stay inside the mule barn for 2 to 4 weeks. 

The Posts say they train them all with old-fashioned methods, and they are all handled with special care and a gentle, soft touch. “We build a relationship between the foal and the human, exposing it to the human touch. Making it confident and bonded. It is a step-by-step process we will continue to use. We’ve learned in the early stages of the foals, training should not be looking for perfection, but for understanding. They always respond well to rewards, from a pat on the neck to speaking smoothly, we will always end the lesson on a good note. We keep all their training sessions positive and short. But they are accustomed to being touched and handled, baby mules learn best through consistency. “  

At 7 to 9 days old, they teach them to lead and load. They also pick up their feet and rub them down. “We know each new foal is a blank slate and an opportunity for us to instill good skills for its future. They need their intelligence to deal with many challenges.”

If they are showing good signs of independence for their adulthood, the baby mules are weaned at 5 months. 

“We cherish all the baby mules,” said the Posts. “They are our pride and joy.” 

The Posts’ mule foals have found homes across the U.S., Canada, France, and Mexico. They take a lot of pride in making sure their customers are satisfied and happy with the animal they receive, saying, “A good mule is like a four-leaf clover—so hard to find, but so lucky to have.” 

Now in 2025, they’ve started a fall crop of mule foals, proof that their passion shows no signs of slowing.

The Posts say they’ve been blessed beyond measure to live the life they love. “We’ve learned to slow down, cherish each moment, and take each day as it comes.”

Even after decades of hard work, they still find joy in every new foal that hits the ground and every sunrise over the Ozark hills. “The older we get, the more drawn we are to raising mule colts,” they said. “It’s an enjoyable lifestyle that we love to do.” Looking out over pastures dotted with mule colts in every shade of color, it’s clear that Post Farms Mules is more than just a business—it’s a legacy built on faith, family, and the love of a good mule.

Find the Posts on Facebook at Post Farms Mules: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063561188042