Gentle Giants: Mules prove to be handy, loveable

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

Above, 3-year-old Emily Devers, a visitor to Jenny Allen's farm in Wimberley, enjoys feeling Hank's soft nose as Allen pulls him close. -Staff photo by Taylor

January 2, 2003 -- Dan and Hank may be the largest Percheron mules in Texas, and they act like they've always known that! At 17.1 hands and 17 hands tall, respectively, they are enormous animals, weighing in at about one ton each.

When Jenny Allen of Wimberley bought them in Tennessee, they were being used in the logging business, and while they were big and strong ... their personalities were just waiting for Allen to rescue them!

"Mules are very misunderstood, especially in Texas. Raising mules kind of went out with the cotton trade in Texas and people are just now getting back into mules for showing or cattle work or western pleasure.

"They can do everything that a horse can do. They do it kind of differently because mules will work in a different way. They don't use a lot of excess energy. The way they work makes them use less food and that's why people started using them a long time ago," said Allen.

When she first brought the mules to Texas, she said she just waited and watched for their personalities to emerge. Allen claims that mules are like children ... some are good and some need a little more attention.

"Hank and Dan have quite different personalities. Dan is real mischievous, really out-going, has a lot of energy. But he's actually a little more 'drafty' than Hank, so when I give them a command, Hank will start out immediately. Dan ... there's always a lag time!"

"Hank sort of carries the guilt for all the bad things Dan does! Hank is like the good child. He always does everything perfect for me, and when Dan gets in trouble, Hank really gets upset. He doesn't like it when Dan's bad," laughed Allen.

While Allen said she has only had to raise her voice to Hank a few times in the years she owned him, she has to get after Dan, daily, and Hank always knows when Dan is in trouble.

Starting as a horse trainer, Allen said she moved over to mules when she realized how smart and gentle they can be. She does some competitions with them, and won second place at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in 2001.

Most of the appearances they make are for charity fundraisers, as well as weddings at the Old Glory Ranch in Wimberley. Allen said Dan and Hank love children and are very patient when around them. Once on a trail ride, they were passing a daycare and the mules decided to go stop and look at the children.

At left, Allen backs a harnessed Hank and Dan to the wagon as they ready for one of their appearances. Each mule weighs a ton and stands 17 hands. -Staff photo by Taylor

In the summer, it is hard for anyone except Allen to tell the mules apart, but in the winter, Hank's coat gets a little darker.

Explaining how and why she hooks the mules in the positions she does, Allen said one has to be the lead mule.

"Because Dan is a little bit taller, he goes on the 'off' side. Hank is the lead mule on the 'near' side. Why that is is because of how the roads are graded. If there's a crown on the road or if there's any difference (in the sides of the road) you put the bigger animal on the right side so they

look more even when they pull. The one pulling uphill all time is the bigger, stronger animal," she explained.

It is amazing to ride in a wagon behind the team. Even in the midst of a personal conversation with us, the mules recognize when she gives them commands in the same tone of voice, in the middle of a conversation.

Not only are these mules gentle and "19 to 20" times smarter than a horse, according to Allen, they have been trained to remain calm when they attend functions, including those with rifle or cannon fire. Allen said she just gives them the command "Ready" when the fire is about to occur.

Allen said mules have to learn to trust their trainer/owner before they will do anything for them, but once you win the mules over, they will do whatever is necessary to please them.

The hardest part of working with Hank and Dan has been remembering how strong and big they really are, said Allen. She said they can easily pull 10,000 pounds, as a team. The two are very bonded, even when they are playing in the pasture, and Allen said they are often in the same position they are when hitched to the wagon.

She said people who haven't been around large animals sometimes forget that while the animals are gentle, they are still animals and not "human beings and they're not machines."

The best part of working with the team is the challenge of using their intelligence to accomplish the work of the day.

"Some days, I think they're smarter than me!" laughed Allen.