bootcamp

[Farrier]

Well my gal Abigail is off to the trainer today. I’ll try to get a few pics up of her. She’s a 2 yr. old red dun mule. She came from a local auction, I don’t usually buy mules at an auction but for $50.00 I couldn’t leave her standing there. When I got her she was doing pretty good but now that she has been turned out all summer and I haven’t had time to mess with her, she has turned into a impossible to catch, spooky, snot. I worked out a shoeing trade with the trainer at a Percheron barn I shoe at. So this morning we are off to boot camp.

[Rod]

Good luck with her, how big is she, any photos.

[Farrier]

She will be about 15 or 16 hands when she is fully grown. I’ll get a few pics up in a day or so. Took me two hours to get a halter on her this morning. I finally had to rope her. It’s kinda wierd , When I got her I didn’t have a problem catching her but she has gotten progessively worse. I don’t have a problem walking up to her with a halter on my shoulder but the second i put my hand on the halter she bolts. She is perfectly fine as long as you don’t have a halter or rope. Once you finally get a halter on her she settles right down.

[Rod]

Does she like treats? I have used these to get a halter on my reluctant mule by aclimating her first to the treats, then the treats with my arm through the halter and finally slipping the halter over her nose when she takes the treat. Another thing that worked with her is to start with a lead rope and treat. I slip the rope over her neck when I give the treat and she thinks she is tied so lets me put the halter on.

[XLmules]

How is Abigail doing? We have an Abigail mule too:-) Would love to hear how she is progressing.

[Jean]

I also find the rope over neck “tricks” my mule into thinking she is tied and I can get her halter on with no problem. If I try to only halter her with no rope, I end of doing a lot of walking. She also is better the more I work her. She tends to get more independent the longer I leave her alone. Once she is in halter or harness she is all business.

[Farrier]

Sorry it’s been awhile since I looked at this thread. Abigail is doing okay. I went down to the trainer’s farm the other day and we got her harnessed for the first time. She did fine just standing tied but when I led her off she pitched a bucking fit. Here’s a picture of her first time in harness.

[Author]

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