The tapes are a high-quality product, professionally done with animation, original music and just a touch of humor. Horse owners can also utilize the videos because Meredith is quick to point out the differences in technique between training a horse and a mule or donkey.

Foal Training (Tape 1)
Pertaining to Mules. Differences between a horse & mule, "neo-natal isoerythrolysis", imprinting, undestanding your mule foal, handling the newborn, haltering, tying, leading, trailer loading, showmanship.

Ground Work (Tape 2)
Pertaining to Mules. Safety basics, preventing & correcting bad habits, working with the yearling, restraint methods, intrducing sheets & blankets, first saddling, lunging & ground driving.

Preparing For Performance: Driving (Tape 3)
Pertaining to Mules. Different equipment & the proper fit of the harness, verbal commands, carts & carriages, pre-hitch training with an assistant, hitching to a training vehicle, reinsmanship, pleasure & obstacle driving, working with teams.

Basic Foundation For Saddle (Tape 4)
Pertaining to Mules. Mounting, riding with & without an assistant, correct horsemanship, patterns at a walk & trot, the canter or lope, leads, seat & leg cues, more complex patterns & obstacles. Also sections on grooming & hoof care.

Intermediate Saddle Training (Tape 5)
Pertaining to Mules. Fine tuning the rider: equitation, equitation on a lunge line, riding a broke and a green animal without stirrups or reins, collection, bending & lateral work. Covers training tips for Western & English pleasure classes, simple lead changes & trail classes. Includes preparation for the show ring, fitting & grooming.

Advacnced Saddle Training (Tape 6)
Pertaining to Mules. Introduces the curb bit & emphasizes the use of Dressage as a basis for all equine sports. With this foundation undertaken is Second Level Dressage, Reining, Western Riding, Trail & Preliminary Jumping.

Jumping (Tape 7)
Pertaining to Mules. Stadium & cross country courses: equipment, types of jumps, correct rider positions, judging strides. Training segments include cavalletti and warm-up exercises, gymnastics, stadium jumping, course work & cross country. Cavaletti to cross rail patterns, jump construction & many more tips & tricks.

Management, Fitting & Grooming (Tape 8)
Pertaining to Mules. Housing, feed & nutrition, routine care, grooming, body clipping, braiding & advanced showmanship.

Donkey Training: Introduction & Basic Training (Tape 9)
Pertaining to Donkeys. Differences between training donkeys & mules, imprinting, tying, leading, obstacle course, trailer loading, showmanship, athletic potential. Jacks: Training to breed-in-hand.

Donkey Training: Saddle Training & Jumping (Tape 10)
Pertaining to Donkeys. Basics, trotting, mounting, patterns, obstacles, canter, advanced training, lateral training, lengthening & jumping. Massage for your equine.

About The Author: Meredith Hodges has been associated with mules & donkeys for over 25 years. She has studied Animal Sciences at Colorado State University, and is an animal inspector, representative and judge for the American Donkey and Mule Society. In 1988 Meredith and three of her mules appeared in the Tournament of Roses Parade. To date she has written three books on donkey and mule training, with a ten-tape video series that accompanies the books.