We Love Mules! We will not knowingly sell a mule to anyone that we feel is not a ''match'' for that animal. Our mules are our family.

All mares are covered by hand breeding or AI. We do not care for pasture breeding as that is risky to mare and/or jack.

HANDLING AND TRAINING OF OUR STOCK
MEET OUR MAMMOTH JACK SIRES
ABOUT MAMMOTH DONKEYS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
(This last topic is on a separate page; use your back button to return here.)

Handling and Training of Our Stock

We will take limited mares for outside breeding. Mares presented must be manageable, healthy and reproductively sound and will be refused if they do not meet our standards for handling.

Ron handles the breeding of mares at his place in the barn under controlled conditions. Depending upon the mare, Artificial Insemination may be used instead of live cover. Ron has two teaser stallions [one very ''studdy'' and the other quite laid back] to help detect heat cycles. Unless mares are familiar with donkeys and especially a Jack, breeding can be a very upsetting experience for them if proper precautions are not taken in the process. If an outside mare proves too difficult or too unsafe to handle, she may be sent home unbred. Mares owned by Ron or Marlene are quite familiarized to the Jack and generally easier to be bred.

Ron prefers to only raise mules from mares that have been trained. Of foremost importance is to use a good-minded mare that will be an asset in raising a quality mule. If the mare is spooky and has no performance training, she is very likely to pass her untrainability and suspicions on to her offspring by nature of "do what I do".

Several months before birth, mares are separated from the main herd and maintained in a broodmare band. Pregnant mares are never allowed to run with other stock or geldings. Other mares or molly mules have been known to steal babies and horse geldings or john mules can sometimes get defensive and harm or even kill the new foals.

The mares in the broodmare band are allowed to establish their pecking order long before any give birth. They are fed good quality hay with oats or another supplemental feed. Fresh water is always available as well as free choice salt and minerals. They run on a good-sized pasture so that when the green grass starts growing they have ample grazing area.

Several months prior to foaling the mares are regularly brought into the barn for special feed and to check them thoroughly for changes and signs of impending birth. Approximately a month before foaling, mares are dewormed and appropriate shots given.

Ron and Denise aim to be present for the foals arrival and have been very successful to witness (and sometimes assisting) many arrivals!They believe that foals greatly benefit from being handled correctly right from birth. There is nothing more adorable or entertaining than a baby mule, both Ron and Denise enjoy spending time with the new babies and introducing them to their new world.

The new mom and baby are kept separate from the rest of the herd for a few days until baby is stronger and in the case of new moms, making sure that the mare and baby are fully bonded. Once turned out with the brood mare band and settled back into the herd hierarchy, babies learn to follow their moms into the barn for a daily feed supplement and soon are picking at the feed buckets themselves while becoming familiar with new surroundings. It's also a great time to work individually with each foal. This ritual continues all summer.

Daily petting and scratching of the foals makes them feel good and gains their confidence in people being a "good deal". They are never forced to accept things but rather are introduced to them in such a way that they feel secure. Ron likes to take advantage of their natural curiosity by introducing them to new and interesting things each day. This helps to develop their trust and confidence in people and their surroundings.

Catching, haltering, tying, leading and being handled all over their body including picking up of feet is all worked on during this time that they are still with their moms. Any bad behavior such as kicking or biting is not tolerated, but usually only a firm vocal reprimand and removing your attention from them is all that's necessary to get the point across. Mules tend to be very attention seeking and ignoring them for bad behavior and praising them for good behavior works very well on youngsters.

Foals are dewormed on a regular basis and receive all the feed they want. Because mules mature slowly, physically as well as mentally, no mule will be started to ride before the age of three, and then only lightly. Prior to that time training will be all groundwork and very limited time in the saddle until they are four and older. Effective groundwork is crucial to ensure having a safe and enjoyable mule. We believe that it is good to spend plenty of time on groundwork before riding begins. Ron and Marlene also agree that starting mules too young jeopardizes their physical structure for future use.

When you purchase a mule from Mammoth mules, Ron will demonstrate that the mule does all that he says it will do. He will ask that you spend some time to work with him and the mule to make sure that everyone is satisfied. Ron & Denise will always make themselves accessible to owners after their purchase, as they believe in the animals that they raise and like to be able to assist the new partners in any way they can.

Meet our Mammoth Jack Sires:
(pictures link to full jack photos)

• Windy Ridge Garnet
• Red Ranger

Windy Ridge Garnet, 1999 son of the late Black Bart. Garnet has sired several foals and they are good looking, good minded, and conformationally very correct. All of his foals have been big and have good, strong bones.

View Windy Ridge Garnet's Pedigree

Garnet will stand to limited outside mares. Stud fee is $500 Canadian plus GST.

Kananaskis, Born August 2, 2004, registered roan Mammoth Jack (Steely Dan X Lulu). Will be in British Columbia (BC) and breeding mares for the 2007 foal crop.

"Jocko" Black Jack, with Mammoth blood (from Too Tall Jones). Presently we are attempting to trace the rest of the story on lineage. Will be in British Columbia (BC) for the 2007 the foal crop.

Red Ranger, CDMA registered and inspected, 14.1 hds, light red roan, imported from Illinois in 1997. Red is a very good-natured Jack and consistently throws offspring with beautiful heads. He also throws a lot of red mules and his foals are always big.
Red Ranger has been sold and is moving soon to Ron Barry's place at Trail Mammoth Mules Ltd. Trail, British Columbia (BC).

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