Mule jumping in the Ozarks has long history Pea Ridge Mule Jump enters second decade
Posted on Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Once a necessity, the use of mules in the Ozarks is now a means of entertainment and sport.
The 20 th annual Pea Ridge Mule Jump is Saturday. More than 1, 000 people descend on the city park in this small Ozark town to watch mules jump a barricade, sometimes higher than their heads. Sometimes the mules balk, leading onlookers to yell encouragement to the owner and animal.
Cries of "How high is it ? "can be heard around the park as the bar is raised and mules are pushed to jump higher and higher.
Morning events include halter classes, in which mules are judged for their appearance, barrel races, flag races and pole bending. There are stick mule races for youngsters and hog calling competition for young and old alike.
A boot race entails the riders to shed their boots, all of which are taken to the far end of the field. Mule riders line up and race to the boots, find their own boots, which they don and head back for the finish line.
The Shockley family - father, Don; son, Harold; and grandsons, Tyler, Kilby and Seth - have had a mule in the Pea Ridge Mule Jump since the beginning. Owners of seven mules, the Shockleys of Powell, Mo., enjoy the family-friendly event.
It all began years ago with grandfather Don Shockley, a friend of Col. Negel Hall of Pea Ridge, 'coon hunting and using his mule to travel through the woods and jump fences. Revealing his love of 'coon hunting and mule jumping is Don's nickman - Squirrel, pinned to him by Hall. Shockley admits the name came about because he could climb a tree as adeptly as a squirrel when going after raccoons. The Pea Ridge Mule Jump has its origins in a fall festival held downtown in 1985. Later events were called Battlefield Days. Mule jumping and competition of 'coon dogs was featured.
Over the years, various organizations, including the local Chamber of Commerce and Lions Club, sponsored the event. In 2002, the Pea Ridge Parks Commission became the sponsor of the event.
Bred for its hardiness and endurance, the mule is the offspring of a jack (male donkey ) and a mare (female horse ). Mules were used in the earlier part of the 20 th Century in the Ozarks by farmers to pull farm equipment and cultivate the rocky hillsides. They were also used for hunting, racing, riding.
Mule jumps originated with raccoon hunting. When raccoon hunters rode their mules on nighttime hunts, the mules were trained to jump fences without a running start. Hunters threw their coats or a blanket over the fence to make it more visible to the mule, climb over the fence, and encourage the mule to jump the fence.
Mules are unique in their ability to jump an obstacle from a standing still position.
For the mule jump in Pea Ridge, mules are divided into two categories, based on their height.
Awards are presented at the end of the day with a $ 1, 050 cash price and Montana silversmith belt buckle awarded for first place in the pro division.
A special award is presented at the end of the Pea Ridge Mule Jump honoring Hall, one of the first organizers of the event and an inveterate mule trainer. Hall had even trained a Brahma bull to jump.
Peggy Hall, Hall's widow, remembered the early events: "It was just a bunch of 'coon hunters getting together. "She said her husband worked with mules all his life, early on as a youngster growing up on a farm and of necessity. Some of Hall's well-known mules include Frosty, Ribbon and Copper. There are booths throughout the park with vendors selling food and assorted wares. The Pea Ridge Historical Society will have a booth selling Pea Ridge historical calendars and inviting people to sit and tell their story of life in Pea Ridge in days gone by. As parking is limited, visitors are encouaged to park at the nearby high school and ride a bus to the park. The morning events begin at 9 a.m. and jumps begin at 1 p.m.
Editor's note: See special section inside for more information.
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