Hoof Beats with Pat Murphy

Hoof Beats

 

Mule Daze

 

When the month of May rolls around, mule owners enter a state of euphoria and begin preparing for an event loaded with fun and friendship. It’s called Mule Days and on Memorial Day weekend, all the mules in the west gallop to Bishop, California to take part in riding and driving contests. There are other highly amusing events like the Dolly Parton race, but more about that later.

 

     Mule people are a special group. To them HEE HAW (an onomatopoeia, if there ever was one) sounds like a Beethoven sonata. They appear to love the challenge of working with an interesting animal that is a bit exotic. Wymond Eckhardt of Santa Ynez, who is the barns and stalls chairman of Mule Days, says, “I think, perhaps, horse people are a bit more white-knuckled at their shows than the mule crowd. Mule owners are there to have fun!”

 

     It all started for him when he became a back-country patrol ranger in Yosemite during the summer times when he was on vacation from his position as a professor at Fresno State University. “I never owned a mule,” he tells me,” but as a ranger I had a horse and two pack mules and that’s where I got acquainted with them. Along about 1994, the Mule Days committee, which has 500 volunteers, asked me to help with organizing the barns and stalls. I love to straighten out messes and so I agreed. I have been doing it ever since.”

 

     “This year, so many things went right. We had five hundred school kids from the Eastern Sierra school district enjoying our clinics by Jerry Tindell. And we had special shows by the famous Budweiser Clydesdales and also a beautiful team of eight Percherons from the Priefert Ranch. They even rode those Percherons Roman style!” 

 

Fabulous Team of Mules Becomes a Fun Family Affair and More

     Wymond’s daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer and Steve Berman had long enjoyed watching all the action but had resisted the temptation to take part. However, two years ago, a friend told them that a fabulous team of mules, owned by Tony Urquidez, was available. “You’ve just gotta have these mules,” said Dave Gonzales, “They take part in the Rancheros Visitadores events and they’re just terrific!”

 

     The Bermans trotted right over and promptly fell in love with Pearl and Deany, who are full sisters and real charmers. Now these two beauties live in Wymond and Carole Eckhardt’s corral and are fussed over by everyone. It’s been a family affair, as the Berman’s have two daughters Emily, eight-years-old and Olivia just four, who are now mule addicts too. Emily takes riding lessons from Pam Turnbull and one of her secrets is that she talks to the mules as she rides or drives. Emily’s amazing perseverance really paid off. This year, she competed in both riding and driving and came away from Mule Days with three first place ribbons and a plaque.

 

     The family bought the team two years ago and needed to learn the ins and outs of mule driving. So they arranged to be coached by Tony Urquidez and later by World Champion Teamster- Bill Adams and also Kathy Davis, the Reserve World Champion Teamster (which refers to driving big draft mules).

 

     Jennifer Berman says of their adventures at Mule Days this year, “We just jumped in and competed in fourteen different events and we discovered that it’s even more fun to do it than watch it! We did Gamblers Choice with the team, Chuck Wagon, Lead Line, Barrel Racing, Chariot Steer Stopping, Chariot Barrel Racing, a Costume Class and Weight Pulling etc. The team weighs 1,060 lbs but they can pull 2100 lbs.  Then Steve and Pearl placed fifth in the Log Skidding. We had so much fun because our team of mules is very versatile and they’ll just go along with anything!”

 

     “I like mules a lot!” pipes up four-year-old Olivia, “They wear shoes and their feet go clippety clop. Let’s go out and see them.” So out we troop to the corral to meet these two celebrity hoofers. Like the true stars they are, they strolled over to the fence to look us over. Olivia offered some horse cookies and each of the long eared ladies carefully accepted it from her little fingers. They really are lovely, with shiny coats, gentle eyes and extravagant ears. 

 

     “We enjoy driving around the Valley and people love to see us,” says Jennifer. “It’s amazing how much more you can see from a wagon than from a car. When we’re driving down the roads we really appreciate it if drivers give us a wide berth when passing and don’t cut in too close after they pass. Sometimes, they’ll even stop and take pictures.”

 

     “Bicyclist are a different problem because they approach silently from the back and the mules have blinders on and don’t realize they’re there until they whiz by. So we appreciate it if they call out before passing. Then the mules know that it’s a human risk and it’s O.K.  When we meet a horse and rider on the road we stop and ask if their horse is O.K. with this unexpected sight. They’ll answer, ‘Yes, O.K.’ or ‘Just give us a minute.’ Horses are more sensitive to mules than mules are to horses, because mules have seen lots of horses under saddle but many horses have never seen mules hitched to a wagon.” (The rule of thumb is please don’t honk at passing horses or carriages).

 

     It’s been a fun visit with the Eckhardts, the Bermans and the glamour girls and Oh Yes! We were going to tell you about the Dolly Parton contest at Mule Days. This race consists of men donning very large brassieres and riding their mules hell bent to the end of the arena, stuffing two water balloons into the bras and racing back!  You won’t want to miss Mule Days next year.