BIG MEADOW IN THE SEQUOIAS
BY PAT FISH

Tobe gets the joke!

     An opportunity to spend time in the Sequoia National Forest with the amazing mule trainer Jerry Tindell was an offer I couldn’t pass up. So this summer I joined Jerry’s family and friends for several days of education and riding in a landscape of breathtaking beauty.

     Our campsite was located at 8,000 ft elevation, above Lake Isabella on the Kern River, accessed by a challenging very low gear road winding through dry rocky forest. After an hour of persistence the last rise was topped, and >cue up the theme music for every magic Western movie of my childhood> the first sight of Big Meadow is like the dream destination of every Western covered wagon train. A huge open pasture filled with lowing cows, ringed with mountains, and campgrounds in the forest. Ours had a spring fed 8 acre fenced turnout where the mules and horses grazed and galloped and played. That guaranteed that when we weren’t asking them to do trail rides they were enjoying their summer vacation too.

     Jerry’s commitment is to educating the human in parallel with the animal, since he long ago learned that teaching something to a mule or horse won’t stick if the owner doesn’t keep it up once the equine returns home. So the very small class sessions focused on techniques of immediate practical application, for the riders and mounts of all levels of sophistication. Then we’d go for a trail ride to practice the skills.

     The participants were as varied as the animals they brought to ride. One was a man whose marriage to an accomplished horsewoman was requiring that he step up and learn how to share this part of her life. Another man drove all the way from Oklahoma with two bargain mules, whose issues he wanted JT’s help with sorting out. Watching a canny, very suspicious older mule who would rather have nothing to do with humans be slowly convinced that his circumstances had taken a turn for the better was utterly fascinating.

     Me, I had the simple goal of improving my communication skills, since my Rocky Mountain mule Tobe is generally willing to work as a team with me, as long as I am clear about my directions to him. I especially wanted to teach him to sidle up to a log or stump for mounting in the forest, since I am not yet able to mount his 16hh self from the ground. To my astonishment it took a matter of minutes to teach, and we practiced it over and over with pleasure.

     We also had a water-crossing issue, exacerbated by the fact that where I ride in the Southern California chaparral there are very few creeks and streams. So opportunities to teach Tobe familiarity with water are few, and on recent rides in the redwoods he’d been quite resistant to cross water and then at best jumped over streams.

     Jerry watched as Tobe refused to cross water, then the balk evolved to that dang mule taking off with me at high speed backwards, crashing into trees, putting me into quite the panic. I felt terrified, because I mistakenly thought the mule was scared of the water, with the fear compounding up between us. JT set me straight on that, saying “That mule is not scared at all. He’s enjoying refusing you.” Well now, put it that way and I have a whole different perspective. And with Jerry’s help I changed my attitude so that I used calm persistence to ask for a water crossing, correcting firmly, until finally we were walking through as if there had never been an issue.

     This kind of training goes way beyond the immediate application to one particular problem. What Jerry is doing is schooling the student with principles that can be reapplied throughout their career; with equines, dogs, maybe even spouses.

     Because the class size was small, everyone had a chance to ask for help with something that was troubling them. Then for trail rides several people not enrolled in the seminars had come to camp out and share the good time. So rides and campfire talks were lively and an example of good fellowship.

     I first saw Jerry Tindell at Bishop Mule Days several years ago, and have eagerly returned to observe him give his demonstrations every year since. At first I was in slack-jawed amazement at what he could accomplish with a mule he’d never worked with before. But the longer I spend in the saddle the more sense I can make of his techniques. He doesn’t present mystique, or act as if he has super powers. He’s a humble Southern Gentleman, whose empathy for both animals and humans makes him uniquely qualified to train them both.

     I didn’t leave the class with a special set of proprietary training aids, hats or gizmos. I learned practical principles that I can reapply to other new situations my mule and I will find ourselves encountering in the future. I had previously purchased a set of Jerry’s DVDs produced by Video Mike, and they have been my textbook over the past year. They are so jam packed with information that I watch for a few minutes, get a mental list of things to focus on with the mule, and I’m off to the arena or trail.

     In a world filled with media superstars creating franchises of themselves, Jerry Tindell is the real deal. Those who have had the good fortune to work personally with him know this first hand. People at a distance can benefit from watching his DVDs and maybe, just maybe, find their way to Big Meadow some summer for an unforgettable vacation.

Pat Fish    http://www.luckyfish.com/pages/blarney/mule.htm

I first found out about Jerry when my husband Roy and I [on our honeymoon] witnessed him demonstrating at Bishop Mule Days in California. We were very fascinated by his quick ability to get positive results with problem mules and donkeys brought to him by strangers. Jerry has an outstanding ability to communicate with people and their animals. His demos became the highlight of our visit to Bishop!

Jerry so impressed the audience that we were able to have him come back in the summer and do several clinics for the Alberta Donkey and Mule Club.

Personally, I have found Jerry to be the best communicator of all the trainers I have taken clinics under. He often works overtime to help anyone who is struggling or having problems. Safety of both animal and participant is his first concern and he won’t push either beyond what they are capable of. His approach to training and teaching dwells on a lot of common sense, something that we often overlook! His patience is infinite and he has a genuine concern for everyone involved in his clinics, and he has a great sense of humor!

Jerry has given Roy and me some great tools in working with our mules.  I only wish I had known of Jerry sooner! We look forward to his visits to Alberta!

Marlene and Roy Quiring Ponoka, Alberta, Canada

Mindy MacDonald, DVM

Dear Jerry - 

I hope that you know what a difference you have made in my life. Now I know that people who don’t love horses can hardly imagine why anyone would think that learning how to work with your 4-year-old Thoroughbred could be a life changing experience, but those of you reading this who do love horses and mules will know exactly what I mean. 

While I have spent most of my life around horses either as a rider or as an equine veterinarian, I realized long ago that learning about them was a lifelong process. Then 2 years ago I made a terrible decision that cost both of my beloved horses their lives and I was sure that I would or should never be granted the honor of having another young horse to care for. But of course life is just no fun without a horse, so along came my then 3-year old Lake. 

Lake needed some time off to heal from his race training, and stall rest did not make him into a quiet young man, but I was confident that he was well within my sights and abilities. Of course, (as soon as you think you know something about horses...) I found myself more than a little out-manned this past spring trying to figure out how to stay on this big old Thoroughbred who had come into my life with quite a leap and a jolt.  

After spending a couple of nights gobbling down Excedrin tablets to recover from hitting the ground - my friend Cheryl Ellis reminded me that Jerry could help me with this little bucking problem. Of course the real issue was not the bucking, as those of you who know the JT program already know, but it was sure a big painful symptom of the problem. 

Suffice it to say that Lake has learned a lot of respect for JT – as have I – and better yet Lake is slowly but surely becoming convinced that he should also respect me- at least on the good days. I am still in the early learning stages of this lifelong learning process, but it would be an understatement to say that I am a lot better off now than I was last spring! 

P.S.: For those of you who ride English… aside from refusing to ride himself in the little postage stamps that we call saddles… everything Jerry is about is the horse, and that has nothing to do with the saddle you are riding in, so don’t hesitate to bring your English tack to the clinics! 

Melinda MacDonald, D.V.M.

Davis, CA

After adopting a BLM mustang (a very cute appaloosa mare, Mustang Sally) I was looking for solid, competent guidance and found it at my first Jerry Tindell clinic. He covered basic groundwork, to include getting the head down, backing up, moving the shoulders over and hindquarter control. Quickly he taught me the mechanics of groundwork and how it is the foundation for establishing a connection with my horse. What we learn on the ground he said, will carry over to what we will do under saddle. Subsequent Tindell clinics took my horse Sally and I through a progression of riding skills, each one building on the previous lesson.

Clayton, CA

Fast forward to October 2006 when I attended yet another clinic. The first day was groundwork and round penning so once again I did not ride. On Sunday we worked on the ground for most of the morning while others were riding. That afternoon you asked me if I was going to get on. I believe my response was a nervous laugh followed by some kind of nervous tick. You assured me that you would be right there with me in the round pen, so I reluctantly swung a leg over but there was a peaceful calm about the whole thing--I was still fearful but felt good--I don’t know how to explain it. You worked him in the round pen and told me to hold the reins loosely and use the pommel of my saddle to steady myself, as if to ride with no hands--you were the driver and I was the passenger. That day changed my life with my mule. You gave me the support to overcome my fear and my heart will be forever grateful for that.

Acton, CA

With all his knowledge and skill, Jerry always comes across as a regular Joe, no more important than anyone else. This I think is the key to his success. I've been to many clinics and always the clinician seems to let you know that he's a bit better than those he is trying to teach. Jerry is the very first instructor to telephone me after a clinic and ask me what I thought and if I got what I came for.　I am heading to Bishop in the spring and will do another clinic in Alberta and am looking forward to meeting with him again.

3 year old mule with just 6 hours on him, getting ready for a parade.

3 year old with just 3 or 4 hours on him, learning to be shot off. He also got ridden in a parade with 10 hours on him.

Thanks Jerry for making this all possible.