Mule Training Works for Donkeys, Too!

Will the training techniques used for a mule work to effectively train a donkey? That’s what folks ask me all the time. “Steve, you talk all the time about mules. But what about Donkeys? I have donkeys.”

Folks, when I say ‘mule’ you can trust that I’m saying ‘donkey’ too! Something folks don’t realize is that the mule gets its bone structure from his daddy the donkey. Of course, if the momma is a donkey then the mule is a hinny and that’s going to be the same, too. There is absolutely no way to tell a hinny from a standard mule, but there are a lot of backyard mule groups that will say otherwise but that’s another story.

Look, the mule gets his mind and his body from the donkey and that’s what I train to… the donkey brain, and that’s what I design my equipment for… the donkey bone structure. When I’m teaching how to communicate with the mule — ask, tell, demand — that’s the language of the lead mare and that’s the language the mule and donkey understand.

So will the training techniques I share work on donkeys? Yes! Absolutely. Are there differences between a donkey and a mule? Sure there are. But I will always tell you when a donkey needs something different.

Matter of fact, the most comprehensive ground foundation / surcingle training video I’ve ever recorded was done with a donkey… and everything you see in that training is effective for a mule, too. You can see Refined Communication here.

Donkey folks, when you watch my videos on YouTube or when you purchase one of my trainings from my website or when you buy some tack or a saddle from my website, you’re getting exactly what you need for a donkey or a mule. Your donkey thinks different than a horse, and the mule thinks like the donkey. Your mule is built different than a horse, and he shares his bone structure with the mule.

And that’s exactly what I teach for.