May 23, 2025 • 7 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, everyone knows a horse can jump a good-sized fence—but the folks in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, thought it was much more interesting to see if a mule could do the same. Here’s the story of how their unique competition got 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 peer Ridge, Arkansas, they probably say
hurdles mixed with a bit of the high flying antics
(00:32):
found in all vaulting. Why because every year the town
of peer Ridge puts on a mule jump.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
You're to start us.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
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, wouldn't I say?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
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 nactually 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, jump
(01:18):
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 dog shows,
(01:41):
somebody said, well, I'll 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 3 (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 show 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 sixty seconds to before they have to jump,
(02:26):
and they get two tricks. Crowd gets into it too,
they cheer on the mules to make sure to get
a jump higher. Yep, 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. We separate them between fifty
one is the break point. Under that there's one class
and then above that's other class. So fifty one hands
that's about and half or something like that.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Probably, Yeah, Yeah, it's.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Kind of natural for a 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. I'm
(03:28):
Don Shockley, I'm Harold Shockley.
Speaker 5 (03:31):
Yeah. I was born in nineteen forty one Star Haller
and a family of thirteen, six boys and seven girls.
And those boys all hunted.
Speaker 4 (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 traditioner. 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 I 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. Why do you use.
Speaker 5 (04:27):
Mules for coon hunting? Well, it's so much easier to
ride a mule up and down these hills.
Speaker 4 (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
(04:58):
and just jumping them overboard. Just raise the board higher
and hire and see whose mule could jump the highest.
Speaker 5 (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 won over ever since.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
You know, it's like thirty three years ago, thirty four.
Speaker 5 (05:26):
I can't.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
You have different rules. There is no really official mule
jumping rules. It's just whatever peer ridge. You've got to
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 him 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
(05:51):
just flat foot and jump over.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
If you just want a good jumping mule, you need
to jump, work them right every day jumps. Keep raising
it up and jumping them jumping.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
And get one that liked it up. Some mules just
like it. Yeah, I mean they're just good and.
Speaker 5 (06:07):
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 walked 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 4 (06:58):
It's fun. You know that. It'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 here, 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,
we need talk hunting.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
And riding, and you just 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
(07:39):
agree that America is a 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 peer Ridge, Arkansas, they probably say
hurdles mixed with a bit of the high flying antics
(00:32):
found in all vaulting. Why because every year the town
of peer Ridge puts on a mule jump.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
You're to start us.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
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, wouldn't I say?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
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 nactually 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, jump
(01:18):
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 dog shows,
(01:41):
somebody said, well, I'll 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 3 (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 show 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 sixty seconds to before they have to jump,
(02:26):
and they get two tricks. Crowd gets into it too,
they cheer on the mules to make sure to get
a jump higher. Yep, 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. We separate them between fifty
one is the break point. Under that there's one class
and then above that's other class. So fifty one hands
that's about and half or something like that.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Probably, Yeah, Yeah, it's.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Kind of natural for a 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. I'm
(03:28):
Don Shockley, I'm Harold Shockley.
Speaker 5 (03:31):
Yeah. I was born in nineteen forty one Star Haller
and a family of thirteen, six boys and seven girls.
And those boys all hunted.
Speaker 4 (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 traditioner. 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 I 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. Why do you use.
Speaker 5 (04:27):
Mules for coon hunting? Well, it's so much easier to
ride a mule up and down these hills.
Speaker 4 (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
(04:58):
and just jumping them overboard. Just raise the board higher
and hire and see whose mule could jump the highest.
Speaker 5 (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 won over ever since.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
You know, it's like thirty three years ago, thirty four.
Speaker 5 (05:26):
I can't.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
You have different rules. There is no really official mule
jumping rules. It's just whatever peer ridge. You've got to
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 him 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
(05:51):
just flat foot and jump over.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
If you just want a good jumping mule, you need
to jump, work them right every day jumps. Keep raising
it up and jumping them jumping.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
And get one that liked it up. Some mules just
like it. Yeah, I mean they're just good and.
Speaker 5 (06:07):
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 walked 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 4 (06:58):
It's fun. You know that. It'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 here, 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,
we need talk hunting.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
And riding, and you just 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
(07:39):
agree that America is a 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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