This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, where America is the star, and the American people. Imagine for a moment, a mule in a track and field event. Would you picture it in the 400-yard dash? Or maybe the shotput? Well, if you ask the experts in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, they’ll tell you it’s all about hurdles, mixed with a good bit of high-flying vaulting. That’s right, every year, this spirited community in Pea Ridge, Arkansas hosts a mule jump, a truly unique and surprising American tradition that’s bound to redefine everything you thought you knew about rural sports and community fun.
Today, we’re diving headfirst into the fascinating story of mule jumping, exploring its quirky history, the unwritten rules, and the sheer joy it brings to folks in Pea Ridge. We’ll hear from the legends and passionate participants who keep this tradition alive, starting with Jackie Crabtree, Nathan C., and later, the pioneering Shockley family, often hailed as the OGs of this incredible sport. Get ready to uncover a piece of authentic Americana, where skill, heart, and a whole lot of mule power create an unforgettable spectacle.
📖 Read the Episode Transcript
You’re to start us.
Off with the story of everything you’ve ever wanted to know about a mule jump: Jackie Crabtree, Nathan C., and later on, the Shockley family, the OGs of the sport. Take it away, Jackie! Wouldn’t I say?
History of the mule chop here started out, of course, with being a real community. There was 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 the mule over, and then they would go on about their mule jump. But where it actually started at in Pea Ridge, 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, 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.
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.
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 60 seconds, of 60 seconds, to before they have to jump, 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 70, 72 inches—72 inches by a mule that was 51 hands high, high. So, mule hunt. You know, horses are, and they’re measured by hands. We separate them; 51 is the breakpoint. Under that, there’s one class, and then above that’s other class. So, 51 hands—that’s about and half or something like that.
Probably. Yeah, yeah, it’s.
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 a 100-yard dash. Some people just naturally good, and some mules—or will just jump, and others won’t jump. I’m Don Shockley. I’m Harold Shockley.
Yeah. I was born in 1941, Star Haller, and a family of thirteen: six boys and seven girls. And those boys all hunted.
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 were no video games. You got, you went fishing or hunting. That’s why Dad, 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.
Mules for coon hunting? Well, it’s so much easier to ride a mule up and down these hills.
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 and just jumping them overboard. Just raise the board higher and hire and see whose mule could jump the highest.
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.
You know, it’s like thirty-three years ago, thirty-four.
I can’t.
You have different rules. There are no really official mule jumping rules. It’s just whatever Pea 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 just flat-foot and jump over.
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.
And get one that liked it up. Some mules just like it. Yeah, I mean, they’re just good, and…
They like, you tell by jumping them a little bit.
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 kids that have trained mules, and I remember one time we were 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!’
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.
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 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 OurAmericanStories.com now and go to the donate button and help us keep the great American stories coming. That’s OurAmericanStories.com.
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