Rope Halter

To bring the most amount of joy into the life of your mule or donkey is to recognize that they are different than the horse. If you treat or mule or donkey like a horse, you may as well just go get a horse because it will do you a whole lot better in the long run.

But if you have higher standards (haha), if you want an animal that thinks, and if you want an all around better ride — you must respect the mule and donkey as unique.

The lack of respect for the animal is where we start to discover common mistakes when it comes to the halter.

On a horse, you’ll see folks put a halter way up on the nose. On a mule or donkey it needs to be done 2-3 fingers above the nostril. Yes, on the nose. Why? Because the mule cares more about his nose than anything else and the mule only speaks one language: comfortable, uncomfortable.

It is imperative to communicate the way the mule understands and that is through comfort and discomfort.

When you place the knots just above the nostril, you gain direct access to the animal’s primary motivator — comfort.

There are other mistakes folks will make such as how they tie the knot, how they adjust the halter after riding, and others… but the underlying truth is to respect the animal as the unique breed that God created.

In this video Steve Edwards from Queen Valley Mule Ranch will show you, in real time, how to properly adjust the halter on a mule. Watch him build a foundation and then go out and try it yourself!