Talking Mules with a Lifelong Rancher

Steve Edwards: Ok folks, I want to introduce you to a very good friend of mine in New Mexico, a rancher, Rodney Henshaw. He and I have been out most of the day along with my nephew. It looks like you got a couple of grumpy old men but it’s almost our bedtime. We are grumpy probably because we’ve been up all day. We harvested two elks and it does take quite a bit of time. We set up in a place where we could not use our mules. You are going to hear the conversation. Rodney is a working cowboy, a working rancher. He is riding mules and he does have some horses. He has been using my tacks and equipment. You can just hear us talking. You will see, we are tired and we look like a couple of grumpy old men, but I think you will enjoy what Rodney has to say.

Steve Edwards: My name’s Steve Edwards, and here I am in New Mexico. We’ve been elk hunting. Harvested a couple of elk this morning. We’re here on the Henshaw Ranch. This ranch has been around a lot of years. Mr. Henshaw has ranched all his life, it’s all he knows is ranching and cows. He uses both mules and horses, and he contacted me one time and wanted to get to know a little bit more about some mules and then bought a couple of saddles. So I thought it’d be a good thing, maybe ask Rodney what he thought about my saddles and what he does with them. So I’ll introduce you to Rodney Henshaw. So, Rodney, how long have you been in this part of the country?

Rodney Henshaw: All my life.

Steve Edwards: All your life. You got other ranching families before this, was there a ranch family?

Rodney Henshaw: No.

Steve Edwards: No.

Rodney Henshaw: This ranch here has been on my boys’ mothers side, or on their mothers’ side of the family. They would be the fifth generation.

Steve Edwards: Fifth generation.

Rodney Henshaw: That’s been here.

Steve Edwards: Fifth generation ranching. Wow. That’s incredible. So you use mules in this outfit, is that right?

Rodney Henshaw: Yeah I love mules. They’re easy keepers. They’re sure-footed and smart. A lot smarter than a horse.

Steve Edwards: So you started riding my saddles a couple of years ago, was it? How long’s it been now?

Rodney Henshaw: I think it’s been about three years.

Steve Edwards: Three years.

Rodney Henshaw: Three years, and I’ve tried other brands and I have to say that Steve’s saddles will fit any mule. They’re well-made, and another thing I like about them is that they’re light. Some of these mule saddles you buy are just, they weigh 50 or 60 pounds and that’ll wear your animal out in a hurry. I really like his saddles.

Steve Edwards: So get this folks. I have people call me all the time, wanting to know, is this saddle heavy enough to rope with? We just heard a man that’s been ranching all his life, and using these saddles, and this sort of thing and he says he likes the saddles because they’re light. Now I know that we’ve all been at the point where we thought we had to have a big old heavy saddle to do the job, but here’s a man that does this all his life and he prefers the light saddles because they still get the job done. Not so tough on the animals, and he likes the lightness, so that’s really unique. I tell people all the time who I meet and they say, “Can you rope off of it?” And I said, “If you could rope, you could rope off anything.”

Rodney Henshaw: Sure.

Steve Edwards: But most folks think you have to have big and stout, but I appreciate you sharing with us with that. And your wife rides mules too, I understand.

Rodney Henshaw: Yes.

Steve Edwards: Yeah.

Rodney Henshaw: She also uses your saddles and she especially likes them because they’re easy for her to throw up on the mule.

Steve Edwards: And you ride a Cowboy saddle.

Rodney Henshaw: Right.

Steve Edwards: That’s what you ride and she rides the Trail Light I think it is?

Rodney Henshaw: She rides the Trail Light and the Cowboy.

Steve Edwards: And a Cowboy, yeah. Okay. Well good deal. Well, that’s good. Well, folks, there you go, right from a rancher who does this all the days of his life. Rides mules, enjoys them, you can hear how much he says, how much they’re smarter. So we definitely got a rancher here who enjoys mules. But he also enjoys how the mules work with my saddles. Got any questions folks, as always, give me a holler. Thanks for tuning in.