Mules show their value to Mitchell area man

It’s been five years of learning for Cory Dueck and his family but as his experience with his team of mules continues, he’s enjoying every moment.

A former rodeo circuit competitor and heavy horse trainer, mostly with Belgians, Dueck took on the responsibility of caring for and training a 10-year-old mule team after their owner died.

Five years later he’s taking the mules to compete in various heavy horse events such as at this year’s Manitoba Stampede, where he won silver, and Pioneer Days in Steinbach earlier this month.

He’s grown attached to Betty and Wilma, who were born from a Belgian draft house and sired by a donkey.

Because a mule is a hybrid, it will not reproduce due to the odd number of chromosomes.

But there are things that make them unique, including some very desirable traits.

Dueck said pound for pound they have about double the endurance and strength of a horse.

He added they eat about 50 percent of a horse of similar weight because they’re more efficient at processing their food.

“They know how to regulate themselves for water, where they won’t dehydrate so fast,” he said. “You’ll never overwork them for the simple fact that they know when to stop.”

Those attributes have led to mules being heavily used by armies in various wars.

Being gentle when training is very important with mules.

“They are an animal that doesn’t forget so when I train them there’s no whip,” he said. “It’s only talking.”

“They’ll remember if you’ve abused them and somewhere down the line in life they’ll get you back.”

That personality also makes them great guardian animals as Dueck said they won’t allow predators onto the property.

His mules have dispatched at least two foxes who dared approach the farmyard.

With 20 years of history in rodeo and more years spent training, Dueck said he was thrilled about the challenge in training something new.

“I just took every step very slow,” he said of the experience.

“It was always a true challenge to train something that was just totally different,” he said.

Mule teams are rare in Canada although they can still be found in the southern U.S. That results in many curious looks and questions from the heavy horse crowd when the Dueck family shows up.

And he knows it’s a long commitment. Mules live typically from 35 to 40 years while horses generally live 25 to 30.

And their health remains strong.

“You don’t need to needle them,” he said. “They heal themselves very well.”

And Dueck said while it’s nice to be recognized with the silver in Morris, that’s not the reason he shows his mules.

“I’m here just because they’re mules and they’re different,” he said. “I don’t care about the competition. I care about having fun with these guys.”