. . . as experienced by Leroy, Gladys and Ben Van Dyke
There is no way I can remember far enough back to
recall life without mules. Quite simply, during my
childhood and youth, mules were an integral part of rural
life in central Missouri.
All of our hay mowing and raking, all of our corn
planting, much of our row crop cultivating and all of our
winter feeding chores was accomplished using the power of
the mule. I recall one year when we planted 650 acres of
corn, using two two-row planters and two teams of mules.
Since we had no electricity on the farm at that time,
not the least of the value of the mule was the fact that
we could pull cars, trucks or tractors to start them in
cold weather or in the event of battery failure.
My brothers and sisters and I grew up as an important
portion of the labor force on our parents' three-thousand-
acre livestock farming operation, as well as a moderate-
sized trucking firm.
My father raised cattle, hogs, sheep, horses and a
number of mules. In addition, in the fall of the year, he
would buy weanling mules from the neighbors, grow them
out, then either break them to work and sell them, or sell
them unbroken. My father always said, "Don't get married
to your mules; the time to sell them is when you have
someone who wants to buy 'em and has the money to pay for
'em!"
In addition, he was part of the interstate trade in
mules, hauling them by the semi-trailer load to
destinations throughout the Southeast and South from West
Virginia to Louisiana and points between.
After entering the entertainment business, I had very
little contact with mules until we moved our entertainment
base of operation from Nashville to the family farm in
central Missouri, which we purchased a few years after my
parents' passing.
While living in Tennessee, we had accumulated a herd
of registered Arabians, and with our return to abundant
grass and hay lands, plenty of space (1,000 acres), and
with the recently acquired knowledge that the light-legged
riding mule's popularity was on the upswing, we got with
the program!
In 1991, we raised three mules sired by a leased
mammoth jack, then purchased our own sorrel roan mammoth,
standing 15 hands high. From 1991 through 1998, we
produced 58 head of mules (from seven to nine each year),
and have sold them into several states. We maintain a
good inventory in order to give any buyers a good
selection. We currently have ten brood mares and three
jacks, all mammoth.
We've been asked by many people, including
experienced mule men, about the characteristics of the
Arabian mule. First of all, a mule is a mule is a mule!
All mules have some of the same characteristics, but vary
greatly in some attributes and attitudes because of
individual genetics and environment. Environment, or how
the mule is treated or mistreated is a most important
factor with any mule. I'll not go into that subject to
any depth . . . professional trainers have already covered
that subject in many writings and videos.
As for genetics, I'll not dwell on any scientific
dissertation . . . I'll leave that to some of the
professors at my alma mater at the University of Missouri.
What I have to say about the Arabian mule can be
summarized in a few paragraphs. Mules from Arabian mares
have the distinct advantage of centuries of genetic
purity, as well as breeding for performance, style and
beauty. The life of the Arab on the desert, in many
instances, depended upon the stamina, athletic ability and
soundness of his mount.
Our observation of the Arabian mule indicates that
they are extremely athletic, quick, agile and sure in all
of their movements. They have good hoof and bone quality,
and, in general, appear to be better balanced, end to end,
than mules from nondescript females.
There's no doubt about the fact that the Arabian mule
has more style and grace than the average mule. Most have
only slightly smaller ears than normal, but the overall
size of the head is somewhat smaller, with no Roman-nosed
individuals such as you would find in mules with a
non-Arabian background. Most even have a faint indication
of the Arabian "dish" face, although not at all
pronounced.
From the standpoint of temperament, we are extremely
pleased with our observations of the Arab cross. With
very little training or attention, our mules are curious
and affectionate, usually crowding around and vying for
attention as we enter the lot at feeding time. However,
as with all groups, some are more gentle than others.
Our mares are typically Arabian in size, ranging from
14 1/2 hands to 15 1/2 hands. Likewise, most of our mules
will fall into that size range, most around 15 hands, but
some reaching over 16 hands.
We have, to date, had absolutely no foaling problems
or complications and no respiratory problems. I attribute
this to a couple of factors: 1) the inherent vigor of
the Arab hybrid mule; and 2) diet and method of handling
the herd.
Our mares run on native prairie grass a majority of
the time and are never allowed to graze fescue. This
statement possibly means nothing to anyone outside the
Midwest or South, but fescue is extremely harmful to a
breeding herd, equine or bovine, and regarding such usage
should, in my opinion, be considered a noxious weed.
Our mares never see the inside of a barn, regardless
of the weather, except for a period of approximately a
week immediately following foaling. For this one-week
period we keep them in well-bedded, well-ventilated stalls
for observation and "imprinting."
Following the breeding season, our mare/foal pairs
are turned out on grass and fed a free choice protein
supplement or a grain mix of about seven pounds per day
until weaning at about five months. At that time, the
mares are turned out on prairie grass pasture, with good
windbreak tree cover along creeks and draws, and usually
are not fed any hay until January. A mineral mix is kept
before them, free choice, at all times.
About sixty days before foaling, we place tubs of
protein supplement in the pastures, then about thirty days
before foaling we feed about seven pounds of a
grain/protein/Calf Manna mix to each mare. These
procedures have worked well for us, and all of our baby
mules have been healthy and vigorous. One mule, foaled in
1993, actually pawed the ground and tried to get up, even
before its hips and hind legs had emerged from its mama!
What we're doing, with regard to nutrition and
handling must be all right, since our conception rate is
high, and live-foal percentage ranges from seventy-five to
one hundred percent, far above the national average. We
have not lost a foal carried to term, but occasionally
some fetuses absorb during the winter months. I believe
our good percentages are partially attributable to the
natural fecundity of the Arabian mare, coupled with the
natural prairie grass diet.
Finally, but not by any means least, I feel that the
Arabian mule probably has a somewhat higher I.Q. level
than most. They are always alert, always curious, always
have that "what're-we-gonna-do-next?" look in their eyes.
To me, that is a most important consideration when
selecting a mule for any use or application. In summary,
we (my wife, Gladys, and son, Ben, and I) believe, without
a doubt, that as the demand for light-legged mules
continues to grow, there will be an increased demand for
the Arabian mule, and they will do their job quite well!
