BASIL'S STORY
Basil’s background is unknown, but what we do know is that he pulled from a kill pen around 2018 and was treated poorly which made him fearful and weary of humans. He has a deformity in his nuchal ligament we assume was from either ill-fitting equipment or from an untreated injury. A longtime friend of the rescue took him on as a training project, but quickly learned that he had too much baggage so she began the long journey of teaching him that people could be safe and would not hurt him. She did extensive obstacle work with Basil, as well as trick training, over a 3-year period. He was an awesome student and loved to learn new games and obstacle challenges. While they originally got him under saddle, he struggled with his confidence and had a particularly bad blowup, resulting in his rider breaking her wrist. It was decided that he may never be a riding mule and may be better served as a permanent sanctuary mule where he could be safe and live out a life happy and loved. They contacted Trinity and asked us if we would allow him to join our herd, and we were happy to have him join us in January 2022.
Basil integrated into his herd very quickly, as he is an easy-going guy that just enjoys being with his herd and does not enjoy pasture drama. As far as his relationships with people are concerned, he is not one to connect quickly with new people and really makes you work for the relationship. It is a slow process of allowing him to be the one to connect and build upon that connection at his speed. But once you make the connection, you will not find a more loving and loyal guy. His favorite past time is giving kisses for treats and playing fetch with his frisbee. He is very protective of his herd, and if he feels the local coyote population is getting a bit too close, he goes ON DUTY. He patrols the field’s fence line and makes it known that coyote visitors are not welcome in his pasture. We look forward to many years with Basil and will continue to provide him with opportunities to build his confidence when meeting new people and learning new things.
