When I was a kid I went with my dad and his friend to look at a mule, they wanted one to pack hunting gear. 40 or so years later Pops tells me his buddy is burying a mule today. I reply, “He had another mule?” Pops says, “same mule!” Lol. Yeah, mules. Lol.
In my high school daze, early 1970s, my sister's pony got in with a donkey (or t'other way round) and soon birthed a mule colt. "Roamer" was a mean little barstid, always tried to kick me. If he and his mom were in the yard when I went out, I carried a 3' piece of 2X4 to keep him at a distance. I nearly clubbed him a couple times. My Dad finally sold that four-footed ar**-hat to an old local farmer. Word was Roamer turned out to be a good plow mule.
I’m not sure if they ever used the mule, I’m thinking it was just a pet. Geez, that mule lived a long time.
That's really cool he lived that long! I keep thinking I need one as company for my horse but then I look at feed/hay prices and wonder if it's a good idea...
An old farmer was plowing his fields with his mule. At noon he tied the mule up under a shade tree and waited for his wife to bring him lunch. As she walked behind the mule it kicked her in the head killing her. At the funeral the farmer sat beside the casket and as all the mourners went passed a man in the back of the line noticed that the women would speak with the farmer and he would shake his head in agreement. But when the men would speak to him he would shake his head no. When the man got to the old farmer he said to him "I've just got to ask. I've been watching and when the women speak to you you always shook your head yes. But when the men spoke to you you always shook your head no. Can I ask. What is that all about?" The farmer said "Well when the women come up they all say how pretty and peaceful my wife looks, and she does. So I agree with them. Then the men come up and ask if my mules for sell and I tell them no."
Mules don't have the picky diets that most horse breeds do (Arabians, I'm looking at you). I think minor supplementing will probably be good if there is a variety of grasses and browse available. You should double check that, of course. A lot of mules can stand flat footed and jump a standard fence. Keep that in mind.
I remember folks using chewing tobacco to worm them. There was some reason to give them a bucket of beer but I think that may have been mischievous instead of medicinal.
