Mule saddle

[coontail]

I read some of the older threads and ideas but wanted to bring it back up. I just got a mule that I measured 5 1/2" gullet and 12 3/4" between bars. I would like a wade style saddle. What's some good ones at a reasonable price? And would it be custom or production? If it's production what's some good ways of making sure it's going to fit before you order it?

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[Mike Leonard]

http://www.rodnikkel.com/content/index. ... s-for-fit/

Use this method and I thing you will come out ok. Shop saddles are pretty good these days and many makers are building saddles for mules as well. This mule has a very typical mule back so make sure your saddle is equipped with a breeching to hold the saddle in place on the downhill. Cruppers are ok and many people like them. I don't care for them myself but we ride some really terrible country and I want a stout breeching to make sure things are where they need to be and I am not soring the mule's tail.

Corriente Saddles makes a pretty darn good saddle for the price and they do offer mule saddles.


Good luck!

[coontail]

Thanks Mike. Im glad you posted that. Ive been thinking about a corriente but I called and they said it would be best to find a local dealer so I can be sure it will fit. So I'm working on that

[twilli]

Steve Edwards makes a good mule saddle. Its a production saddle but I've had mine for a few years and I like it. You can check Mules and More magazine or Western Mule and they have a list of saddle makers. I run both crupper or britchen on my critters and neither bother them.

[lmorgan]

I've used both a britching and a crupper. A crupper is more convenient if you have a good one and it will work in your country. My last mule didn't need one at all. It depends on the mule. I don't use them, but I know a mule guy in east Texas that swears by those flex tree or even tree-less saddles. I guess they might work if you're just trail riding and don't ever have to drag anything. I had a balky mule that wouldn't cross a wooden bridge over a deep gully and he thought he was going to pony Ol' Red across. He didn't get far when Red sat back on the dally around that horn on that flex tree. His saddle and his mule did a lot of flexing, but Ol' Red didn't flex at all. He about caused a catastrophe on the top of that bridge. I had to "persuade" him by other means that the bridge was his friend.

A good friend of mine made a template of his mule's back and just sent the template to Bowden and had them make the tree custom to his mule. He had a saddle built from that tree. Another guy I know swears by the Tucker trail saddles for his mules.

[Mike Leonard]

Larry,

you remember that big old hill to the north east of the ranch house about 1/2 mile? the one with the big pines on it we told you the kids slide down in the snow in the winter? Well I had me a new Aussie saddle I was trying out and it had a crupper on it. I slapped it on my old Wyatt horse a big stout 15.1 1250 lb. Foxtrotter and went for a spin. Now old Wyatt is a good solid bugger but when we started off that grade weaving thru the trees that crupper sort of tightened up on his under-tail , and let me tell you what we came off that hill faster than those kid's sleds. LOL!
boy I loosened that thing up when we hit bottom. So be sure you get them horses and mules ready for that under their tail or you may look like me fogging off that hill on that big palomino knocking of limbs and looking for that missing saddle horn. LOL!

[Dan Edwards]

Ive always got along without a mule saddle but ya got have full quarter horse bars with a wide gullet. Anything that "sits up" will not work.

The problem usually comes when folks have them lil bitty ole mules or the old coon huntin mules. They can be a pain in the ass to tack up.

[Dan Edwards]

This saddle here has fit every mule Ive put it on from 14.2 to 16.2. That black mule there is 16 hands tall and as you can see it fits her perfectly. Never ever rubbed one or anything. Only thing is ya gotta use a slightly shorter cinch cuz of that drop down riggin. Mules just aint as big in the barrel as a horse mostly.

[Dan Edwards]

Oh and we just put that flank strap up in the mules flank and use a crupper 99% of the time. Some folks say ya cant do that with a horse mule but ya can just don't put it back so far.

[lmorgan]

[Mike Leonard]

I use to have a family of coon hunters out of Oklahoma come out of a fall and bear hunt with me. Now these guys had some of the best mules I have ever seen in my life. These guys were hands and although a born a bred cowboy on a quarter horse I had to give it to those mules. They had one little dark brown John mule who had a mealy nose I believe his name was Dollar but it has been so long ago. They would let me use that mule cuz I knew the country and I mean to tell you we would get around. I had the feeling if I had that mule there wouldn't be a lion or bear safe in that country. Well I never could talk them out of that family pet but I did trade my old black and tan strike dog to them for a nice young mule. Old Benjey was a pretty good type mule but he was a whole lot smarter than I was about mules and after riding him a bit I traded him off to a friend as a pack mule, and he is still alive though he must be over 30 now.

That sort of showed me if you want a mule you better find the one you really want and then be willing to pay the dough to get him. They last forever so actually spending a little extra to get a fool proof mule is a really good investment. I always used a breeching and I have some good friends down on the border in Arizona that have some super good mules and hounds and they always use breechings as well. I had Scott Derringer build me a really good heavy duty one when he was in Camp Verde, and I gave that to my Arizona friends as I felt my mule days were most likely over. But you never know if another one like old Dollar comes along I may be building a new breeching. LOL!

[lmorgan]

Mike,

Like I told somebody yesterday, I consider myself a mule man, but I've owned a lot better horses than mules. Good mules are hard to find. It's like the old saying, "good saddles ain't cheap and cheap saddles ain't good". That's twice as true for mules.

[Cowboyvon]

I like a drop down rigging also... not as much bulk and seems to cinch down more even .. As far as mules go I was fortunate to get this little sorrel mule Jet Johnson.. toughest animal I have ever been around and will try to go anywhere you point him.. most of the time meet you at gate in the morning. Now the black mule I pack is another story.. she's pretty good to ride around a pen but to have her out by herself I would rather be on foot ,, but she is a good pack mule.. and did you know that if you weaved a shocking collar underneath a britching you can make a stubborn mule move on out lol

And I like britchen better then a crupper .. never used a crupper but it sure seems like it would be uncomfortable .. and as far taken the back cinch and sliding it back in the flank I have heard of a lot of guys doing that but me coming from the horse world roping alot and seeing quite a few wrecks from that hobble strap breaking keeps me from trying it lol

[Mike Leonard]

Brett,

There was an old time cowboy in the little town I was raised around. He was part French Canadian and part Cherokee and one of the best ropers I have ever seen. I helped him as a kid snapping out some broncs the old time way and we turned out some pretty decent ones quick but it was not for the faint of heart. LOL!

Occasionally old Ray would go on a spree and get all liquored up and get on his old red rope horse Rusty and head on uptown to take in the honky tonk bars. Well this was just a little old sleepy cow town with gravel streets but it did have 3 pretty good bear joints on one block and a lot of times you would see horses tied out back or standing in a stock rack pickup or old time wood horse trailer outside while their bosses was inside spending their summer's wages on tongue oil.

Well old Ray would go in and leave old Rusty tied out back and get him a big old snoot full of Old Crow and then pretty quick you would see him come around get the old horse , jerk that hobble strap loose slide right back over you know what, and ride around front. Directly the crowd would gather old Ray would reach down there and jerk that flank up and put the spurs to him , and the rodeo was on! That old horse would bawl and beller and crow hop around there in the street and old Ray would fan him with his hat. A real crown pleaser! LOL!


Small town antics!!

[Dan Edwards]

Ya for whatever reasons a horse don't take to it like a mule will, Mike. Never made sense to me beings most mules are complete Aholes. HAHA!

The breeching is the only way to go in big hill country and mountains if you are gonna be riding day after day after day. You will sore a mule with just a crupper alone.