Mule Crossing Articles

By Meredith Hodges

A donkey jack can be your best friend or your worst enemy! Because he is a donkey, he possesses all the wonderful characteristics particular to donkeys—intelligence, strength, easy maintenance, suitability for many equine sports and, probably most important, an innate affectionate attitude. You must, however, realize that he is still an intact male, often governed by the hormones in his body. When nature takes over, the jack’s conscious thought is greatly diminished and he can become quite hazardous to your health. The jack’s aggressiveness is often masked by his sedate and affectionate attitude, but it can arise in a split second and do more damage than even a stallion. Usually, there is an awkwardness, or indecisiveness, in an agitated stallion that will allow you time to get out of the way, but the jack reacts strongly, swiftly and right on target, allowing you little or no time for retreat. By keeping a few simple things in mind, you can greatly reduce your chances of injury when handling jacks.

First, try to keep your jack in a comfortable atmosphere. Jacks can be great worriers, particularly about their mares and jennets. Ideally, you should keep the jack well out of sight and smell of the females, but this is not always practical. If he must be near females, make sure your jack has a roomy area, free of refuse and debris, and adequately fenced. The fences should be high enough to discourage his leaning over the top and strong enough to bear his weight on impact. Also, they must be constructed so that there are no protrusions that could cause him injury. If females (or other animals) are present, the jack may run back and forth along the fence and catch his head on anything that is protruding. Hot wires along the inside of a weaker fence will often serve this purpose. However, a hot wire used alone is not sufficient. If your jack becomes frightened, he could run through an electric wire before he even knows that it is there. Giving him a clean, comfortable area where his limits are clearly defined will help him to be a calmer and more manageable animal.

Always make sure your jack’s pen is cleaned daily and that he has free access to clean water, a trace mineral salt block and good grass hay. If he gains too much weight with free choice grass hay, then simply limit his intake to two flakes at each feeding in the morning and evening. He can have a limited amount of oats during one feeding a day (preferably in the evenings), mixed with an appropriate vitamin supplement such as Sho Glo, and one ounce of Mazola corn oil (I suggest this particular brand—other brands of corn oils are not the same) for management of his coat, his feet and his digestive tract regularity. During feeding times, you should check him from top to bottom for any new changes to his body like cuts, bruises, lameness, etc. This is also a good way to reinforce his acceptance of being handled all over and to solidify your relationship with him. This consistent management practice paves the way for good manners in the jack, because he then knows with no uncertainty that you are a true friend and really do care about his well-being.

Many people opt to keep jacks in solitude, but this is not really good for them. Being a natural herd animal, they need social interaction. When they don’t have company nearby, jacks can become depressed (donkeys have actually been known to die from depression—they can stop eating and simply give up). To remedy this, jacks can be pastured or penned next to other animals, as long as the fencing is adequate between them. Of course, you also need to take into consideration the personality types of the animals involved, as well as being careful to make sure they are compatible. This can fulfill their need for companionship and keep them happy in confinement. As long as there are no cycling horse or donkey females around, jacks can be pastured next to mules of both genders. I had my own jack, Little Jack Horner, penned next to our teaser stallion for many years and they actually liked each other! We never had any trouble with them at all.

You can spend more time with your jack by using him for more than just breeding. Animals, like people, always do better when they have a regular job to do that affords them some purpose in life beyond propagation. Some sort of job will give your jack an alternative purpose, which can help to diffuse his obsession with the female. It will also attend to the strength of his core muscles that surround the skeletal system and vital organs and teach him self-discipline. And it affords more time for you to develop your relationship with him, have fun together and to deepen the bond between you, which helps the jack to develop a healthy mental attitude. There are many jack owners who use their jacks for riding and driving, as well as for breeding. This is an excellent and actually the best plan, but if you lack the time or inclination to use your jack this way and wish to use him exclusively for breeding, you should still take some time—at least two or three days a week—to work on halter training and groundwork, such as ground driving, for manageability. Teach your jack to walk, trot, whoa and stand still on the lead. During these sessions, keep a positive and relaxed attitude, with more emphasis on your rapport with him than on his performance. Be his friend so he has something to look forward to besides females and breeding, and he will have a much better attitude overall.

When he is flawless with his leading training, you can get him used to the bridle and a surcingle or lightweight saddle, and then move on to ground driving. Lunging is not as important, since most donkeys do not like to lunge. I suppose they don’t see much purpose in going around in a circle more than once to come back to the same place over and over again. Taking the time to properly train your donkey jack at halter and in the drivelines will enhance his obedience, and will make him more comfortable and relaxed.  During the breeding process, it can even speed up his readiness.

When using your jack for breeding, develop a routine that he can count on every time. When you go to the stall or pen to catch the jack, wait for him to come to you at the gate or stall door, and then reward him with oats when he comes to you. Then put on the halter, ask him to take one step backwards, and then reward him again (which is very important to prevent him from running over you and barging through the gate or out the door). If you are going to breed him, the mare should first be prepared. Next, once you are both out the door, ask him to whoa and square up all four feet. Then you can lead him to the breeding area, where you can then tie him to the hitch rail a little ways away from the waiting mare. By being consistent in your manner of going from the stall to the breeding area, the jack will learn not to be pushy and aggressive toward you.

When in the breeding area, your jack must be taught patience and obedience. If the mare is left to stand just out of reach until he is ready to breed, he may consider this a tease and may become anxious and unruly. To clarify your intentions to him, you can take the cloth you used to clean the mare and place it over the hitch rail near your jack’s nose. This way, he can get a good, strong scent of the mare, which will more quickly ready him for breeding and substantially decrease his anxiety time. If he is an indifferent jack, this can actually increase his interest in the female and, in turn, shorten the actual breeding process time. The fact that you brought him the scent allows the jack to believe that it is your decision when to breed and not his and that he must remain obedient. Let him cover the mare only when he is fully ready and make him walk to her in a gentlemanly fashion. If he becomes too aggressive and starts to drag you just return him to his place on the hitch rail, hold him there for a minute, reward him when he stands still and then re-approach the mare.

Just to be on the safe side with your jack while breeding, use either a muzzle or a dropped noseband (snugly fit low on his nose)—this will prevent biting injuries to you or to the mare. When he is finished, make him stand quietly behind the mare while you rinse him off. Allow him that last sniff to the mare’s behind, and then take him back to his stall (or pen), ask him to stand still while you remove the halter and then let him go. That last sniff appears to be an assertion of his act and of his manhood. If you try to lead him away before he sniffs, he might not come with you and he might become even more aggressive toward the mare. Remember to do things with your jack in a routine way, and always with safety in mind—this will allow him to relax and use the manners he has learned. NOTE: Women who are menstruating should never handle jacks or stallions during that particular time, since the scent can trigger aggressive and dangerous behaviors in these animals.

When you are around a jack, you must always be alert and know what he is doing at all times. A jack can be the most adorable, loveable, obedient guy in the world, but you must realize that his natural instincts can arise at any time and, although he may not do it intentionally, he can severely hurt you just the same. And when observing a jack from the other side of the fence, always remember that he can come over the top of that fence, teeth bared, so don’t ever turn your back to him or become complacent around him!

Lastly, when putting on or taking off any of his headgear, watch your fingers—when a jack knows the bit is coming, he often opens his jaws to meet it (with anticipation of the bit on a bridle), and your fingers can easily get in the way. Rather than a standard lead rope, it is advisable to use a lead shank with stallions and jacks for the best control. However, I discourage running the chain of a lead shank either through the mouth or over the nose. The correct position for a lead shank is under the jaw. Run the end of the chain through the ring on the near side of the halter noseband, then under the jaw, then through the ring on the opposite side of the noseband, and then clip it to the ring at the throatlatch on the right side of his face. This gives you enough leverage to control him without the halter twisting on his face. If you have spent plenty of time and done your homework during his leading lessons, your jack will learn to be obedient on the lead shank, even during breeding.

Retired jacks still need regular attention and proper maintenance to stay healthy into their senior years. Donkeys that do not receive good core muscle maintenance throughout their lives will often begin to sag drastically in the spine as they age. Their gait then becomes stilted, because their balance and strength are severely compromised. They can no longer track properly while moving or square up correctly when at rest. This can lead to irregular calcification in the joints, depression because they don’t feel well and premature health problems. On the other hand, the jack who has had a consistent and healthy management and training routine will enjoy longevity. If you keep these basic management and safety factors in mind, you and your jack can have a long, happy and mutually rewarding relationship!

To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.

© 1990, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

By Meredith Hodges

1. The purpose of tack and equipment has always been to give man comfort and leverage against the equine’s resistance during training, but I believe that the equine is “talking” with his resistance, and this is a cue to find another alternative to achieve harmony when something isn’t working.
2. Trail Riding and Jumping are two activities where it is positively essential to do core postural training with your equine to solidify his symmetrical balance when in motion, or even standing still.
3. The animal with deliberate foot placement and a solid balance is a much safer smoother riding animal.
4. There is an ongoing discussion about the use of cruppers and breeching when riding mules and donkeys, and even some horses. The purpose of both is to keep the saddle from sliding forward when the equine is in motion, whether he is tracking on flat ground or going up and down hills. Inappropriate use of both devices could give the equine problems.
5. Whether or not to use a crupper or breeching is not an either/or decision. My equines taught me that in order to make an educated decision about which to use, one needs to take into account the anatomy of the equine and the effect of a lot of moving parts have on his body in motion during different activities.
6. Good conformation is important in allowing the equine to perform to the best of his ability, but so is developing core strength elements such that the skeleton is ideally being supported symmetrically so the equine’s body can move properly and in good equine posture.
7. FEEDING: When developing the equine’s body, it is important to know what feeds are the healthiest for him. There are lots of different ways to feed your equines today, but I have found a regimen that works best. I did this through constant and continual research using a field study for more than 50 years with 32 equines of varying breeds, types and sizes.
   1. Most feeds are tested in laboratories.
   2. Dehydrated feeds take fluids from the digestive tract and can cause choking (researched with my vet). You cannot add enough water to replace the fluids that are naturally in the digestive tract.
   3. The oats, Sho Glo, Mazola corn oil and grass hay produce ideal body shape and conditioning, even with minimal exercise.
   4. Sho Glo gives the body the nutrients it needs for daily maintenance.
   5. Supplements should not be fed without first getting a base line of what the animal is lacking.
   6. Salt and other minerals should be free fed in a trace mineral salt block. White salt alone, or minerals measured and put in the feed, can often be the wrong amounts.
   7. The equine will use the trace mineral salt block when and how often they need to. It is their “Natural instinct.”
   8. Mazola corn oil (no other) keeps the hair coat healthy, the feet ideally lubricated and hard, and maintains the ideal conditioning of the digestive tract regularity.
   9. We feed a Brome/Orchard Grass mix that we harvest ourselves. We feed the hay three times a day and the oats mix once a day in the evenings. Never feed broad leaf hay like Alfalfa, or Fescue Grass Hay.
   10. Fescue Grass Hay has been proven to cause spontaneous abortions. Since it has this toxic effect, it would probably not be good for any equine, pregnant or not.
   11. Our equines are kept in dry lots, or stalls and runs. We limit their turnout to five hours a day to prevent obesity and other problems like allergies, prolonged exposure to flies and other insects that live in the grassy pastures.
   12. Use no types of rewards or “treats” besides crimped oats (or any other kind that is broken open). They cannot digest whole oats, and other “treats” can cause gas or other irregularities in the digestive tract that can lead to colic, twists, founder and even allergies.
   13. Our equines are wormed with Ivermectin every other month with the cycle broken in November with Strongid. This regimen prevents the cycle of worms (No fecal tests are needed because the larvae never have a chance to mature and show up in the manure).
   14. This regular and frequent use of Ivermectin helps to repel flies along with a weekly spray of Farnam Tri-Tech 14 (sometimes twice a week if the flies are inordinately thick). Ivermectin is a totally safe drug and their bodies do not build up a resistance to it.
8. Most equines on other kinds of feeding programs develop bodies with a protruding spine and a “hay belly” hanging from it. The shape is quite different from a balanced body with core strength. They have an indentation along both sides of the spine instead of having a spine that “melds” into the torso with uniform conformity. My feeding program produces an ideal body shape with ALL my equines with minimal exercise. The SHAPE of the animal’s body is important for the correct fit of the tack and equipment.
    
9. Energy and blood circulation find open tracks throughout the body and when unobstructed, will run freely from the core of the body to the extremities in a healthy equine. Core and bulk muscles that are developed symmetrically will support the skeletal frame, the cartilage and ligaments that surround the joints, and the tendons and soft tissues that tie the skeletal frame together.
10. All these things work together to support the proper internal organ functions. When the equine is in good posture with symmetrical core strength and balance, the vital organs are unobstructed and function as they should.
    

TACK & EQUIPMENT should fit you and your equine like a glove. Good postural movement coupled with close fitting and properly adjusted tack and equipment create harmonious movement with minimal resistance and chafing.

11. The tack and equipment we use has an effect on the equine’s movement in spite of his shape. In order to obtain freedom of movement, the elements of the equine’s anatomy must be allowed to move freely through every joint of his body.
12. The saddle should be placed over the center of gravity, which is in the center of the torso, equidistant from the stirrup to the front legs and from the back legs. When correctly placed, the front girth will hang four inches behind the elbow (forearm) where the body begins to swell and the skin is thicker than the sensitive skin right behind the forearm (where equines most often get chafed). Then it will definitely clear the point of the shoulder (where they also get chafed and develop white hair).
    
13. I like to use string girths in front because they will stretch slightly, allow air flow and breathe. I like leather girths for the back girth.
    1. The front girth should be snug, but not too tight. The back girth should be snug, but not as tight as the front girth.
    2. The back girth should be perpendicular to the ground as they were developed only to hold down the back of the saddle (invented by ropers to balance the saddle when the steer is stopped).
    3. Using the back girth to hold the saddle back might seem like a good idea, but it puts the pressure on the fragile undercarriage rib bones that can break easily. The rib bones underneath a properly placed back girth are thicker and less likely to break with abrupt pressure.
    4. Any strap or girth that is too tight will irritate the equine and cause bad behaviors, chafing as well as, saddle shifting. Any strap or girth that is too loose, will not do its job and will cause chafing.
       
14. Mule Bars are not necessary if you have a well-made saddle and have a professional saddle maker shave the saddle tree flat at the withers. My 1972 Circle Y Stock, Equitation and Longhorn saddles have worked on all my mules for more than fifty years with that minor adjustment.
15. Most saddles appear to be too high in the gullet and with insufficient body conditioning it puts pressure on both sides of the animal…localized pressure, instead of spreading the pressure points over a wider area underneath the saddle. This is particularly true with sawbuck pack saddles. That is why you see so many pack mules with white spots at the withers…unbalanced loads that will shift.
     
16. When the horn sits lower and the saddle is spread across the back, the pressure points are wider spread and more comfortable for the animal.
17. People talk about allowing air to keep the spine depressurized and cool underneath the saddle. They use thicker therapeutic pads, or pads that are pre-shaped, stiff and sit stiffly on the equine’s back.
18. I prefer to use Navajo blankets and with older animals, or animals with more withers, I will add a fleece pad underneath it. This allows for more flexibility, compression and molding of the saddle and blankets across the animal’s back…like a glove.
19. To allow for more airflow, you just stick your arm under the blanket and across the spine before you tighten the girth. The blankets will move upward into the gullet and provide protection of the spine from any undue pressure. The saddle is not PERCHED on top, and when you get on, you can find a place for yourself over the center of gravity.
    
20. If the animal is in good equine posture with core strength in a solid balance, the saddle and equine will move as one with minimal abrasive movement.
21. Beginning with the Leading Training, tacked up in an English, Eggbutt snaffle bridle (sometimes a flash nose band is needed to keep them from flipping the tongue over the bit!) and my “Elbow Pull” postural aid, you can begin to develop ideal postural movement.
22. The lessons only need to be about 15-20 minutes a week in my Hourglass Pattern. It is simply important HOW you execute the pattern. Details are very important to allow for self carriage in the equine.
23. When fed and tacked up properly, the issue of sweating, which also creates chafing, is minimized.
    
24. CRUPPERS. Many people have approached me with many questions about cruppers. How do you introduce the animal to the crupper?
    1. It should be done in a Round Pen, properly introduced and coupled with the lunging exercise that they already know. Just allow them the time to get used to it before asking them to do any more than that…even if it takes several lessons.
    2. Note that you will need to reposition the saddle and readjust the crupper after it stretches a bit with the warmth of the animal’s body.
        
    3. Another concern is that the crupper can break the tail when under pressure. If there is enough pressure put on the crupper to break a tail, then the crupper should break first!
    4. Cruppers should be made of soft double or triple thick English bridle leather, with the buckles up by the cantle of the saddle and not near the tail!
    5. If an equine gets his tail stuck in buckles at the dock, it will affect his ability to stay in a balanced alignment, and if he falls he could land on the tail that is bent in an arc to one side.
    6. Proper adjustment of your tack and equipment is KEY! Tail chafing can be prevented by using Johnson’s Baby oil in the mane and tail during weekly grooming. If anything is too loose or too tight, it will cause chafing.
    7. Chafing occurs when the crupper is adjusted too tight or too loose.
    8. Use a D-Ring that is SCREWED into the tree at the cantle on Western saddles and use the metal “T” with English saddles. Do not attach it to the leather on the saddle.
         
    9. When the skeletal system is adequately supported with symmetrical muscle strength, especially over the top line, the animal is better equipped to use his body efficiently. With the crupper tension properly adjusted, he can tuck his tail and use his leg muscles to support his own weight while his spine remains flexed upward along the top line to support the weight of the rider.
    10. The extremities have full range of motion so he can pick each step with confidence and no obstructions.
    11. An animal with insufficient conditioning and balance will hollow his back and neck and try to compensate for his inefficiencies in muscle conditioning and movement.
    12. When pressure is put on the crupper of an animal with inadequate muscling, there is weakness over the top line and tail that will not support heavy weight going downhill and could possibly do damage to the spine at the dock of the tail.
    13. Just for the record, I have done lots of trail riding and three years of cross country jumping over all kinds of terrain (3 miles, up and down hills, over twenty jumps) and have always ridden with a crupper on all of my mules, English or Western, even with heavy riders with nary an incident.
    14. If using a crupper, the animal has full range of motion in his body and legs with the maximum strength to back up any movement that would help to correct the rider’s position and keep him over the equine’s center of balance.
            
25. BREECHING (or BRITCHEN) originates with pack and driving animals and has a distinctive purpose to keep loads from shifting on pack animals and to provide “brakes” for those in harness.
    1. Breeching generally has a “crupper” built in with straps on both sides to attach to the saddle and help to stabilize the load. Breeching should be adjusted snugly to do the job of keeping the saddle back, but will also shift the weight back and forth with the walking motion of the back legs and also cause chafing.
    2. Breeching that is being used with an inanimate object will not necessarily cause as much of a problem when the animal adjusts his own body as it does with a rider on board.
    3. An equine can adjust his load with his own body movements, but he cannot easily adjust a live load that works against his balance like an unbalanced rider would inadvertently do.
    4. The problem with breeching on a saddle equine is in the configuration and the way it sits anatomically. When going downhill, the breeching must be snug to do its job properly and it will keep the saddle from sliding forward. However, it also compresses the biceps femoris, a large muscle in the hindquarters that functions to extend the hip and hock joints, and causes a flexion of the stifle, and a rotation of the leg inward.
    5. When pressure is applied to this area, it restricts circulation and extension of the hind leg backwards and causes compromises in the muscles groups resulting in asymmetrical conditioning. This doesn’t pose a real pressure problem going downhill. The stifle joint is configured so it can lock when needed through a stay mechanism between the stifle and hock, but it should still have the freedom of full range of motion if it is to function properly and not get unduly locked up.
    6. When the actions in the animal’s body remain symmetrical and orderly all of the joints, including the stifle, are able to function properly. The stifle will usually get locked up only when there are chaotic and unsupported directional actions coming through the joint.
    7. When the equine has had the benefit of core muscle postural training, his movement will be more symmetrical, and his joints will work properly and in balance. Wear and tear is minimized.
    8. When going uphill, however, the breeching must still be snug to do its job, but the animal is not allowed full extension of the hind legs, so more pressure is put between backward motion of the femur and the breeching.
    9. This results in compromised circulation, restricted movement in the hind legs and an inability to control hind quarter foot placement. He is at risk of a misstep that could send him over backwards or sideways.
    10. In a crupper, the animal going uphill has full extension in his hind quarters, an ability to maintain good posture and balance and this results in exact foot placement to maintain that balance comfortably and safely (see photo under CRUPPERS).
    11. Even when driving, it is important that the harness is adjusted properly.
    12. The traces need to be the correct distance from the shoulder to the single tree.
    13. I prefer using collars because the traces are solidly attached and do not ride across the chest like a breast collar harness does and create the possibility of chafing when the equine is in motion.
    14. I prefer leather over Bio thane and Nylon because they do not warm up with elasticity and flexibility like leather does.
    15. The crupper assembly should be snug from the surcingle to the tail and adjusted the same way at a saddle crupper in tension and movement. The breeching needs to counter the traces and lock the equine firmly between the front and back, so when he is asked to back, he will have an immediate response. His rear will come into contact with the breeching, which will in turn, immediately begin moving the vehicle backwards. When he resumes forward movement, he will get an immediate response with the vehicle.
    16. Loose connections create abrupt movements that can spook the animal and may even cause a wreck. A harness that is out of proper adjustment will invariably create chafing.
26. WEIGHT & ABILITY OF THE RIDER will determine how much pressure is put against the animal and how much resistance it will cause.
    1. Even though mules can carry proportionately more weight than a horse of the same size, this doesn’t mean you can indiscriminately weight them down until their knees are shaking.
    2. Be fair and responsible and do your part in the relationship. Do not expect the animal to carry an obviously overweight body that doesn’t know how to control itself! Learn to ride a balanced seat and practice the basics EVERY TIME YOU RIDE!
    3. Participate in training activities that prepare you both, first with groundwork and later under saddle. ALWAYS FOLLOW BASIC GROUNDWORK RULES for leading, lunging and Ground Driving!
    4. Learn to hold the lead rope in your LEFT hand, keep his head at your shoulder, match your steps with his front legs, point in the direction of travel with your right hand and look where you are going. Walk straight lines, gradual arcs and square him up with equal weight over all four feet EVERY TIME you stop.
    5. We are building NEW habits in their way of moving and the only way that can change is through routine, consistency in the routine and correctness in the execution of the exercises. Since this also requires that you be in good posture as well, you will also reap the benefits from this regimen.
    6. Along with feeding correctly (as described), these exercises will help equines to drop fat rolls and to begin to take on a more correct shape and become strong in good posture.
    7. It is important to lead this way because if you’re carrying the lead rope in your hand closest to the halter, it will not promote self-body carriage. With every step you take, your hand moves (however slightly) to the right and left, and this will adversely affect his balance. Remember, that equines balance with their head and neck!
    8. When Ground Driving, let your steps and hands follow the hind legs.
    9. As you learn to ride correctly and in balance, you also learn how to ride supportively by balancing on your seat bones with weight from your core (behind your belly button) going down through your legs and up through your torso.
    10. Take the stress out of going uphill and downhill by staying relaxed in the saddle, rocking your weight through your core and by keeping your body in good posture.
    11. Do not jam your heels down. Rather, think of keeping your toes up to stay relaxed. Lean the upper body back when going down hill and forward when going up hill.
    12. Think of the relaxed position of the Man from Snowy River, Bronc Riders and Bull Riders!
    13. You will then find the crupper much safer and more efficient when riding in all kinds of terrain…even if you are a little heavier than you should be.
    14. In between rides, use your Round Pen to practice your equitation skills by riding without stirrups and reins. You can do this with or without an assistant.
    15. Balance your body over your seat bones and RELAX with your legs freely hanging down while sitting up straight to help develop a secure balanced seat.
    16. While riding like this, you can use your arms straight out in front and parallel to the ground, behind on the cantle, arms stretched out on both sides parallel to the ground. Do all of these movements with your eyes open and then with them closed.
         
         
    17. You will begin to FEEL the movement of your equine and get in sync with HIS motion and the motion of the tack. It will all become much more harmonious and SAFER!
    18. You and your animal will both be conditioned properly, and he will be able to pick his way efficiently, safely and unobstructed!
    19. Once everything is in line, the animal, the tack and you should all be in unison with no chafing.
    20. Crupper or Breeching? The decision becomes your own, but do remember that the breeching has many more straps and much more risk of chafing than does a crupper.

To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.

© 2023, 2024 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. MULE CROSSING All Rights Reserved.