Mule Tools Inc. is a small group of longtime locals who wanted to bring you an informative, fun site about an area we truly love, Telluride, Colorado and the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Why Mule Tools? Well, the mule is a great animal and we are a little stubborn about the quality of content for the site. Read below about what a mule is.

Advantages of mules
Mules, having hybrid vigour, can grow taller than both parents. Weight for weight they are stronger than horses, and are much longer-lived with much longer working lives, although maturing slightly later. They rarely become ill or lame or suffer wounds, can withstand extremes of temperature, can live on frugal rations, have tremendous stamina and resilience and are exceptionally sure-footed.

Mules' temperament
Mules have a reputation for being obstinate and bad-tempered, but as with donkeys, the mule's legendary stubbornness is in fact a manifestation of its talent for self-preservation. There are times when a human finds this talent' annoying, such as when he is disobeyed by a mule, but there are many other times when it can be a great advantage: if a mule takes care of itself, then it follows that it is also taking great care of its cargo, human or otherwise. It is not for nothing that mules are chosen rather than horses to take tourists down the Grand Canyon! By intelligent handling, it is quite possible to foresee occasions on which a mule is likely to be 'stubborn' and to avoid them.

The undeserved reputation for bad temper is, I believe, due to the mule's unexpectedly sensitive and untrusting nature. Until he has learned to trust a person, he is worried that the person may do him harm, and will take defensive action (never offensive) by kicking them, should he feel the occasion merits it. Mules are splendid kickers - they kick fast and accurately, and if a mule misses, it is because he intended to. Unfortunately many of the people who have worked with mules over the centuries have not appreciated this sensitivity, and have not understood another characteristic of the mule: that you cannot force him to do anything, but must persuade him, or organise his work so that he is only asked to do those things which he will want to do. Failure to appreciate this has led to many a battle between man and mule, and to the mule's bad reputation.

Mules are highly intelligent
Mule devotees would say they are more intelligent than horses and are very quick to learn, with a grasp of a situation which often seems little short of miraculous. This means that their handlers need to be quick-witted to stay one jump ahead of them. A well-trained and handled mule is obliging, kind, patient, persevering, calm, tolerant, sensible, loyal, affectionate, playful and also proud, jealous and calculating. Being so intelligent, a badly trained and handled mule can be a problem.

We wish to thank The British Mule Society and author Lorraine Hawkins of The United Kingdom for their interesting description of a mule.

.
Mule Tools,Inc
P.O. Box 1451
Telluride, Co 81435
970 728 6444
dennis@8750.com

(back to top)