Monica Erman Mule Training Article

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Disengaging The Hindquarters by Monica Erman

Basics are not just for beginners or green mules. Professional athletes are constantly practicing the basics of their sport. But they require a higher standard from themselves while they’re practicing. In fact, if we work on basic exercises long enough and advance their level, they become advanced performances.

Another distinct plus of diligently working on the basics is that rider and mule will gain more confidence and poise, making the rider appear to be "a natural," when in fact the hours of practice are really responsible for the "natural" look.

Use your imagination to advance each basic exercise. How well does the mule respond to your cues? How quickly and smoothly will he move in answer to very little pressure? Can you make your signal invisible to an observer? How well will he perform on a trail ride or in an arena with a number of other riders?

Disengage the Hindquarters The mule gets his pushing power, or drive, from his hindquarters. Anytime we ask him to turn or bend his body, his hindquarters are no longer directly behind his shoulders, so he can’t push himself as well, and consequently he slows down.

Being able to control our mule’s hips is a big plus. When we are able to move his hindquarters to the right or left, we can control his speed and direction.

Monica Erman hips over demonstration. The Exercise Start by asking your mule to walk forward. Gradually take the slack out of the left rein, making sure not to put any pressure on the right. Put just enough pressure on the left rein to change his direction. Concentrate on his left hip. As soon as you feel or see it move to the right, release the rein, letting him know he did what you want. Let him walk five or ten steps, pick up the rein and ask again.

At first you will release the rein when the hip moves just a fraction of an inch. The next step is to hold the rein until you see the hip move an inch, then release the rein. After that, we can start to look for two inches, and so forth.

If you want the hip to move over faster, use both legs to tell the mule to speed up. If you want him to respond more quickly to your rein cue, pick up the rein more gradually. The slower you take the slack out of the rein, the more time he has to recognize your request before he feels the pressure from the bit - giving him opportunity to think rather than reacting incorrectly.

Practice until you can move the hip wherever you want. You can even move the hindquarters laterally (sideways) so much that they can’t push forward anymore - stopping the front feet or disengaging his hindquarters.

Ways to Practice Use your new cue to improve your directional control. Pick up on the rein with the goal of pointing the mule’s tail in the opposite direction from the one toward which you want to go. Example: A tree is to your left about 30', and you are going to turn to the right. Pick up the right rein, moving the right hip to the left. Move the hip enough that his tail is pointing at the tree, and release the rein. In effect, we are steering with the tail. Travel back and forth, alternating reins in a serpentine pattern. When you are confident at a walk, work in a trot.

The exercise above will also make your stops better. By changing directions using one rein at a time, we are really asking the mule to stop going right and start going left. So after working on the serpentine enough that you can get the hip to promptly move off light rein pressure, have the mule walk or trot, very slowly pick up both reins and ask for a stop, and see what happens. He’ll probably stop better.

Try asking the mule to move his hips right or left from a stand still. Build to the goal of having his front feet stay in one spot while his hips move around his shoulders or pivot on the forehand.

Common Mistakes If you cannot get the hips to move over, don’t pull hard on the rein. The more we try to drag his nose around, the more he is practicing something we don’t want him to do - lean on the bit. Take the slack out of the rein, put enough pressure on the bit to inspire some kind of try, (the amount of pressure may vary from mule to mule) and wait for him to find the right answer. When you see the slightest try in the right direction, release the rein.

The slower your hand picks up the rein, the more time the mule has to respond correctly. So even as your hand is reaching for the rein, keep it slow.

Two traits useful in the training ring are patience and a sense of humor. I tend to be a clutz and woefully uncoordinated. If I didn’t laugh at my tripping, slipping and missteps, my prevailing emotion would be frustration and I would soon give up.

Determine to stick to a lesson plan that makes sense to you. Set your heart to enjoy the time you are spending with your mule.

Contact: Monica Erman
155 German Hill Road
Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania 18657
Phone: 570-836-2217
Email: mule_trainer@yahoo.com

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