Question: I have reached out to you in the past and have been pleased with your responses.  I have an 11-year-old TWH mule I've had from foal, I have had issues I've worked through with her (mostly spooking), done them, and am completely bonded and happy...  in this 11th year, she has started to bolt on me  -- 3 times this year, no apparent reason for it. She knows whoa.... I use a mild bit (a pee-wee bit), and I can stop her with this through the bolts, but the initial moments are scary and am too old to be afraid to ride her (54).  She only goes about 10 - 25 yards through the bolts. If she gets me off during this, she stops immediately and lets me catch her.  Otherwise, I'm able to stop her with the bit. But there is no reprimand afterward for these actions she does. She stops with one rein, turns on her hindquarters, and I ride her 3 times a week/4 hrs. at a time. At a loss what to do, I've done the proper groundwork? Thinking of going to a combo-bit, with nose pressure if she doesn't respond initially to the bit?  I am not giving up on her, just want to ride..... as she does, freely and without fear! Thank you for the work you do, with mule education!!!!!

Answer: Our methods are meant to be done in a sequence and taking shortcuts or changing our method in some way will not yield the same results. After many years of training for other people, I have found that equines, especially mules and donkeys, bond to the person who trains them. When they go away to other people, they do not get the benefit of this bonding and can become resistant over time when they return home. After all, you wouldn't ask someone else to go out and make a friend for you, would you? This is the primary reason I put my entire training program in books and videos, in a natural order like grade school is for children, for people to use as a resistance-free correspondence training course instead of doing clinics and seminars. People are encouraged to use the series and to contact me via mail, email or telephone for answers to any questions.
 
No matter how old or how well-trained the equine, they still need time doing the simplest of things to get to know you before they will learn to trust and have confidence in you. The exercises that you do should build the body slowly, sequentially and in good equine posture. No human or equine is born in good posture. It is something that needs to be taught and practiced repetitively if it is to become a natural way of moving the body. When the body is in good posture, all internal organs can function properly and the skeletal frame will be supported correctly. Just as our children need routine, ongoing learning and the right kind of exercise while they are growing up, so do equines. They need boundaries for their behavior clearly outlined to minimize anxious behaviors and inappropriate behavior, and the exercises that you do together need to build their strength and coordination in good equine posture. The time spent together during leading training and going forward builds a good solid relationship with your equine and fosters his confidence and trust in you because you actually help him to feel physically better. A carefully planned routine and an appropriate feeding program is critical to healthy development.  

Most equines never experience core muscle strength and this becomes even more important as they age. We do leading training for a full year to not only get them to learn to lead and to develop a good relationship with them, but also to develop good posture and core muscle strength in preparation to carry a rider. Leading lessons for postural strength and balance need only be done for 15-20 minutes once a week in our HOURGLASS PATTERN to be certain that they aren’t fighting balance problems later when you mount and ride. “Drilling,” or too much of the wrong kind of exercises out of sequential order, will only tire the animal and cause them to get sour, sore and want to “leave.” There are a lot of tasks incorporated into this pattern that will not only build your mule’s core strength in good postural balance, but will also be enjoyable, promote easy execution of the tasks and command 100% of her attention at all times. Bolting will cease to be an issue. Even an older equine with previous training would still need this for optimum performance and longevity. During the time you do the leading training strengthening exercises, you should NOT ride the animal as this will inhibit the success of the preliminary exercises.

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