K Ranch Mules

29/03/2024

Afternoon rides ⛰️

Photo credit Equinox Images

16/03/2024

16/03/2024

Come down to Allora this weekend to say Hi 👋

02/02/2024

Muley

Captured by Equinox Images

31/01/2024

Mulena

Captured by Equinox Images

27/01/2024

📣Announcement 📣

We have been busy hustling on a few projects. One of which has been working with Katie from Equinox Images to capture some wonderful mule prints.

I am so thankful to have the support of Katie ahead of my trip to Mongolia 🇲🇳

26/01/2024

Muley

Captured by Equinox Images

07/01/2024

07/01/2024

By Carolyn B. Edwards BCC Staff Writer

Local mule trainer praises the breeds power, beauty & intelligence. After hours of training, Garrison uses vocal commands and body language to get these at liberty mules to do what a mule would not normally like to do. Paul Garrison III demonstrates his mules power and sure-footedness on the trail. Reminiscent of the 1949 Frankie Lane hit Mule Train, Paul Garrison takes this beautiful mule clippetty-clopping over hill and plain. Seems as how they'll never stop. Clippetty-clop, clippetty-clop, clippetty, clippetty, clippetty, clippetty, clippetty-clopping along. No need for a whip here, though!According to one of Americas best mule trainers, a mule is more like a dog than a horse. They are smart, and they form lasting close relationships with their owners. And, according to trainer Paul Garrison of Medina, they’ve been badly maligned by Hollywood.
Garrison, who competed in the American Mule Trainers Challenge in New Mexico last October, (2015) says the film portrayal of mules as stubborn and mean is totally wrong. Mules have a strong sense of self-preservation, said Garrison. You can coerce a horse, but not a mule. You have to gain his trust first. Some might conclude that sense of self-preservation in the mule is stubbornness, but it is a sign of intelligence and will often save not only the mule, but his rider and/or the load he is packing. Garrison became fond of mules about 18 years ago when he started hunting and camping on mules with a friend. Now, he keeps about a dozen mules at a time on his ranch on Cazey Creek, conducts clinics, and trains mules. He is acknowledged by his peers as one of the countrys best. Actually, I do more owner training, especially for those riders who have owned horses, he said. You have to treat a mule much differently than a horse, he said. Training a mule takes a lot of patience because they do not train well with repetition. You have to gain the mules trust first, then he’ll do anything for you. Garrison said the best system for training is using pressure and release. The rider applies the pressure. Any move the mule makes toward the goal is rewarded with release of the pressure. When they do [what you want them to do] you stop the pressure. Thats when they learn. They also enjoy long smooth strokes with the hand as a reward to increase the bonding process. He agrees with many mule fans that training a mule is a life-long process. They are thinking animals, and every moment spent with them is a chance for teaching and learning. Garrisons clinics help owners get better acquainted with their animals. Clients spend some time at the barn, and a lot of time on the trail. He also boards mules in order to train them for riding, driving and packing. He has also rehabbed some mules that had been mentally damaged by poor handling. It takes about six months to train a mule. Garrison said he works with unbroken mules every day during that time span, even if its only for a minute or two. At the American Mule Trainers Challenge at Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, Garrison had two and a half days to train an unbroken c**t. By the end of that time, the trainers could ride the mule on a challenging trail, take him through a water hazard, and drag a tarp from the saddle, among other challenges. The event was covered in a feature article in the December 2015 issue of Western Mule Magazine. His barnyard is scattered with big tires and blocks of wood to train the animals to do something they wouldn’t naturally do. The goal is to eventually have a mule at liberty, that is, not harnessed, follow voice and body language cues to climb up on those obstacles. The more you ask them to do and they don’t get hurt, you build their trust, Garrison explained. Find out about Garrisons clinics and get in touch with him about mule training by looking him up on facebook. Or call him at 830-796-5805. He generally holds clinics about once a month. The mule, which is a sterile offspring of a donkey and a horse, has a long history of domestication, probably beginning with the Nicaeans from the northern reaches of modern Turkey. The Pharoahs of ancient Egypt used mules as pack animals in their mining enterprises. The Hittites, who used horses to pull their chariots, considered mules to be three times more valuable. And while many of us know Hannibal and his army crossed the Alps with elephants, mules were his soldiers main pack animals. The first mules came to the Americas on Columbus’s ships. George Washington later played a major role in developing the mule for use in agriculture in the US. Today, in America, they are bred for useful and pleasure riding purposes. They’ve been the sole pack animal used in the Grand Canyon for over 40 years with no fatalities. The Amish continue to use mules in farming and for pulling carriages. Some mules are also bred for racing. They get their toughness, surefootedness and healthy digestive tract from the donkey. They get their size and beauty from the horse. Mules, however, are generally much cheaper to keep than a horse. They will eat anything and almost never need to be shod. Vet bills tend to be much lower, too. Mules are incredibly strong and have long working lives. Thirty years is not at all unusual. A rider can purchase a good mule for several hundred dollars, or consider that the top price at the National Mule Sale last year was $67,000. Garrisons roots go deep into the history of Bandera County. His great great great grandfather, Fabian Lucius Hicks, came here in the mid-1850s and settled on what was to become known as Hicks Creek west of Bandera. He acquired land from here to Utopia and his property was one of the gathering points for cattle drives on the Western Trail. Great grandfather RD (Richard DeWitt) Garrison married one of Fabians daughters and settled on Cazey Creek west of Medina. Paul and his family live there today, his children being the sixth generation to live on the property. Mule fans particularly like the look of a mule, especially those long, gorgeous responsive ears. Check Garrisons page for photos celebrating MEM aka Mule Ear Monday!

05/01/2024

10 Reasons to choose mules
1. Mules live longer than horses.
2. Mules have more stamina and endurance than a horse (hybrid vigor).
3. Mules are more sure-footed than your average horses.
4. By and large, they are more intelligent than horses.
5. Pound for pound, a mule is stronger than a horse.
6. Mules typically eat less than horses.
7. Mules have a much greater sense of self-preservation. They are always aware of their surroundings.
8. Mules are healthier in general and more durable than horses.
9. A mule’s feet are very hard and tough, and they usually do not require shoes in most conditions.
10. Mules have more character. (Horse folks will argue with that).
*
- See more at: http://www.realworldsurvivor.com/2016/02/24/10-reasons-choose-mules/ .D0P8BfHs.dpuf

Photo credit Don Davis “Don’s Early Light”

04/01/2024

Muley 👌

23/09/2023

✔️K Ranch Mules Caps are now available ✔️

$40 each plus postage

All proceeds will be going towards my ride in the Mongolian Derby 2024🐎

DM me to get one today! 🧢😎

22/09/2023

https://gofund.me/43ec9b1a

Hi Everyone, I am raising funds to compete in the 2024 Mongolian Derby. My name i… Kelly Dudley needs your support for Dudleys Dash for the Mongolian Derby

18/09/2023

🚨Exciting Announcement 🚨

Get ready to follow my journey to the Mongolian Derby 🐎 2024! Training is underway with plenty of miles to go on my mules to prepare me in covering 1000kms in just 10 days on semi wild Mongolian horses 🐎 🗺️

01/09/2023

Dolly 😅

30/08/2023

Muley
Equinox Images

22/08/2023

Mule Wrangler Justino and our grey mule Dolly 👌

Keep following our page to hear about Dolly’s story 📖

20/08/2023

Tucker the inspiration behind the cap 🧢 😅👌

20/08/2023

new caps

07/08/2023

07/08/2023

Afternoon vibes with Tucker 🎥🎞️

07/08/2023

Tucker 📸

Equinox Images

04/08/2023

Long reining sessions 😎👍

03/08/2023

26/07/2023

Not a fan of the nose bag 😂