How We Prepared for Mule Week (And Why It Mattered)

What goes into preparing a donkey before a big event? A couple of weeks before heading to Ty Evans Mule Week in Utah, Hannah and I spent an entire week getting Famous Shamus and Wild Donkey Aw ready. Every ride had a purpose—from rebuilding my partnership with Shamus after a busy season of gentling wild burros, to conditioning Honk, to helping Aw become more confident on hills and around new obstacles. In this video, you’ll come along for that week of preparation. You’ll see trail rides, obstacle sessions, trailer preparation, loading before daylight, and a few photos and clips from Mule Week, where I spent the days teaching clinics and the evenings competing with Shamus. Preparation doesn’t guarantee everything will go perfectly, but it gives us valuable information. It helps us build confidence, strengthen our partnership, and discover what still needs a little more time before asking for something bigger. I hope you enjoy coming along behind the scenes as we prepared for one of the highlights of my summer. ⸻ 🌿 Want to Go Deeper? 🎥 Channel Memberships & Coaching Join the channel for behind-the-scenes content, deeper explanations, and extra training insights: 👉    / @trainingwildburroswithmaryjo   ⸻ 🐴 2026 Donkey Challenge (Optional, Free) If you’re working toward a more confident, forward donkey for hiking or riding, you’re welcome to join my 2026 Donkey Challenge. There’s no cost to sign up. Email [email protected] and I’ll send you a simple tracking sheet along with the challenge details. ⸻ 🌐 Website: https://www.trainingwildburros.com ❤️ Support Famous Shamus Farm: https://www.famousshamusfarm.org Thank you for watching, and I’ll see you in the next video!