How COVID-19 Gave Me a Better Mule, and Made Me a Better Person (Maybe)
How COVID-19 Gave Me a Better Mule, and Made Me a Better Person (Maybe)
by Betsy Skinner
For Americans (and our global neighbors, too) the virus outbreak has been an enormous challenge, fraught with worries about the future, work, family/community health, and safety. For us mule folks, however, you may have seen the same silver lining that I did. I have more time than I know what to do with, and I have a mule (two, in fact) standing around hoping I won’t notice that she is standing around. Even though the trail systems where I live have closed, I can still get into fresh air and sunshine on mule back and into my mini’s cart. This is a true gift as we all try to follow the guidelines for not spreading the virus.
My title of ‘mule person’ may be much like that of a lot of you folks. I’m an elder who just wants a no-fuss, safe ride for a few hours out in a pretty woods setting, alongside a friend or two, maybe once a week, or at most two. One day a week, I drive my mini mule. Yet, I am a life-long learner, too, and I never cease to find my engagement with my mules captivating. Plus, I love being with them and they with me. And, besides, there’s always more. What else could I be doing with my mule to move beyond simply a “hit the trails” mentality, while thinking of this mule endeavor as a life-style, helping me and my mule grow one day at a time.
It is timely that Ty and Skye Evans (of TS Mules, Fountain Green, Utah) have assembled a video series of mule challenges, in sequence, starting with catching and haltering with purpose up to in the saddle exercises. They also challenged their 2,000-plus social media followers to commit to working on 14 weeks of challenges with their mules. “Now, you have no excuse,” teased Ty, “because you are stuck at home with your mules!” He’s so right, I have no excuse.
So, step one of the series was to simply make the commitment to work on each of the challenges. I don’t know why it works, or how it works, but I have noticed that if I do exactly as told, following the sequence of exercises as demonstrated, to the best of my ability, and not be too hard on myself or my mule, and not move on to the next step until my mule has accomplished the first one, I keep getting an improved mule. And I keep getting a better me to go along with her.
For example, my molly joined the herd in 2018 with issues that I was too lazy to really work on consistently, and really didn’t know what to do. She is kind, overall cooperative and means well. She is quite the lady, if I say so myself. But when she did things like walk off when mounting, stick her tongue over the bit, bracing when backing and leading, showed resistance to the bridle, was heavy on the fronts, stiff on flexing...all that told me she was not right in her mind, according to Ty. “But she could flat go on a trail ride and get me home safe and sound! Wasn’t that all that I ever asked for in a mule?” I rebutted! If you could accept a dance partner who knows all the moves, but who steps on your toes and drops you on the swoop, then, yes. And, no.
The most significant thing I am taking away from working with my molly on these challenges is this: The intention of these exercises is not to just alter the mule physically, but to get to her mind. All this work that I now have time for is to give my mule a new mind-set. I guess you might say, a new attitude overall. I can’t really explain why or how flexing, rolling the hinds and the fronts, backing, working off the fence, making even circles, etc., works. But, by simply doing a few minutes a day, not overwhelming my mule, being patient and expectant, rewarding appropriately (on the release), she’s become much more relaxed overall. I trust her more and she seems to be more respectful of me, and less sticky and argumentative overall. Not perfect, mind you! But on each ride she seems more confident in herself and in me.
Now, how cool is that? She’s getting better and I’m getting better and it’s all because of this stupid virus!
