Mule Morsels: Learn to Read
By Patty L. McNutt, Animal Behavior Consultant
Reprinted from the October 1996 issue
Yes, learn to read your mule by fully understanding what your mule is telling you by taking the time to observe the animal's body language. Just what do you think that animal is telling you if he is hard to catch in pasture, would get away from you if he could when you walk in his stall, or if he just never comes up to the fence, or the stall door, when you or some other human approaches?
You figure it out as he does belong to you, but an educated guess would be that he is telling you that his association with humans has not been a pleasant experience, and humans have taught him that the further away he stays from that species, the happier his life. Or, he has not accepted humans into his herd, or the electric fence may have zapped him the very last time he approached a human.
Whichever the case may be, the important concern is for you to "Learn to read" not only that one mule but the equine mind as a species.
Keeping in your mind that the equine mind dictates that any time another being is in his zone, be they man or beast, then that individual becomes a part of his herd ... herd instinct, alias the mind of the equine ... so ordains. Thus, the two of you have formed a herd, and in so doing, the decision is now to be made as to who is the dominant member of that herd.
Call it "pecking order", "dominant member", "boss," or whatever suits your fancy. But, accept the long-known fact that the equine is a herd-instinct species, just as your dog is a pack animal and your cat is a pride animal. Accepting this fact and learning to read the total spectrum of equine behavior will assist you in becoming the respected or dominant member in your two-member herd.
Never under any condition do you develop the idea that beating on and abusing this animal will obtain the dominance that makes for a satisfactory relationship with your mule. Only by fully understanding the mind of the equine, which is "learning to read" his actions and reactions, will you have a trained and dependable animal. And only then will you be the dominant member of his herd.
The equine mind is fearful and its body is designed for flight, so any time the human abuses and frightens this animal, the more its basic instincts for survival take over, which is in direct opposition to what the human is attempting to accomplish.
Whenever a 150-pound human thinks they can overpower an 800-pound mule with sheer strength, they are not as smart as the mule. Being as smart as your mule is part of learning to read your mule.
The following are the Ten Commandments of Equine Care and Conditioning:
1. Thou shalt render the mule mature before expecting enduring work.
2. Thou shalt show love, respect, and compassion in the daily handling and training.
3. Thou shalt show thy mule dependability by supplying the daily needs of the animal or a routine schedule.
4. Thou shalt at no time vent the pent-up anger of our involvement in a complex and oftentimes frustrating society on the mule which we are training and conditioning.
5. Thou shalt provide the professional health care needed to maintain vigor and prevent illness.
6. Thou shalt provide shelter, at all times, from the elements and from environmental pests, and/or pollution.
7. Thou shalt consider, with real concern, the psychological aspect of the mule's well-being, as well as real concern for the physiological aspect of the mule.
8. Thou shalt supply proper fitting equipment for whatever task is expected of the mule.
9. Thou shalt not expect of the mule feats for which that mule is unprepared.
10. Thou shalt accept the responsibility for the painless death of the no longer sound, the aged, or the dangerous mule.
POEM:
In shooing flies or hauling freight,
It's wiser to co-operate.
For better jobs are sooner done,
If two take hold and work as one.
Now that's a truth, all mules know,
They learned it centuries ago.
When days are hot, and flies are thick,
Co-operation does the trick.
One tail on duty at the rear,
Can't reach the fly behind the ear;
But two tails, if arranged with craft,
Give full protection fore and aft.
Though fools pursue a lonely course,
Let wise men emulate the mule.
Two make a burden half as great;
Use mule sense and co-operate.
Note: In the above "wise saying," I did substitute the word mule in place of horse! (Poem author is unknown to me.)
However, the objective of all the aforementioned is to encourage you to understand the equine as a species, and to minimize or eliminate anthropomorphization in your thought process. Only then will you understand the mule.
The next step in the equation of mule and human relationship is for the human to function in a consistent manner so your mule will understand and accept your form of communication.
The mule does not speak English, he does not speak French, German, Spanish, or whatever, but he can learn to understand the human's verbal commands in whatever language that human uses. Inflection in the human's voice is how we believe the mule understands.
In this country, we expect our mules to understand English, and it is my belief that our mules expect us humans to understand their language, and that language can be termed Equi-tongue.
The absolute importance of your mule's understanding of the verbalization of" get up", "easy",and "whoa" cannot be overstressed. Starting the young mule by teaching him a vocabulary of those three words, once they are ingrained, gives you the foundation for teaching more and more vocabulary words.
Case in point: When I am leading my hunting dog and leading my mule with the reins in my right elbow and the dog lead in my right hand (which is the correct fashion to lead when you have the combination dog and equine) when I stop to release the dog using my left hand to release I certainly do not expect my mule to walk into me. He should respect my body zone, and I should respect his body zone.
A photo of grey mules in a pasture also featured in the October 1996 issue of Mules and More