10/22/2026
It’s important for mules to have positive experiences with humans from the day they’re born.
There is a video circulating on Facebook of a white mule cornered in a shed threatening to kick the trainer when he goes in. The trainer applies pressure with a whip to get the mule to turn and face him. He immediately releases pressure once the mule turns and faces him.
Pressure and release is extremely effective with mules. Mules always seek the path of least resistance.
A human-avoidant or fearful mule is more dangerous than an entitled mule socialized well, because the fearful mule will kick or strike hard and without warning, compared to the entitled mule who will give you plenty of opportunity to correct its behavior before it finally makes contact with you. Both are dangerous behaviors that need correcting.
The thing about mules that aren’t socialized well from a young age, is they don’t ever really come around. A hard to catch mule may improve with the same owner with plenty of time and consistency (years, not weeks or months), but that mule will likely never be one to trot or canter up to you from across the pasture and stick its nose in the halter for you.
One thing I tell my clients regarding specific training methods to use with their mules, is no matter what at the end of the day it’s YOUR relationship with YOUR mule, and YOU have to be able to sleep at night.
All that being said, a human avoidant or fearful animal should never be put in a situation where it’s cornered or trapped. While the method used in the video is one that “works,” the quick solution is never one that yields long term results.
For results that stick, that mule needs trust and MUTUAL respect built from positive associations with people. Otherwise, you’re just conditioning the animal to perform a rote action without getting through to its mind and heart.
In the short term, negative reinforcement training will almost always get you the behavioral response you want, and for some people that’s enough.
Positive reinforcement training is what builds intrinsic motivation in the animal and carves out long term neural pathways for permanent behavioral change to occur. This is just science and has been researched extensively. It changes the animal’s perspective on how it feels about a situation, and that’s where learning occurs. Negative reinforcement behaviorally conditions compliance. The animal performs a behavior to avoid getting hit or pulled on, not because it wants to.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29083709/
A mule that can’t find comfort with humans cannot have a quality life at a typical boarding barn or farm where it needs to be handled every day. An animal built for roaming in a herd should not be kept in a small pen day in and day out in order for it to be safely caught. This will eventually lead to the mule developing aversive behaviors like threatening to kick or strike, breaking down gates or fences to get away, pawing, or pacing.
A lot of mules have catching issues if they are not taught from an early age to enjoy the company of humans. Whereas the horse evolved alongside humans and nearly always aims to please, the mule did not and does not. A mule is not a horse.
A lot of mules are difficult to catch, and it’s not a habit they can be easily convinced out of later in life. Giving mules a good start gives them a better shot at a good life.
