The Scent of a Mule

A few weeks ago I attended an obstacle clinic with my shooting horse Kitt at the barn where I board.  Feeling the obstacles would be a piece of cake, after all Kitt is practically "bomb proof", my goal in attending was to increase the speed at which we completed obstacles for future cowboy races.
As I was grooming Kitt to get ready for the clinic she suddenly stuck her nose high in the air, ears back and eyes wide open.  Someone had come in behind us, neither Kitt or I had seen them, but all of a sudden she was on edge.  Next thing I knew Kitt spun around and didn't know whether to rear, kick and try to bolt out the door or whether to jump into my arms for safety (she was doing her best to try all options).  She was terrified.  
I'll be the first to admit I'm no trainer.  When I learned to ride 40 some years ago, you went to the lesson barn and rode.  There was no ground work or horsemanship skills taught.  Of course, I've since learned a lot, but I'm much more confident in the saddle than on the ground.  Suddenly, I had the confidence of a novice horseman. 
The two women who had come in behind us with their animal noticed Kitts reaction (how could they not) and came over to explain that many horses have strange reactions to Mules, some have even been much worse than Kitt.  - MULE - WHAT - they brought a MULE to ride in the clinic!  I know Mules are becoming more popular as trail partners and even compete in mounted shooting, but I never thought my horse would have an issue with that.  The owner of the barn, who I have a great respect for as a person and horseman, came over to me very casually and said "it's just like any other farm animal, she'll have to get over it."  Suddenly Kitts obstacle was not something for us to ride over, through, or around, but in her head, and we were in for the clinic of our lives.  
With help from a few others, we finally got tacked up and entered the indoor arena. When I was in the saddle, Kitt tried her darnedest to get me out.  As I mentioned before, in the saddle I'm confident, but I've never been on such a nervous horse and the feeling was very different.  It was decided that I would walk Kitt around for a bit while she relaxed and got used to the situation.  After about 20 minutes I felt I needed to get back on and she seemed a slight bit better.  We ran through some of the obstacles but I had to keep a distance between Kitt and the mule and never once did Kitt take her eyes off him.  So much for speeding through the obstacles when it turned out that the biggest obstacle we faced was in our minds.
At the end of the clinic I felt exhausted as did Kitt.  What I thought would be a fun simple day turned into a big challenge for us as a team.  It was probably the most important clinic we ever attended.  Obstacles can be an item on the ground such as a log or stream and figuring a way to get over or through can be challenging and fun.  An obstacle of the mind, such as the scent of a mule, is an obstacle within yourself.  Working through those "self created" obstacles, whether on a horse, in business, or in life can be the most challenging of all.