Elise, cowgirl of the Americas…to Italy, and Morgan

We made a wonderful discovery while traipsing around Mulardie, so we'll let her speak for herself:

I should have hated mules.

When I was 3 years old, one of them chased me across her field. It was pure curiosity, and my little legs running around trying to escape her were a great invitation to investigate.

I could have sworn I saw her smile.

Crédit photo : @CindyZuppardi

Later, my family fell in love with an island in the Cyclades, and we lived there.

A year spent growing up on a rock surrounded by donkeys gives you plenty of time to see them at work.

Donkeys, I thought, are funny.

Short legs, round heads, and they work all by themselves. I watched them go back and forth for hours, with no one to guide them. Determined to complete a task, they didn't even stop to graze from time to time.

And when I greeted them, I could have sworn I saw them smile.

Donkeys and mules have been the backdrop to my life, but they took a more central place when I discovered my current profession, cowboy, and the mule found its way into my heart.

Seeing these roped parties spend days in the mountains, carrying men and equipment up to the most dangerous peaks without ever faltering. They nourished the greatest part of me: a thirst for freedom.

I was first propelled into the mountains of an Indian reserve in British Columbia, single-handedly taming wild horses that had never seen a human.

You quickly feel small in the face of the soul of such a place. Even though I only saw them in photos, I knew that somewhere, not far from me, the mules were advancing on their path.

I consoled myself: a wild horse is as intelligent as a mule. And when I managed to understand this shell they have, I also understood something else: they're not cheating, they're talking to us, we have to code something completely new into our minds.

This time, it was me who smiled.

I want to spare you a lot of details about my journey, so I'll jump back in time to a year ago.

I was working in Italy, and one evening I saw an ad for a white mule.

A week later, here I was standing in front of him. He appeared at the stall door: a sticky pile of fur in a stall with broken irons on his feet.

Despite being confined for several months, he wasn't unmanageable; his mind was trying to understand who I was.

I knew nothing about him, his former owners, or even his donkey father.

I knew nothing about training a mule. Yet, in the months that followed, we set out to conquer cows in the wilds of Italy.

We crossed rivers and thorn forests; I had him climb a canyon and lasso cattle. We galloped along the few paths, and several times we came across the remains the wolves left us after their raids.

I've never smiled so much perched on an animal.

I'm neither a horse nor a mule trainer. I have no advice to give, but a few small thoughts that are part of my new code.

I will modify this code throughout my life as I meet people, which I hope will be numerous. I will forever be a fervent beginner in the language of hybrids.

I respect intelligence: it's not stubborn, any more than I am; if I don't understand, I won't do it.

It requires the relationship of a dog: it needs a connection, a positive connection, trust, and I don't trust someone who asks me for a favor ten times a day without purpose.

Clear, simple, precise, and precise: my mind can't keep up with all the requests you have if you yourself are confused. Be consistent and calm. It works for mules, but also for me.

A little effort is an effort: I never know what my request costs my mule, how much she understands me; a small reward proves that we're walking on the right path together.

I'm here for you: a dead cow is scary, I'll get down to be by your side and get you close to it.

My mind is as important as my actions: it's not magic, if I'm running out of patience, you'll feel it, if I smile at you too.

I incorporate these animals into every aspect of my life, including my recent leatherwork. I've only been doing it for a few months and I've found a way to add mules (with the firm intention of never stopping).

I hope to soon be able to do more; I also want to create mule saddles.

I want the Mulerider name to be proudly displayed on leather goods that carry a soul as beautiful as that of hybrids.

All my life, I think I've prayed that one day I'd be able to talk to mules as easily as I talk to humans. I'd even trade if it were possible, but in the meantime, they're changing me, for the better.

Thanks to mules, I'll never stop smiling.

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