|
New Year’s Resolutions
By Tim Doud
Diamond Creek Mules, Cody, Wyoming
Reprinted with permission from
Mules and
More Magazine, January 2010
|
A new year is upon us, 2010. The beginning of every new year
brings many things. We reflect on the past year, the new friends
we have met, the adventures we have experienced, the changes in
our life or job.
A new year also means many of us will make resolutions. “This
year I am going to lose 10 pounds,” or “I’ll donate to charity,”
or “I’ll spend more time with my family.”
 |
| Despite cold temperatures, TIM spends
time with Diamond Creek Angel on a daily basis |
How about a resolution for your mule or donkey? This year, you
could train him to catch you in the pasture, hold his foot up
for the farrier, or stand still when you mount. Many times we
have good intentions, but after a month or two we forget about
our resolution.
Don’t think of it as a resolution, think of it as a goal for the
year. Training goals do not need to be time consuming ideas.
It can be as simple as asking your mule to come to you, to take
two steps back, or pick up his foot. Your options are unlimited.
If you feed your mule every morning and every evening and take
five minutes to train your mule each time you feed, you will
have trained your mule for 60 hours in a year.
This goes without saying, but it’s often cold in the winter.
That makes it very easy to stay in the house by the fire. Our
mules do not have that option. One of those cold days, go
outside with your mules and give them a little grain and spend
time with them.
It is also important to remember that every mule needs a change
of scenery. Taking your mule for a trail ride is a great way to
give your mule a change of pace.
 |
| After feeding Diamond Creek Angel some alfalfa cubes, TIM
continues to improve Angels training |
Anything you can do with your mule that is different from his
day to day life will do two things. The first benefit is that it
gives us the opportunity to practice our cues in a different
setting. This will tell us how well the mule knows the cue.
When a mule leaves his normal surroundings, his emotions go up.
This will cause his performance to go down. If he will respond
to your cue to drop his head at home 80 percent of the time,
when his emotions rise, he may only respond 60 percent of the
time. We must train our mule to respond to a cue 100 percent of
the time, no matter where he is.
The second benefit is that taking our mule away from the house
or arena, makes it fun for the mule. Just as we like to go to
new or different places, so does your mule. It can get pretty
boring riding around the arena everyday. Mules like to see a
purpose in what they are doing. This builds excitement and
confidence in your mule when they do a good job.
Another great goal would be to help out a fellow mule owner. If
someone is having a problem with their mule and you can help
out, great. If you do not know how to fix the problem, maybe you
can help them find the answer. Look through your training books
or call a professional trainer and work with the person to fix
the problem.
Sometimes helping someone is as easy as going riding with them.
It does not have to be an all-day trail ride. Spend an hour
riding with them in the arena. While they are working with their
mule, work on improving your mule and discuss it with your
friend.
Anyone can train a mule and training with a friend is fun. Let’s
say your friend is having a problem with their mule being buddy
sour. Ride side by side with your friend, then have them ride
their mule away from you in a circle, then ride right back next
to you. The mule has just been separated from another mule for a
split second.
As the mule stays calm for that split second, increase the size
of the circle of the buddy sour mule. This will increase the
time the buddy sour mule is separated from your mule. Continue
increasing the size of the circle and the time the mules are
separated. Over time, the buddy sour mule will be less anxious
when he leaves the other mule.
Another great exercise you can do with a friend is play follow
the leader. One rider will ride off. If the first rider takes
two steps forward, then turns right three steps, stops and back
up four steps, the second rider must do the same. Take turns
being the leader and the follower. This will get each rider to
concentrate on each step the mule makes.
This is also the time of year when we look at what we are
thankful for in the past year.
One thing I am very thankful for is my girl friend, Jessica
Forliano. I met Jessica when I attended the John Lyons
Certification Training in 2006 in Parachute, Colo. Jessica helps
me write each story printed in Mules and More magazine. It is
easy for me to train a mule; it is hard for me to put that
training on paper.
It helps that Jessica is also a John Lyons Certified Trainer, as
she knows what I am trying to say. She can take my thoughts and
get them on paper for you to read.
|
|
Tim can be reached at
www.diamondcreekmules.com, or by phone at 307/899-1089, or
email:
bliss@wavecom.net.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mules and More |
January 2010 |
|
|
