I'd love to know more about mules!!!?

Question

ok so I have had horses all my life so I know a lot about them. My boyfriend's family has always had horses too but he didnt get interested in horses untill we started dating about 3 years ago. He finally bought a 10 yo x reining horse that is a little too much horse for him and I cant train him b/c I am currently working w/ my 4 yo. My b/f is really wanting to try out a mule b/c for one thing they are really cute and another we have heard a lot about how they are less spooky and alll that. I would love to know more info about them like are they complete dead heads or can you kick them up on the trail if you want to canter? thanks a lot !!!!!

Answer 1

My family has bred and riased mules and donkeys for nearly 20 years. My own personal mule is 15 years old now. Mules are different than a horse in their training.

Donkeys have a fight first flee (run) later attitude. That means they are actually less spooky in many situations. And when they do run it's not an all out mind numbing gotta get out of there attitude.

Mules often get most of this attitude from the donkey side, but do get some of the run first attitude from the horse side.

Mules are often less likely to spook then the horses, but don't take them for granted.

Additionally well trained mules can do anything a horse can. There are racing mules, Cutting mules, show jumping mules, Endurance mules etc. It is all in how you train them. If you want a mule, I'd suggest starting with an older well trained mule so that you get to learn their attitudes and such before trying to train a mule. If however you insist on getting a foal and training it, I'd highly suggest the training information at Lucky Three ranch

Answer 2

Mules can be amazing animals. You also don't have to worry about gelding them, lol.

If you want a really good answer... I'd ask Mulereiner... I've seen some of the  answers given on some previous mule questions by MR and they're way better than I could have done, lol.

Answer 3

google www.everycowgirlsdream.com  She loves mules!

Answer 4

well that some stuff of the net but i do know some stuff they are less spooky becuase of the donkey in them and yeah you can canter it fun but they are a mix so they have all of theycharisitcs of a donkey and horse this is some more of my copin and patein

The Mule is an extremely intelligent, hardy working animal. It has a counterpart that has the same genetic makeup, but is smaller, called the Hinny. Mules have a notorious reputation for being stubborn, but in actuality is very intelligent. Mules have strong, independent personalities and are very self-preserving. If they feel threatened, they will refuse to remain in the situation. Mules that have good training and trust will be loyal, sensible and patient, however, it will also be jealous of your interaction with other animals. Because Mules are so intelligent, the are easy to train, but they are slow to forget bad experiences and will have to be worked with for a very long time to get it to do something it feels might end in disaster. If a Mule feels threatened, it will not hesitate to kick with swiftness and accuracy. Mules are strong, very hardy, sure-footed animals. They have incredible stamina and can do hard work for long periods of time, provided they can be persuaded to do so. Mules have horse-like bodies with donkey-like limbs. Hinnies are smaller than mules and have donkey-like bodies and horse-like limbs. They also tend to be less hardy and less intelligent. Mules have very long ears like donkeys and their thin manes are very short or shorter than those of a horse. Their tails are a bit shorter than a horses tail, but do have a few long strands in them. Mules have flat backs, low withers, and goose rumps. Mules will often be taller than both of their parents, but their bodies are narrower than horses' bodies and less deep chested. Their sides are flat and their quarters appear weaker than a horses'. Their hooves are small and hard. Mules are extremely healthy, disease resistant, and are rarely injured because of their intelligence. Mules can withstand a wide variety of temperatures and can live on less feed than horses.

Answer 5

one really good thing about mules is that they don't freak out in bad situations. If they get their leg caught in a fence, they will slowly take it out or wait for someone to come, unlike horses. They are also really good jumpers. As far as i know they can canter, they are half horse.

Answer 6

There is a show on RFD TV with a trainer named Meredith Hodges. She seems very knowledgeable and I think she has a website.  I don't know about the less spooky part. I have friends that have mules and aren't any different as far as horses go when it comes to spooking.  I think it depends on the time you spend with them and training.