Reading a Stoic Mule

Some mules tell you when things are wrong:  sore hoof, sore back, tired, need their sheath cleaned, itchy ears, and the list goes on.  But on the flipside, some mules are stoic and will absorb any hint they could give you about what is going on behind the scenes. 

I have two mules, one is stoic and one is an open book.  Keeping up with their health and training presents challenges.  Hopefully, my experiences can help you and your mule.

Meet CoCo!  She is a docile Molly mule, that is the lowest on the totem pole in our herd.  She will never tell you anything is wrong.  She is slow in her training growth, but once she has it down, she always gets it right.  CoCo is by far my favorite animal in our herd.

CoCo is always a medical mystery with no clues and no foreshadowing.  Her back leg tripled in size once.  After a trip to the vet, x-rays, and medical exams, we found three abscesses and a ligament that is three times the size of a normal ligament.  The abscesses required treatment, but the ligament was a structural deformity.  Since no pain was connected to the ligament, the vet recommended to ride her as normal until we determine if she has any limitations.  So far, we have not found any limitations of the ligament.  As her training gets closer to finished and we push her to higher levels, there is a high amount of precaution and monitoring.

Two of our horses have diarrhea each winter.  This year it started earlier and more extreme.  The vet was called to do fecal samples.  Our herd consists of two quarter horses, an older cranky Appaloosa mare, a John mule named JoJo that looks like a pregnant Guinea pig, and CoCo.  CoCo is lean and looks like she is in the best health.  After the results came in, it turned out that our best-looking mule, CoCo, had a high worm count and our mule, JoJo, that looks wormy, did not have even one shred of evidence of worms.  The two quarter horses also had worms, and the Appaloosa was as clean as JoJo. 

Ole JoJo!  This mule is the opposite of stoic!  He will literally hunt you down and basically show you where a tick is on him.  If his sheath is dirty, he will stop walking.  Any ailment must be announced to the world.  JoJo makes his medical care easy.  When we have an equine masseuse work on him, he always does big releases and stretches. 

Having two different personalities of mules makes you have to really pay attention to both and listen the way each communicates.  Be sure and do not dismiss a stoic mule as healthy.  Those soft voices and subtle clues being heard will help develop a trusting relationship between you and your mule. 

By Brandy Von Holten