October 18, 2024 • 7 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, everyone knows that a horse can jump a good-sized fence - but the folks in Pea Ridge, Arkansas thought whether a mule could do it was much more interesting. Here's the story of how their unique competition started.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habib and this is our American stories.
They show where America is the star and the American people.
If you were to put a mule in a track
and field event, which one do you think it would be?
The four hundred yard dash? Perhaps the shotput? If you
ask the experts in Peerridge, Arkansas, they probably say hurdles
mixed with a bit of the high flying antics found
(00:32):
in pall vaulting. Why because every year the town of
peer Ridge puts on a mule jump. You're to start
us off with the story of everything you've ever wanted
to know about a mule jump is Jackie Crabtree, Nathan c.
And later on the Shockley family, the ogs of the
sport take it away, Jackie.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Pretty much the history of the mule chop here started out,
of course, with being a real community. There was a
coon hunting a popular sport back then, and the mules
were used to naturally carry the riders. And then whenever
they got to a fence, instead of trying to find
a gate, they would just put the blanket over the fence,
(01:18):
jump the mule over, and then they would go on
about their mule jump. But where it actually started at
in peerage. From what my understanding is, they used to
have dog shows where their coon dogs. Everybody would come
and show their dogs and how good they were and
how they were good and they were at hunting. And
from what my understanding is, during one of those coon
(01:40):
dog shows, somebody said, well, I bet my mule can
jump higher than your mule. So that's basically where it
started from, a dare to see whose mule could jump
the highest.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
You can watch NASCAR, you can watch football all day long,
but you're not going to find a mule jump on
ESPN or any of these radio shows television shows. So
mule jump consists of kind of a mule rodeo, if
you will.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
The mules are not ridden, they're led up to the
barrier on a lead, and that barrier, the barrier's covered
so they can't see on the other side of it.
And then from that they have a certain period of
time whenever they step into the box, they have sixty
seconds of love sixty seconds too before they have to jump,
(02:26):
and they get two tracks. Crowd gets into it too,
They cheer on the mules to make sure to get
a jump higher. Our record is seventy seventy two inches
seventy two inches by a mule that was fifty one
hands high high. So mule hunt. You know, horses are,
(02:46):
and they're measured by hands that we separate them between.
Fifty one is the breakpoint. Under that there's one class
and then above that's the other class. So fifty one hands,
that's about I would have foot something like that probably, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Yeah, it's kind of natural for mule to jump. And
like I say, some mules want to jump, some don't.
It's just like some people are good at basketball, they're
just naturally good at it, and you can or running
one hundred yard dash. Some people just naturally good, and
some mules or will just jump and others won't jump.
(03:28):
I'm Don Shockley, I'm Harold Shockley.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Yeah. I was born in nineteen forty one, Star Haller,
in a family of thirteen, six boys and seven girls,
and thus boys all hunted.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Say, my dad's coon hunted all of his life. So
I was just probably two or three years old when
I first started. You know, when I growed up here,
we had two channels on TV. We didn't have an
ARIKANJ conditioner, we had one box fan. You didn't sit
in the house. I mean, there was no video games.
You got you went fishing or hunting. That's why Dad
(04:09):
like to say he was growed up with thirteen brothers
and sisters in a little house. You went hunting. You
got out, you and your buddies across the hill. You
went squirrel hunting, and it was something to do. Now
there is so much my grandkids and kids. It's just
life has got so fast.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
Why do you use mules for coon hunting? Well, it's
so much easier to ride a mule up and down
these hills.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
When you're coon hunting on them, you'll run into a fence,
you know, when you're riding back, you'll come to a
fence and just put your coat over it and then
jump your mule over it and then get back on
and go on. And you know that's where the mule
jumping come from. So we made a little mule jump
(04:59):
and just are jumping them overboard. Just raise the board
high and hire and see whose mule could jump the high.
Speaker 4 (05:04):
Well, we started just us, and then we went down
there at Pea Ridge. It kind of created a lot
of inners. So the the town of Pea Ridge. Then
they they tuck it over and turned into a big deal.
It's one over ever since you know, it's like thirty
three years ago, thirty four. I can't.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
You have different rules.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
There is no really official mule jumping rules. It's just
whatever peer ridge.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
You've got to.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Bring your mule up to the jump and bring them
to a complete stop, like at least ten foot from
the jump, and then you can leave, you know, and
then let it go. But you can't get a run
and start at it. So he's got it more or
less woke up and stop and get set and then
just flat foot and jump over.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
If you just wanting a good jumping mule, you need
to jump, work them right every day, jump teaching up,
keep raising it up and jumping them.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Jumping and get one that liked it. Some mules just
like it.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Yeah, I mean they're they're just good.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
And they like you tell by jumping them a little bit.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
The mules kind of take on the demeanor of their handlers.
Some of them are pretty excited when they're coming out,
and then you'll see the mules prancing with them. Others
are some of the older gentlemen are a little bit slower.
They walk a little slower. The mules are walking slow
they're really calm and cool, and so it's it's pretty
neat to see that. Now, we've had some really young
(06:33):
kids that have trained mules, and I remember one time
we was there and this one little girl that was
normally riding her mule and her granddad had taken a
mule and was running through the obstacle course and the
mule wasn't wanting to go through part of the obstacle course.
And pretty soon you hear this little girl, you hear
her voice, Grandpa, you're running my mule.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
It's fun, you know that. That's the best memory. I mean,
we've had some good jumps, We've won a lot of
we want a lot of money. My boys want a
lot of money down there, bottom of pickup, each boy,
bottom pickup. Well, that's good memories. But the family and
the friends and the gathering and all your buddies there
and you talk hunting and riding and.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
And a terrific job on the production editing and storytelling
by our own Monty Montgomery. A piece of Americana here
on our American stories. Folks, if you love the great
American stories we tell and love America like we do,
we're asking you to become a part of the Our
American Stories family. If you agree that America is a
(07:40):
good and great country, please make a donation. A monthly
gift of seventeen dollars and seventy six cents is fast
becoming a favorite option for supporters. Go to Our American
Stories dot com now and go to the donate button
and help us keep the great American stories coming. That's
Our American Stories dot com.
This is Lee Habib and this is our American stories.
They show where America is the star and the American people.
If you were to put a mule in a track
and field event, which one do you think it would be?
The four hundred yard dash? Perhaps the shotput? If you
ask the experts in Peerridge, Arkansas, they probably say hurdles
mixed with a bit of the high flying antics found
(00:32):
in pall vaulting. Why because every year the town of
peer Ridge puts on a mule jump. You're to start
us off with the story of everything you've ever wanted
to know about a mule jump is Jackie Crabtree, Nathan c.
And later on the Shockley family, the ogs of the
sport take it away, Jackie.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Pretty much the history of the mule chop here started out,
of course, with being a real community. There was a
coon hunting a popular sport back then, and the mules
were used to naturally carry the riders. And then whenever
they got to a fence, instead of trying to find
a gate, they would just put the blanket over the fence,
(01:18):
jump the mule over, and then they would go on
about their mule jump. But where it actually started at
in peerage. From what my understanding is, they used to
have dog shows where their coon dogs. Everybody would come
and show their dogs and how good they were and
how they were good and they were at hunting. And
from what my understanding is, during one of those coon
(01:40):
dog shows, somebody said, well, I bet my mule can
jump higher than your mule. So that's basically where it
started from, a dare to see whose mule could jump
the highest.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
You can watch NASCAR, you can watch football all day long,
but you're not going to find a mule jump on
ESPN or any of these radio shows television shows. So
mule jump consists of kind of a mule rodeo, if
you will.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
The mules are not ridden, they're led up to the
barrier on a lead, and that barrier, the barrier's covered
so they can't see on the other side of it.
And then from that they have a certain period of
time whenever they step into the box, they have sixty
seconds of love sixty seconds too before they have to jump,
(02:26):
and they get two tracks. Crowd gets into it too,
They cheer on the mules to make sure to get
a jump higher. Our record is seventy seventy two inches
seventy two inches by a mule that was fifty one
hands high high. So mule hunt. You know, horses are,
(02:46):
and they're measured by hands that we separate them between.
Fifty one is the breakpoint. Under that there's one class
and then above that's the other class. So fifty one hands,
that's about I would have foot something like that probably, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Yeah, it's kind of natural for mule to jump. And
like I say, some mules want to jump, some don't.
It's just like some people are good at basketball, they're
just naturally good at it, and you can or running
one hundred yard dash. Some people just naturally good, and
some mules or will just jump and others won't jump.
(03:28):
I'm Don Shockley, I'm Harold Shockley.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Yeah. I was born in nineteen forty one, Star Haller,
in a family of thirteen, six boys and seven girls,
and thus boys all hunted.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Say, my dad's coon hunted all of his life. So
I was just probably two or three years old when
I first started. You know, when I growed up here,
we had two channels on TV. We didn't have an
ARIKANJ conditioner, we had one box fan. You didn't sit
in the house. I mean, there was no video games.
You got you went fishing or hunting. That's why Dad
(04:09):
like to say he was growed up with thirteen brothers
and sisters in a little house. You went hunting. You
got out, you and your buddies across the hill. You
went squirrel hunting, and it was something to do. Now
there is so much my grandkids and kids. It's just
life has got so fast.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
Why do you use mules for coon hunting? Well, it's
so much easier to ride a mule up and down
these hills.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
When you're coon hunting on them, you'll run into a fence,
you know, when you're riding back, you'll come to a
fence and just put your coat over it and then
jump your mule over it and then get back on
and go on. And you know that's where the mule
jumping come from. So we made a little mule jump
(04:59):
and just are jumping them overboard. Just raise the board
high and hire and see whose mule could jump the high.
Speaker 4 (05:04):
Well, we started just us, and then we went down
there at Pea Ridge. It kind of created a lot
of inners. So the the town of Pea Ridge. Then
they they tuck it over and turned into a big deal.
It's one over ever since you know, it's like thirty
three years ago, thirty four. I can't.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
You have different rules.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
There is no really official mule jumping rules. It's just
whatever peer ridge.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
You've got to.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Bring your mule up to the jump and bring them
to a complete stop, like at least ten foot from
the jump, and then you can leave, you know, and
then let it go. But you can't get a run
and start at it. So he's got it more or
less woke up and stop and get set and then
just flat foot and jump over.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
If you just wanting a good jumping mule, you need
to jump, work them right every day, jump teaching up,
keep raising it up and jumping them.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Jumping and get one that liked it. Some mules just
like it.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Yeah, I mean they're they're just good.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
And they like you tell by jumping them a little bit.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
The mules kind of take on the demeanor of their handlers.
Some of them are pretty excited when they're coming out,
and then you'll see the mules prancing with them. Others
are some of the older gentlemen are a little bit slower.
They walk a little slower. The mules are walking slow
they're really calm and cool, and so it's it's pretty
neat to see that. Now, we've had some really young
(06:33):
kids that have trained mules, and I remember one time
we was there and this one little girl that was
normally riding her mule and her granddad had taken a
mule and was running through the obstacle course and the
mule wasn't wanting to go through part of the obstacle course.
And pretty soon you hear this little girl, you hear
her voice, Grandpa, you're running my mule.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
It's fun, you know that. That's the best memory. I mean,
we've had some good jumps, We've won a lot of
we want a lot of money. My boys want a
lot of money down there, bottom of pickup, each boy,
bottom pickup. Well, that's good memories. But the family and
the friends and the gathering and all your buddies there
and you talk hunting and riding and.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
And a terrific job on the production editing and storytelling
by our own Monty Montgomery. A piece of Americana here
on our American stories. Folks, if you love the great
American stories we tell and love America like we do,
we're asking you to become a part of the Our
American Stories family. If you agree that America is a
(07:40):
good and great country, please make a donation. A monthly
gift of seventeen dollars and seventy six cents is fast
becoming a favorite option for supporters. Go to Our American
Stories dot com now and go to the donate button
and help us keep the great American stories coming. That's
Our American Stories dot com.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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