SAN ANTONIO, Texas — They have been around for thousands of years, have carried kings and kids alike and even helped settle the west.
They might just be the most misunderstood animal unless of course, you're professional mule trainer, Paul Garrison. "He can communicate with them in a very, very natural way," Garrison’s wife, Alejandra Garrison, dotes.
The couple have trained somewhere between three and 400 mules over the past 15 years.
It looks pretty much like a horse, except for the tell-tale long ears and much shorter tail.
But looks, is where the comparison ends."They require a different technique,” Paul said. “They require more patience. You have to be able to gain their trust."
Paul has learned to easily convince these beasts of burden to do whatever he wants. He said they are stronger, more intelligent and far more sure-footed than a horse. "The rides in the Grand Canyon? Those are all mules,” said Paul. “They been doing that for 115 years and have never had a fatality."
And that whole reputation of a mule being stubborn is not necessarily true. Garrison and his 15-year-old intern, Dayton seemed to be able to get them to climb over or onto anything. "They're less maintenance, [have] better stamina. You don't have to shoe em. They eat way less. They work harder. What is there not to like about a mule?"