What a great update. Thanks
Be aware. My late brotherās mule, Bob, would let my brother handle his feet but tried to stomp the farrier. If your mule is really bonded to you, he might still not react well for the farrier
I had that issue with my mule and 1 farrier. For some reason he just had an aversion to him right from the start. The mule was under a year old but had been trimmed before we moved, no problem.
The farrier was a smoker and I always wondered if that was the reason none of my horses did well for him? I saw him do many horses weekly at the barn I worked at --no issues at all.
All that rambling to say I could handle and trim my mule just fine. We moved again and I got a new farrier who the mule did great with, so OP just needs to give it a try with a farrier and see what happens.
Photo dump of Sal incoming. He just finished being turned out for a month or so in the back pasture with all the other horses. I went out a couple times a week to say hi, maybe give him an offering, and then leave. We also did a little practice coming into the barn. He still has a residual bolting habit even though itās been a year where he gets nervous and tries to rip the line out of your handsā¦so I practiced leading him in with no line at all, just a halter and suggestionāour arena opens directly to one of the paddocks so this is safe to do. Itās made this a lot better and weāre at a point where I no longer feel I have to be constantly vigilant and on guard just leading him around the property because if he does try to get away from me he gives up pretty quickly and hasnāt actually succeeded in bolting away inā¦itās been awhile now that I think of it.
Heās supposed to come back to my place soon just for a change of pace and because the younger mule is going to be getting gelded and he will also be coming here for awhile and will want company.
Iām about to start doing our groundwork exercises in random places around the property instead of just the round pen/arena, heās ready for that. This guy comes around way slower than a horse but honestly Iām having way more fun working with him than I do with most animals. Since the last update we have:
-Practiced having a bit in his mouth
-Worked him with that bit in his mouth on the ground
-Ground driven
-Put a bareback pad on him (I canāt find a saddle I like)
-Put a rope around his flank to get him used to the sensation of a back cinch in the future
-Had him carry sandbag legs around
-Laid across his back and let him take a step or two
-Led him in and out of the arena and round pen in areas where there is not a fence
-Brought him in and out of turnout without a lead rope
So far heās kind of taking everything in stride and after his month stint in group turnout I honestly see him starting to turn a corner emotionally. Iām not sure if itās decompression or maturity but weāre going in the right direction and hopefully that just continues to get better and better.
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Oh, and I also signed up for a Ty Evans clinic in September. I am undecided on whether to bring Sal or to bring the baby, itās a fundamental groundwork class and I feel I may get more out of it bringing an animal I donāt have to manage so much. Weāll see where heās at come September. I donāt plan to ride either (the baby is too young and Sal isnāt ready) so thatās not a factor. Said baby mule isnāt mine, but has been offered up for me to bring should I so wish.
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Oh heās lovely. I love this thread 
Update: life got busy for a little because Iām also campaigning a show poodle right now so I just sort ofā¦turned Sal out with the herd and then didnāt do anything with him.
For a month.
Which I should probably feel bad about? Except I went to go get him last night and apart from being an absolute JERK to catch, this has apparently won me an animal with a much better work ethic? Which isnāt what Iād expect and is sort of confusing but Iām not about to complain.
Anyway heās been out there awhile. He has one twoish year old filly heās super attached to. Sheās been with the farm since she was five months old and he hangs with the babies (there are a few) but mostly with her. People go back to catch horses and to push the herd between pastures but he hasnāt been brought in and worked in awhile. He has a few people he really likes and will harass if he sees them but otherwise has been sort of just left to his own devices to run around and be a baby, something we strongly suspect heās never really had a chance to do before, especially not in a social environment like a large, mixed-age-and-gender herd.
I spent awhile trying to catch her. Sheās usually easy to catch but apparently has gotten wise, so I separated them, ran him and his BFFL nto the arena (which opens into our sacrifice pasture) and then free lunged both of them until they decided to stop being turds. Unfortunately I have always had a personality clash with his BFFL so as soon as I was able I just sort of pulled her out because I know this about myself.
Well what do you know, he was pretty eager to get to work. Let me put the halter on, lunged on a line with no problems at all, didnāt even really try to bolt on me. I threw a bridle on him and decided fuck it, I was gonna work outside today, and hooked the lunge line to the bit with both sides attached like I usually do.
This was the first time weāve worked outside an enclosed space and apparently he was in work mode tonight because I took him up, down, and around, over some logs, backed him up. Tripped and faceplanted into the grass, which caused him to spook but he didnāt leave me. Eventually I took him into the barn, fed him a small amount of mash as a reward, and put him up for the night.
Heās gonna come home for the end of the summer probably on Thursday just for a change of scenery before returning to the barn when the weather turns.
I am going to a Ty Evans clinic in September but am probably going to bring our yearling mule that belongs to my trainer as that one doesnāt have a history of bolting on the line and while Iām sure Sal would probably be fine, Iād rather spend the day not frustrated with the animal Iām working with.
So thatās where weāre at.
Weāll probably start saddle breaking in the spring when heāll be around 4 or 5.
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Thatās great and all but you know updates donāt count unless they include cute mule photos, right?? 
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I have a great video of him going over a log last night but it wonāt post here (:
