Well, I have started Pecos. He is around 10 years old and 16 hands. He is an appaloosa with a full blanket. He is a real looker. We acquired him from our friend, Bob, whom passed away in May. Well... We started him by driving him. To start him driving, we put harness on him and let him get accustomed to it. Then we hooked him up to a wagon with an experienced mule and his brother, Yoyo. They drove great. We did train them in 2002 and we expected good results from our drive, however, we know they were not driven since then. Fortunately, they drove beautiful.
After driving him a handful of times, it was time to saddle him up. We saddled him up and put him behind the wagon. He did just fine. Finally, I climbed up there. We start all our mules in a 60 foot round pen, regardless of their experience. We want it to be fair to the animal. He didn't mind me up there, however, he would stop. Serious stopping. This is usually due to confusion. He would also throw his head up. This could be a dental issue. I went ahead and demanded movement, simply walking in a circle both directions. We had a successful ride and have had major improvements since then.
To date, we have had his dental issue addressed. We are now exploring the trail as well as working in the arena. We are still battling the stopping issue, however, it is almost extinguished. He has personality that is awesome. He even shows desire to go on trails and up in the hills... I love it!!
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