Hi Cindy,
I hope you will give me some encouragement and direction. Today I was leading my molly mule (2 years old) down to some green grass. She was haltered.
Then the jenny donkey came lumbering down the hill and as I was trying to get out of the way Cinnamon reared up and struck out at me! Or so it seemed.
Maybe she was doing this in response to the donkey, I don’t know. All I know is she got my shoulders—not bad enough to cause serious injury—thankfully.
I was so flabbergasted I yanked on the halter and just stood in shock; thinking how serious it could have been and wondering what am I to do??? As I caught my breath and my heart stopped pounding (the hit was much too close to my head), I lead her to the grass area; she was throwing her head and acting unruly.
I got them both into the grassy area and left her and the donkey to graze.
The moment is gone now, but is this just ‘one of those’ and forget it? We’ve had her for about 5 months now and I’ve not experienced anything like this before.
She is constantly exerting her dominance over the donkey, so maybe this is the root cause. And I just happened to be in the way…would you give me your thoughts and any suggestions?
Thank you much,
Carolyn
Dear Carolyn,
It is a scary moment when your mule strikes out at you. It happened to me once many years ago and it was a life lesson that has kept me on my toes ever since. Your two-year-old is so very young and this is typical behavior coming from a youngster. I wasn’t there to see it, but I am wondering if the donkey was coming from behind where you and your mule were…and anything approaching from behind (at any angle) appears to the mule to be traveling up to three times faster. So visually, animals, people, and objects approaching from behind give the appearance that something is coming near. Mother Nature allows this keen sense to the mule and horse for their protection from predators. I am not sure if your mule struck out of fear or from being playful. Young mules exhibit playful (kicking out) behavior in the barnyard or pasture with their playmates.
However, you are not a pasture buddy so you have to enforce boundaries here. Do not allow your mule to crowd into your space at any given moment. When working with young and/or unruly mules, always carry a crop or buggy whip as an aid (to reinforce boundaries) when you need it. It is spring time and therefore, playful and rowdy behavior can be expected. Also, your young mule is establishing dominance simply because she can. Her hormones are raging and your mule is developing physically and mentally. When your mule is seven years old, you will notice a considerable change in her maturity level and that is when you realize, the time you invested into your young mule was well worth it.
For more information on my books that offer mule behavior and mule training go to: http://www.everycowgirlsdream.com/store.html
Thank you for writing Carolyn and keep me posted on your mule’s development.
~Cindy K. Roberts
Cindy,
Thank you so much for your quick and thoughtful response!
I spent a lot of time thinking about the incident and I do believe it was in response to the donkey coming up so quickly, causing wild disruption—for all of us.
And yes, it has made me decide to be more aware and careful around both of them.
Cinnamon and I have a good bond, so I don’t believe it was to hurt me. If she had wanted to hurt me, she surely could have at that moment.
Today is a new day!
Thanks again for taking the time to encourage me!
Carolyn
