My mule is too spooky, anybody that's dealt with half-arabs?

I've had a half-arab mule now for about 3 months, and he's still extremely spooky. He's 8 years old, and half Arabian. I've developed a close relationship with him, and he seems to trust me, as I do him. He's a great mule, and I really want to do more with ihm, but so far I've only been able to ride him in the round pen and in a small arena because the smallest things will make him freak out. We have him in a pen with another mule, and she's very calm, and things that bother him like birds and tihngs like that don't bother her in the least. At first I thought it was being in a new home and with new enimals, but nothing's changed recently, and he's still acting the same!! I've had people tell me that it's because he was Arabian in him, and that he won't outgrow it. I have been working with him, but it's not working as well as I'd hope.





He's fine saddling and isn't nervous about anything like that, and I've tried the desensitizing thing I've used with horses, and it doesn't seem to work.





He was supposed to be my dad's mule, but I seemed to bond with him and him with me, but when he spooks in the pen, I can feel him tense up, and it honestly makes me a little bt nervous. We will both settle into a rhythym again, but I don't like it.





He doesn't buck, and otherwise is a great mule who I trust as long as we're in an enclosed area like a round pen.





My uncle(a very experienced rider) has lead him with his horses, and he was still very spooky, and nearly got away from him. He has also ridden him, and the mule still hasn't gotten out of it.





My dad said if he isn't any better by the end of summer we have to seel him. I've grown attached to him.





I'm sorry this is long, but is there any hope for him??





Is it true since he's half-arab, he may not grow out of it??|||First I would seperate him where your his only friend. He doesn't visit with any other animals, and only gets to visit with you.





Then I would bring this mule back to basics and start round pen and desensitizing. You need to get creative, like he has to cross a tarp to get to the water and balloons that are tied to the fence. Things that just make him think. Then move them around till they are no big deal.





As you said, he doesn't trust you, or anyone and that is where its all going to have to start and the only way to do this is to show him scary situations slowly and then increase in intensity, with you being his 'saving grace'. Slowly he will learn that you have his best interests at heart and that he can listen to you.





This can take years and probably will with this mule.





When you can get through all this phase, let me know and I can help you with other phases.|||he wont grow out of it. If all depends on you. Do a lot of desensitizing and get trainer.|||get a trainer.|||i have a 22 year old purbreed arabina mare and also a 5 year old tb arabina cross mare. those two are not a very good mix for a trail horse. she used to get scared of her own shadow. (really) all i can tell you is just plenty of ridding. lots and lots of it. thats how i did with my mare. if you cant do i then maby you might have to consider sinding him to a trainer. but lots of ridding. and try tarps and stuff in the arena. stand in the middle and wave them around. get a ball and toss it around while hes in there. get him used to random stuff that could possible happen. i hope i helped. i wish you the best of luck|||Breed is irrelevant. He is untrained without any basics. Training will take care of all problems. If you sensitize and desensitize properly, it will work but much of training is about a lack of ability of the person, not the horse/mule. He will never grow out of it. You can have a green, untrained animal at age 2 or 22. It is about the experiences not the number of years.|||The Arab half can go either way.

We have one that isn't worried about anything and one that was a racing Arab and at age 18, still responds to fluttering birds. But he has learned to spook in place. Any horse breed can have one that is more responsive and flighty.



So let's address solutions instead.

Sometimes desensitization can be overdone, especially if you are not giving the adequate relief.

Mules have a different sense of self preservation. If he is not bolting, but just tensing, I see nothing wrong with waiting it out like you have been and then asking him to move on. Mules like to think things through. Time is your friend with this.



Here is what we watched a top clinician do to an extremely spooky horse that was different than I had seen before and it worked within about 20 minutes. He rode the horse around and asked the crowd to jump and applaud and raise arms and scream. When the horse started to spook and bolt sideways, he turned it immediately back to face the terror and held it there, even moving it back to dead center from trying to bolt from the other side. We used to think you circled it; but this method never let the horse decide to not face the scary stuff. The horse soon figured out that this rider and herd leader did not allow him to run OR get hurt. His quiet place was just facing the fearful things dead on. Understand that the crowd ceased to make noises and motions when the horse faced them (here is the relief part). Trust developed so fast that I was amazed. He repeated this lesson over and over in different places until you could actually see the horse just twitch an ear when people jumped at him. So, if your uncle is a good rider, this is what I would do. If he can get the mule to pivot back and forth with leg cues and understands how to let it stand and relax after each little thing thrown its way, I would incrementally throw everything in the world at this mule, waving tarps, bouncing balls, rolling tubs at it, whatever, and as long as you keep pivoting it back to center to face the stuff and get brave about it, he will soon understand fleeing is not on option. With that done, he is safer to ride by measures. Will he always be more reactive to other things? Maybe. But as long as he spooks in place and faces it and then moves on, he is pretty good to go, in my opinion.|||It is sad to hear your story because so many A. part A are just so sensitive and spooky. Deep seeded spookienes is so hard to overcome. I would seperate the mule and tie some plastic to areas of his pen. or start wilth a small piiece in his mane or on his halter, if you know he is in an enclosure that he cannot bust out of. Or leave him with the other one till he settled down





When I was an Equ. Advisor at a school, I always bought project horses to train in my slow time at the school. I bought a beautiful small chunky arab mare, who just seemed terrified of everything, I worked trying to de spook her for a couple weeks and nothing worked so I decided she would be of no good to anyone the way she was so took a very drastic move and decided I would either fix her or she would be dead by morning.


I took her to the middle of a small arena blindfolded her and hobbled her and made a bellyband and a part across her chest and tied long pieces of differect colored plastic to it and on her halter and on her tail and mane. The wind blew quite often in the Am down there and I took the blindfold off watched her a while and went home.





When I got there early in the morning she was standing quietly with her head down and seemed pretty doped. Rubs on her pasterns from trying to bolt. I unhobbled her and she walked around quietly, took a drink that I gave her.





Then I saw her straining like she couldn't pee. I gave her 10cc Bute and she relaxed, peed and was ok. I started training her and had no spook problems, she was a doll I sold her for a lot of money and she worked out great for the new owners.|||No, he's not going to grow out of it, and you're probably not going to be able to train him out of it either. If you want this mule, you're going to have to be rider enough to stay on him through this stuff. He's never going to be a quiet, dependable, sane ride. If you want any of those three things you need a different mule. Your best bet is to find an outfitter or an Amishmen that will work his behind so hard he's too tired to pull this stuff and then keep him tired until he grows a brain. Please note that he may NEVER grow a brain.





I've also got a half-arab reactor and she is a REAL handful at the best of times. And she's been handled by a professional since she was a weanling. It's not you failing with this guy, that's just who he is.