I own a mule and if he was exhibiting this behavior I would have aborted the wagon mission. Once a mule has it in his head that he aint doing it...he aint doing it. I hope the dumbass' and their awesome mules are ok and nobody got hurt.
when my father was a teenage boy way back in the late 30's and early 40's he would plow the fields with a mule. he told me stories about those mules, like the day he was plowing and the mule just stopped and would not budge, after a minute of unproductive coaxing my father walked to the front of the mule to see what the problem may be and there in the row about 20 feet ahead a rattlesnake was coiled. Dad said that mule was intelligent and knew that snake was there and was not going to walk over that snake. he also told me that mules know how much they can pull and that he hitched his mule to too much weight the mule would test the load and if was too heavy he would not try to pull the load until some weight was removed.
My dad told me stories about my Pappaw's mule back in the 40's on a Missouri cotton farm. The meanest old man in the county stopped by one evening as my Pappaw was putting away the mules after plowing all day. That old man walked up behind the mule, poked his cane towards my Pappaw, and got kicked about 15 ft backwards! My dad still can't tell that story without laughing! 🙏💖
It did not help that the guy dropped the chain so many times. I would bet at some time that mule has been hit with a chain. I took care of an Andalusian mare that could not take a chain attached to her halter, she was petrified of the sound of a chain.
This is why you harness them standing against something like a building or a sturdy fence until they are broke. Not only that, but the neck yoke should be able to easily slide off the tongue for this exact reason. So that a pair of runaway mules can't take your wagon with them. Saw this coming from the first few seconds. Amazing how many people own teams but have no idea how to properly handle or train them.
The lady with the small child nearby shouldn't have been there regardless of good or bad outcome. You never know what any animal is really like that you don't know.
Hint! Do not stand in a horse/mules blind spot and wonder why he won't back up. He can't see you, but knows you are back there, yanking on him. It's confusing to him because he doesn't want to step on you yet you are essentially urging him to do so. Don't pull a horse toward you, push him away. We were taught as kids, stand in front and push his shoulder to back him away from you.
If the groundwork has been done, pushing or pulling aren't necessary. The animal knows it is stronger than a person so reverse/step sideways needs to be taught as a sound based command rather than pushing or pulling.
Scary. Main thing I observed was how the helper (red shirt) kept pulling and pressing mule into position with no patience for the mule to give and relax. It's apparent the mule is soft as he does respond to the pressure, but the man just kept giving him something to lean on and you don't want to do that. Hope it turned out okay.
That's what I meant. Mules take a lot of time and patience, and there's no way you can expect a mule to be okay with you trying to drag him in with the traces like that guy did. If he'd just gotten around to the other side and pushed it place in rather than pulled I bet this whole ordeal wouldn't have happened.
I saw it coming. The Mule showed you right from the Beginning on, that hes not ready, not willing to pull. He went always away from the pole. More Groundwork, pulling Trees and when hes comfortable, then put him in front of a carriage.
wow. Yeah anytime a horse turns and looks at what it is attached to you need to take it off right away. The look of "Why is that attached to me and why does it move towards me" is the warning sign that the horse is about to bolt. This was dangerous. Hope the poor mules were alright. Beautiful animals.
As soon as I saw the nervousness at the beginning I automatically looked around to see the environment, wanting to see 360 degrees to find what might be bothering the team. Maybe there was a big crowd with noisy generators like at events. Animals constantly notice things that are even at great distances away.
This video has attracted a tremendous number of comments by people who actually know how to drive and how to work with mules. Very few comments from idiots. Congratulations to all. As is nearly always the case, the fault is with the people (including but not limited to "red shirt") rather than with the equines.
If that feller holding the reins was one of my papaws or my dad or uncle, who knew how to work mules, he'd 've tied the reins to something, unhooked a single tree and beat the tar out of old red shirt. Ye just don't touch another man's team without being invited.
Training is much more efficient than demanding. It seems the RH mule was confused and not used to working the RH side. He seemed confused from the getgo. Animals, including mules, are very smart, and need kind handling not brute force.
God, there is just so much wrong with this. Those mules were nervous from the start. I really hope they got retrained by someone who knew what they were doing because they're bound to have some serious issues after that.
+ScarsFromTomorrow So true! After all that crashing through scrub and whatever else, they'll probably never get either of those two hitched to anything ever again. Talk about a bunch of bullheaded bully dumbasses, and I don't mean the mules, lol.
Mules are completely different as in regards to having tempers from horses. They are very stubborn and can be mean. I've seen many kill coyotes and even Bobcats.
They aren't horses, but they're mules!!!! Yes they have the body and tail of the horse mother, but they have the eyes, ears and face of the donkey father so obviously they're mules. Do you get it now?
I don't think this would have happened if the guy in the red/pink shirt was standing behind him, pulling the mule like that, especially while it had blinders on . I don't really know if they are used to people behind them doing all that stuff but it sure didn't look like that. Also when he was turning sideways and getting all crazy, the guy should have stepped back, let go of whatever he was holding and got o the other side where he could be seen.
It's very apparent that these guys guys need a few more mule lessons. I've had equines, including mules and donkeys, for over 37 years and I can tell you these guys did a whole lot wrong. Most important thing was the guy in the reddish shirt lost respect of the mule pretty much right off the bat. You have to treat a mule a certain way or he won't work for you, it's all about respect and it was shown clearly in this video. It was obvious he doesn't know much about mules.
Yep, 'Red Shirt.' Was kinda expectin the skiddish mule to start kickin at him. I wouldn`t have any 'naked chains' chinklin, changlin & klangin near any mule---or horse, either. They`d be wrapped & covered with an imitation leather material, sewn to fit the diameter of the harness chain(s) to deaden their noise. The kid running around didn`t help matters either. 'Grampa Bib Overalls' almost got his`self run-over by the wagon, to. Yikes !
despite all the comments about the incompetence of the men dealing with the mules (and I agree he was), the mules seem to be healthy and well cared for... they're also not usually fidgety things. poor them.
You could literally see every hint that the mule was about to react in that exact way. People need to learn how to read horses/ mule behavioural ques and this sort of thing would never happen.
Well, I'm not going to comment in a way that blames, or excuses how they did this. I'm sure they are experienced at what they are doing, and had a bad day. Horses and mules are thinking animals and sometimes don't agree with us. Go to a rental stable and watch the interaction between horses and riders if you don't believe that. I used to make my living driving a stagecoach and we alway hooked up our animals one at a time. Just our own techique, but it always worked.
The lead mule got his feet tangled up in the evener, right from the start and the off mule was pulled around by the britchen and did not kick or react...these are obviously well-trained mules that were not having a good day for whatever reason....patience folks. It could have been a horse fly for God's sake. In my humble opinion, they should have not tried to continue to hitch them at that point. Should have started over.
Two words... cheater strap. ... we use it on all our teams and it keeps the horses (or mules in this case) from spreading out like that. ... Also, we like to hook up the neck yoke (thing in the front of the horses) to the team BEFORE hooking to a moveable object. The less you have to do when the it comes time to hook up the better.
I was wondering how many comments I would have to read till I found some one else that new that trick. End off the day we have all been there. Every one has there own ways. I’m experienced enough with mules to know, no matter how broke or trained mules are they will always teach you something new every time you work them. Old timer once told me every time a man works a mule the mule also works the man. Other words man is working just as hard as the mule. Those guys definitely had there work cut out for them. Hope all turned out well
The mules were poorly treated - but don't celebrate their run. It could have killed them. If they had been fully hitched to the wagon - they could have controlled it. As it was - it could have thrown them to the ground. Not a joke.
I've never worked with horses or mules before, but I clearly noticed them beginning to get nervous ... listen to their body language peoples! I have done some beekeeping though, and I can say that bees are actually calmer than you may think. You can read their mood by listening to the pitch and volume of their buzzing, and if they don't like you then they will dive bomb/fly into your head intentionally, as a warning.
Mules, like horses, get scared sometimes. We have a lot of people that you don't need to actually kart up equines. 2 people is about as many people as you'd need. The mules spooked cuz they had no idea what was going on. They didn't know what the people were asking them. Like any prey animal, they did what they do best, and that's RUN. As we keep moving into the future, people will get dumber and dumber around equines, putting the animals at risk, or, we petition schools to take our kids to a farm and teach them how to act around animals, like in the old west times.
they really should have let the mule calm down first, preferbly by un-hooking it form the cart first and walking it around and not making it stand there and get even more worked up, these things can be prevented.
What a mess - way too many guys to try hitching these mules and only aggravated by their lack of ability. The guy in the pink shirt should not have been anywhere close to the team - grabbing a mule by its brichen is bad, but doing it when it has blinders only makes everything worse. Then dropping the trace chain multiple times and pulling the animal by it... unbelievable. Once he the mule he was with riled up, it didn't take much time for his teammate to catch the fear... if they had done this in a secluded place with three people maximum and got rid of pink shirt guy, they likely would've been able to drive the team.
While the mules were walking up to the wagon something in front of them was obviously bothering them by the way they perked up. My guess is that the wagon they were being hooked up to was unfamiliar like they had never been hooked up to it before. That is why the mule on the right kept going forward. After they jumped the first time they should have been unhooked and walked around and attempted to be hooked up again.
This is why you always have a team tied up to hitch. For sure always have the man with the lines in the wagon lol. Always hook up the outside chain first to lol. Many things here was wrong from the start. Hope nobody was hurt
wauw yeah go running after them yelling at them... that will stop them from being scared of the giant buildozer making one hell of a sound as they run off... -_- amazing just amazing...
How, in the name of God, did neither of these fellas get kicked to death?? They were standing behind both of them! Isn’t that rule 1 with all equines, to neverrrr stand behind them? Especially when they’re ornery like these two mules. Insane.
One other comment by me. People keep mentioning the kid in the cart (wagon). I don't see anyone in the wagon. I see a guy in a red and white cap standing on the other side of the wagon (looks like a kid in the wagon). If you look, you can see his legs and feet on the ground behind the left front wheel. When the wagon goes away down the street, you can see that no one is in it. That's why cops say that eye witness testimony is usually not very accurate.
The mules seemed extremely nervous. They were trying to force the mules into position.. From my experience with mules you dont force them into anything or at least usually not without bad results.
Mules did sterling work in the Hell of the Western Front [1914-18] and they were strong and steady, and are honoured by a statue in London commemorating the sacrifice of animals in War..the mules were reckoned to be steadier than the horses under heavy fire, and they are a fine, strong animal in the right hands...the redshirt guy also kept dropping the traces against the mule's legs. doh.
When something like this happens mule on one side of a tree and one on the other. There might have been sometimes it was done wrong but it was over as soon as the mules spun around and seen the wagon that's what the blinders are for I keep them from knowing exactly what they're doing I've seen this more than once somebody come back from a long ride the horse still hooked to the wagon can I take it they've still off with the blinders the horse turns around and looks and sees was moving behind him and it scares me I understand it's hard to stop a horse or mule when you're on the ground instead of in the wagon if they would have been in the wagon he could have turned them into some trees and put one on each side of the tree and I would have stopped but accidents happen good video
You could see it coming way before those poor mules took off....they were nervous and unsettled, totally not ready for the task at hand, poor and dangerous handling....I feel sorry for those mules in such novice hands and I am very grateful it did not appear any people were injured.....but the writing is on the wall for a terrible wreck if those handlers don't get educated on proper training and driving.
Isobel201 haha I know! I can read the title of the video quite clearly. But they are bred from a donkey and a horse. I was just wondering what type of horse. Asking that question doesn't make me incapable of reading, thank you.
The mule on the left was nervous and upset from the beginning. It was not ready for hitching. This whole disaster could have been avoided if the handlers had exposed it to the wagon gradually over several days and in an enclosed space, not out on the road. Now that mule will be forever afraid of the “monster chasing it. People are no match for strong, healthy mules when they run away.
So far as i see is that the mules feel uncomfortable with the hole thing, it seems that it was there second or third time doing it because of there body language, to me all they saw was a big animal trying to attack them
Have these people ever heard of horses? Do they know about magical things like pressure on the mule's chest will make them go back and not yanking on their harness?
At the very end did they fall in some water or something since there’s a lot of noise that sounds like splashing of so please god let them be okay and hope that that cart and equipment didn’t drag them down 😔
Yes, that guy in the red shirt did not help things at all. He's really really Lucky that the mule did not kick him into next week. The rougher you try to get with the mule the worse they are going to be. they don't tolerate that crap
Red Shirt is treating that mule as if it were a horse. Wrong approach, wrong animal. I worked my Molly mule for 30 years...you have to respect them and pay attention to what they are telling you.
If a mule or horse is worried about a noise like a chain or harness banging around, I think I'd do some more preparation at home and not proceede. Funny how people don't seem to have any time until it's to wait for the vet, isn't it?
That mule couldn't been more clear then he was. He was clearly not ready and was screaming that. Yet the stupid humans try to push him into it and look what happened. Totally humans faults
@Christena R i agree, even i could see the mule on the right was a little spooked or nervous about something, even alittle misshap with having to bring him back around, they should have waited or somethin
