We are going shopping!!!!

[MNMULE]

Nice to have an update, to bad you didn’t live closer to IA, the sale they have their in Waverly is a great place to find a team. Just was kind of chuckling at the fact your a “senior memeber” I’m only 9 years older than you and remember a lot of the same experiences your having, its kind of fun to follow.

[Donn Hewes]

The fact that you are looking at animals and NOT buying them is incredibly useful information. Just imagine if you could drive fifty horses before you buy some. You know I like mules!, but what is wrong with the teams you have looked at so far isn’t that they are not mules. Most likely they aren’t worked enough by a teamster that knows what they want them to do.

When anyone ( but especially a farmer) goes shopping because they need something right away; they will almost always pay more for lower quality. If you can take the time to look, the perfect team will show up. Remember you will (hopefully) have them for a long time.

I especially admire the effort you have put into working with your neighbor and his mules. If you keep on as a teamster there will be animals and teams in the future that will challenge you, and things will not always go as smooth as they did today, but hopefully the experience you gain will keep you safe and allow you to overcome those challenges in the future. Good luck in finding a team.

[CharlyBonifaz]

you might not bring home a team too soon, but you will develop an eye for quality in equines…

[Joshua Kingsley]

R,
I was thinking alot about you today as I was working with some horses. If you really like your neighbor’s younger team of mules make him an offer on them. It could be in passing or just straight out ask him if he would consider selling them to you. It would be worth a shot as they are what you seem to be looking to find. I have done this a couple of times once I was shot down cold and the other time I was really lucky and the guy said he would let me have the horse in question.

Any way it was just a thought. Joshua

[Robernson]

Funny you mention that Joshua, because they are staying here at our place for “awhile”. I did not buy them but last Saturday I saw my neighbor driving the young team up our driveway with their wagon. I went to see what he was up to and he asked me where he could put them. I looked at him kinda sideways but showed him a place where they could stay. He then dropped this bombshell on me. His exact words were,” You can learn how to drive mules from me but you have to learn how to WORK mules by yourself.” I then told him,” WHAT?!?!?!?!? You are just going to drop off these mules and say ‘learn how to work them’ ?” He said, ” You have been driving for a few months now, you have gotten more independent, if you are to advance in this effort you need to make some mistakes and fix them on your own,it isn’t like I am abandoning you.” So I sat there in stunned silence.

He then told me to drive hime home,and jumped up into the wagon. I did and came home with the mules.

However scared I was at first I found it to be rather fun. We have only had 1 small disaggrement this week,but all ended well. It is quite fun to get off of the school bus in the afternoons and see the mules at the fence waiting to be harnessed so that we can do our various activities. Just for the sake of it I will give you a sample of our schedual…

1.They eat hay while I put the “big plastic water tank” into the wagon with the tractor.

2. Be harnessed and hooked to the wagon.

3.Pull down to the house and fill water tank.

4. Pull wagon to the sheep watering trough and empty the contents of the tank into it.

5. Feed sheep while the tank drains

6. tie mules and unload water tank with tractor (this doesn’t spook them)

7. untie mules and drive down to get some old tires (long story)

8 Drive back up and unload tires in the truck

9 Do anything else that needs to be done

10. Unhook from implement.

11. Mules eat more hay.

12 Sleep

13 Repeat.

It has gone well so far!:cool:

~~R
2.

[dominiquer60]

My money is on you ending up with a fine pair of young mules 🙂

I am glad that you have such a good mentor so close, before you know it you’ll be returning the favor to someone else 😉

[Joshua Kingsley]

It sounds like you have a good thing going. Not only do you have a good neighbor and mentor but you have a routine and a good thing going with a really good sounding team.
I wish you the best, Hopefully you will find what ever equipment that you may need to expand your scope of work.

Have fun and have a great weekend.
Joshua

[MNMULE]

Do you have any pictures of these young Mules? Just curious to see what they look like

[Robernson]

Thanks everybody.

MNMmule they are just plain old Percheron mules………

We did something today that was a fun little addition to our schedual,we hauled mulch to the flower beds. That made for a nice little drive around the yard.

~~R

[Robernson]

Ok I haven’t given you all an update in a while so I guess I will now.

I am still looking at both mules and horses. I am considering inquiring about this team here ( http://fredericksburg.craigslist.org/grd/1737913715.html ) but my neighbor is out of town so that would be pointless. Anyway I thought I would post something so that you didn’t think I fell off the face of the earth.

~~R 🙂

[lancek]

I agree with big lug buying a team of hafflingers now and adding a full size team later would work well ! I think you will find more people interested in you doing work for them as you get out there and you may ned the extra horses as you get the work! The best advice i can give you is do what you say and say only what you can do,

[Robernson]

Thought I would give you all another update. I haven’t been to my neighbor’s in a while (farmer’s markets are keeping me and the mules busy) so I figure I will go by tommorow and take him some eggs and squash (quite the combonation,huh?) and continue my mule education. I know that I have some on “loan” but I suppose it would still be best if I am to go back and do some more learning.
I have actually wondered if he has forgotten about his mules that are over here,cause he hasn’t called me to check on us like he used to…:confused:

Give y’all some updates tommorow……
(yeah I know this has nothing to do with horses or shopping but oh well…)
~~R

[Robernson]

Well….I guess I should get some prize for digging up this old of a thread:p

Anyway I will give you an update. Long story short, I have been working this team since..well..whenever and tommorow I am going to look at an old single. He seems pretty nice and the price is right. Plus another mule would come in handy. Anyway..wish me luck..

Thanks

~~R

[TBigLug]

Good luck! How’d it go?

[Author]

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