Patchy now known as Apache

Above is a photo I grabbed off from Facebook.

Patchy was a mule that was bred out of a paint mare and our Donkey Jack named Bruce. We purchased him from the people who owned the mare. 

I started working with him and riding him at the age of two. At 14 hands, he wasn't tall, but he was one of the smoothest mules I'd ever rode. He was a half brother to my 15 hand and calm mule named Badger. Patchy was one of those cool and collected kind of animals. 

Patchy 18 years ago with my youngest son.

At age four, a lady friend of mine in California decided she HAD to have this guy and we did end up selling him. He landed in California with his new owners who'd never owned or worked with a mule. 

The lady friend rode him and loved all of the attention she got. I won't delve into what happened or how, but Patchy ended up getting freaked out over something she was doing and dumped her hard.

She called me up. She was too afraid to ride him. She didn't understand that mules need to think about new things and decide that those new things were not harmful. She didn't know that a mule rider had to build a trust with the animal. She wanted a push button animal and she got a young still learning mule.

I couldn't buy him back so she sold him as a rogue. A guy who did packing in that area picked him up. They contacted me later and sent me photos of their 11 yr old riding Patchy and roping hay bales to drag out at chore time. Patchy ended up with people that understood mules.

These folks moved their business to North Carolina and Patchy, now known as Apache moved with their pack mules.

I knew that Apache was working with the military and doing packing trips in the mountains, but after a few years I lost track.

The California lady texted me yesterday and asked if this was the same mule we'd both had. She sent me the link. There he was, still packing, still working.

Mountain Mule Packers is the company that owns him and has had him all these years. They are bringing medical supplies and other items to those folks in NC that have no roads left from the devastation of Hurricane Helene.

When I saw the videos of them packing with Apache I got a bit choked up. That mule found his calling with these folks. 

On their website you can see Apache working with soldiers in learning how to pack weapons of war over rough terrain. 

As I said, I only was with this mule for a couple of years. But some diamonds you never forget.

Way to go Patchy, now known as Apache.