Big Demand For Jumping Mules

Big demand for jumping mules AG WORLD Ag World 10-4-19 Business is booming for Dave Coleman, of Lone Rock, Wis., who trains mules to jump fences for fun, and for hunting raccoons. "I've been selling them faster than I can train them," says Coleman who got into the unusual sideline by accident. "I hurt my leg in a mishap and couldn't follow coon dogs on foot any more. Just when I figured my hunting days were over, I learned of a fellow in Arkansas that raises and trains mules as jumpers. I drove down to visit him and his jumping mules. I decided then and there that this was for me. I bought a mule, took it home and trained it myself to jump, following directions the Arkansas trainer had given me." Coleman keeps two trained mules for his own hunting pleasure. They eagerly jump into the back of his pickup, along with his coon dogs. During the hunt when he comes to a fence, he dismounts, puts a tarp over the top barbed wire, then watches as the mules jump over. Mules he trains and sells are purchased at 2 to 4 yrs. of age in Arkansas. "They're trained to ride when I get them. I train them to jump, then sell them to buyers, most of whom are into coon hunting. "I find that mules 2 ft. taller than mine can't jump as high," says Coleman who loves to enter his mules in local jumping contests. "My mules have jumped higher than 54 in."

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