Mule enthusiasts flock to revanped event
SPRINGFIELD, MO. – Missouri Mule Makeover and Ozark Mule Days is a big deal and getting bigger by the year.
It is an equine extravaganza that generally occurs on Labor Day weekend at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds in Springfield, Mo. It’s three shows rolled into one.
Ozark Mule Days was started by the parents of Les Clancy in 1982 and ran until 1996 in the parking lot of PFI in Springfield, Mo.
After several years of hiatus, Les revived the show after concluding his military career. The show moved to the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds in 2010 after outgrowing its space in Ozark, Mo.
“It is still growing with over 60,000 followers on social media and at times well over 1 million views on Facebook during the Makeover,” Les said.
The Ozark Mule Days show is like horse shows in that it offers a selection of familiar events like barrel racing, pole bending, reining, English equitation and Western pleasure. Spectators can also see driving (mules pulling carts/wagons) and rowdy good fun like pick-up races, dizzy bat and monkey in a tree. Adults and youth of all ages participate and compete in these events; some offer cash or other prizes, and all offer bragging rights and the joy of sharing a mule with the audience and peers.
A section of the show is dedicated to draft horse hitching from the Show Me Draft Horse Four Series.
The Missouri Mule Makeover was started by Les and his wife Susan after being inspired by the Extreme Mustang Makeover, an event in Texas. This year marked the year of the makeover.
The MMM offers three age levels for entrants, Young Youth (10 to 14), Youth (14 to18) and adult; amateur and professional trainers are welcome. The only requirements for the mules are that they be either previously “untouched” or are “troubled.”
Participants have 150 days to train their mule and prepare it for the competition. Entrants come from all over and as far away as Canada. MMM contestants compete in ranch riding, ground handling, trail course and freestyle. Six judges judge them on a point system, and prizes are awarded to the top four competitors.
The MMM mules are offered to the highest bidder during an auction, which is open to the public. There are many other mules available for sale at the auction as well. The MMM participants are not required to sell their mules and often opt to keep them and continue their training.
To learn more, keep up with the participants’ progress, or possibly become a contestant, check out the Missouri Mule Makeover/Ozark Mule Days Facebook.
