Everyday Mulemanship

Everyday Mulemanship opens the same way every time. Well hey friends, and then Ty Evans introduces whoever he has managed to get on the line. The guests are mule people, and they come from everywhere: Mike Price up in Montana, Jason Griffen in Missouri, Penny Reining out east in Pennsylvania, Les Clancy in the Ozarks, and horseman Kip Fladland. Ty usually starts by asking them to tell their story for anybody who has never met them. What follows is rarely rushed. Conversations move from childhood and upbringing through cattle, horses, breeding programs, and the long slow business of getting an animal trained. The training material is where the show earns its keep. Jason explains what it takes for an animal to lean into a rope correctly and pull off the horn, and why one taught that way will never quit you. Kip makes the case for the high line, arguing that a young horse standing still because it chose to is worth more than one held by cross ties. Penny describes a shift she has watched, where the old problem of riders being too hard has given way to riders so soft they get run over, and admits she now tells people to firm up more often than she tells them to lighten up. Ty's own framing is memorable. He compares himself to a history teacher he loved, one who taught by asking questions and getting a mind working, and says that is what he wants to be for his mules. He talks about groundwork that eventually becomes everything from catching to saddling to mounting, done with quality, though he is clear that takes a long time to reach. Solo episodes are clinic debriefs. He walks through what happened at Arizona clinics, including a moment with a rider named Janet and her mule, and uses it to make the point that mules live in the moment and ninety-two prior crossings count for nothing today. He worries aloud that he rambles. He also tells listeners they can hit pause. Sponsor reads are unhurried and personal, delivered as favors to friends: custom saddles, tents for backcountry hunting and packing, breeding services, two mule magazines. Boyd Ranch Mule Days and Huzzah Valley Mule Days come up as gatherings, with concerts, games, trail courses and camping. Every episode closes with thanks, a request for a review, a blessing, and the promise to see you down the road.