Long ears surprise rodeo crowds! These hardy, sure-footed equines are defying expectations and winning fans, one competition at a time.
Mules have a natural spot on trails and pack trips. They’ve earned their reputation for being sure-footed and perhaps a little stubborn but hardier than their half sibling horses. From pulling plows to back country mountain terrain, mules have their special talents.
Yet they rarely appear in mainstream rodeo competitions. And when they do, there’s always a flurry of attention as though everyone is sucked in by the surprise appearance of those long ears.
This double take moment happened at the National Finals Rodeo grand entry of all places in 2024. Derrick Begay wound up bringing his mule John Henry to the big show and let Zeke Thurston ride him in the grand entry. Begay is partial to mules and was eager to put him in the entry for the first time although he had used him to move cattle and do behind the scenes chute work already there in Vegas. He believes in John Henry’s abilities and has shown them to the world beyond his ranch.
Begay is not alone in his appreciation of long ears. Celebrations of these special creatures occur coast to coast, with two of the largest ones being Mule Days in Bishop, California, and Mule Days in Benson, North Carolina. Both festivals have historical roots that have blossomed into present-day competitions. The NC event celebrates the agriculture benefits mules brought to farmers over the years. The California festival goes even further, with a full array of competitions for mules, ranging from rodeo events like team roping to English classes and halter classes.
In 2024, barrel racer Amberley Snyder had a participant show up to her barrel racing clinic with a mule. It was the first time that had ever happened, and while the duo won’t likely be in any 1D races, they are barrel racing together successfully.
Other mule enthusiasts have broken down stereotypes at events like the Mule Show put on during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Famous trainers at this event have even been able to get mules to jump over things (if you’ve ever seen a mule jump, you know this is not an easy or a common task).
And for the nonbelievers, there are numerous videos on YouTube and TikTok of mules working on cattle ranches or participating in the stray rodeo event. One particularly impressive one is from “Mountain Built” a family living in the mountains and documenting their adventures. In this particular video they hauled their working mules to a Ty Evans cattle clinic. The mules, Reata and Clyde, participated in roping, sorting, and general herd movement work. (Working and Roping Cattle on MULES In Idah). They do just fine in this venue that is obviously very new to them.
While horses will always be the go-to mounts for working cattle and rodeoing, these moments serve as proof that mules are capable of much more than what is stereotypically assigned to them. Who knows, you may even see some of John Henry’s friends in the NFR grand entry in future years. Just look for long ears!