| Murphy |
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Murphy is a cute 12.3 hand tall john mule who was surrendered to KHS by his previous owner when they could no longer keep him.
His previous owner only kept him as a pet, but he was sold to them as a riding mule at the time. They said they used marshmallows to catch him. While he doesn't love to be caught when out with his friends, we have found that just moving him into a smaller more manageable area before catching him is the best option since he is currently handed infrequently. He will follow food or follow a friend into a smaller barn lot or stall where he then is simpler to handle and is good to stand tied to be saddled or can go do ground work in the round pen. Because we have not worked with Murphy consistently, we have not tested his training under saddle yet. He seems to very much appreciate connecting with people during groundwork if he knows you are a trusted and caring person. Mules often form strong bonds and are usually a good judge of character. He seems hungry for a "person", but if you let him become friends with another horse or mule he would likely follow them into fire with his loyalty. He has taken a saddle politely, was good for groundwork, and did some in hand work in the bridle. We believe that the report of him being broke to ride is most likely true, but have honestly not had the consistency to dedicate to setting him up for behavioral success with routine groundwork before climbing aboard. As smart and sensitive as mules are, he is owed more time to connect with someone before they ride him. He will stand for our farrier, so long as they introduce themselves and treat him kindly, which isn't an outlandish expectation for an animal to have and our wonderful farrier agrees. He just often has worried-mule eyes when handled and needs somewhere to truly settle in, get in a routine, and be the very good boy we know he can be. |