Jack Strode’s Mule School?

@HeeHawHaven 4613 wrote:

Have any of you watched this video?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UXSA5Y/sr=8-1/qid=1231388681/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1231388681&sr=8-1&seller=

They take a green team of mules and show what they could do with them in 4 days in harness.

They use shoeing stocks to safely put on the harnesses. And, they immediately hook them up as a team to a forecart chained to a post. Then, they are hooked up to a tractor with an arm off the back and drag 2 large heavy duty tires behind the forecart. It is amazing what they accomplish in a relatively short time. By the 2nd day, they’ve unhooked the mules from the tractor and can take the team out on the rural highway shoulder (still pulling the big tires).

I’m curious how many of you experienced teamsters have watched this video and what you think?

I learned 2 main things from this video: (since I can’t replicate their methods exactly)

1. Do everything in a controlled safe environment first.

2. Have them start by pulling a heavy load so that they cannot run off!

BTW – I accidentally ordered this dvd twice…. if anyone wants one with little use, pm or email me – $20 bucks including shipping and it’s yours!

Dave

Hey Dave,

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like an interesting video. It is something that I find interesting to see the various unique approaches that people take to training animals. I think the trick is finding one that you are comfortable with and that works for you. Be sure to recognize that “one size does NOT always fit all”. Somethings that will work with one animal, or lots of animals may not click with another.

When my kids were still living at home we used a process similar to what you describe to break show steers and heifers to lead. Not that we had harness on them, or drug tires with them … rather that we started them haltered behind a tractor or a pickup. In my life (former high school ag. teacher) I have literally broken hundreds of calves to lead this way. Worked every time like a charm … EXCEPT … guess what? Two of the last three heifers that my daughter showed would NOT break this way. They would sull, lay down and refuse to walk. I think I could have drug all of the hide off of them and they were simply not going to submit to this process.

My daughter started putting the halter on them (this was two heifers, two years apart) and letting them walk on their own around the pens where we kept them. Soon she would start to hold the lead rope, but would walk no further up than their shoulder. She was essentially “driving them away”, by staying in their flight zone. After about 1/2 day she would move up to their head & within a day or two she was leading them. I would have never considered using this process, but it worked for her; it was far less stressful and they were HER calves. So I guess I learned something from her. Two years later we had an exact repeat with her last show heifer. That time I was far more willing to let her try it her way and it worked again. Point is, don’t get too married to any one process.

Finally let me say something else about training. That is that about this time last year I had two Percheron 3 year old mares in training with an Amish farmer in South Texas, maybe 3 or 4 hours drive from where I live. I have some experience driving, but not training driving horses so I elected to send them out for schooling. He used a similar approach to what you described in their training. He was driving them within a week or so of having them on his place. Not as a team, but each tied in to a much more seasoned and bigger Belgian mare & hitched to heavy loads that they could not run away with. I am NOT knocking this approach or the guys training skills. I am saying that when I got them back it was obvious to me that many of the basics that I should have made sure they were exposed to were skipped in their training.

Since I only have the two of them and no other seasoned horse to hitch to with, I have a low comfort level with putting them out on the highway or even in situations that are new to them. I DO NOT want them to encounter a slightly new or different situation and “talk each other” into bolting. Therefore, I am working them as singles and have been going through the 10 Step training process that Doc Hammill uses to train driving horses. (I am sure there are other good systems out there, that is the one that I am familiar with) Point is; I DO NOT want to take any shortcuts to training these mares because the stakes are pretty high. It could only take one bad experience to sour them for life, and I just will not accept that risk.

Not sure how experienced you are, or whether you live in an area where you can get experienced help (I have none near me), but be VERY cautious about the situation where you and your animals are learning from each other. That may work for you, generally it is not a good idea.

Not trying to belittle you, or scare you off from this great experience … just saying go super slow and easy with those youngsters. You can get in storm before you know it & no one wants to see that happen.

Good Luck to you & stay in touch.

A good friend that used to work with alot of problem horses used to say work them for thirty days straight and they’ll never forget it but use them often to keep them sharp. Strodes mule school if I remember right was for spoiled mules and demonstrates how to take animals that are destined for the dog food can and make them usefull. It is definately a safe way to handle problem animals without injury to the handlers. Strode and Jessup also trained some good mules but I think the video shows their procedures for problem animals.
Dave be carefull about the load when you hitch your mules. While you are concerned about preventing a runaway overloading can make baulky mules that are no good for anything. The load should be enough so they can feel it and enough so if they pull it awhile it will tire them a little. Take it easy, be carefull and get some help training your mules.Good luck with them.
Old Kat I was wondering what it was you think was skipped in your mares training? The Amish typically train horses for field work. What is it that you want to do with them? You should be working them at some usefull task all the while exposing them to different situations. Tired horses are good students. Many times I see when folks second guess themselves the horses grow bigger and stronger and they put off working them longer and longer. If they are trained to work the Hammil program won’t hurt but the longer you feed them without working them the harder it may actually become to get them to work. Not saying for sure that this is the case but many times folks talk themselves out of driving their horses.

my first post….not too sure how to swap info with you?