MULES OR HORSES?

I don’t get it. If mules are so wonderful then why do most people ride horses? It’s a good thing that mules are a hybrid cross between a horse and an ass, and cannot breed amongst themselves. If they could, and even half the heralded testimony from mule owners is true, we would all be riding mules. Now, how foolish would Roy Rogers and the Lone Ranger have looked perched atop a mule!
Not foolish at all – if you are a mule owner.
Certainly, mules have limitations, the Kentucky Derby is not a mule race. But, then, neither is a trail ride. The title of this article is Mules or Horses? But do not feel pressured into a decision. I have been in the business for years, have had three mules in my string, traded lead ropes with many mule owners, some of who I call friends, and still cannot decide which way to swing my loop. I am not a mule expert, and it is a good thing for you or by the end of this article you would all be convinced that they look better than Brad Pitt, and you would be well on the way to forming a local chess club – for mules only.
Let’s look at some of those attributes of the mule and some similarities and differences between mules and horses. I am told that a donkey has 22 chromosomes, a horse twenty-four, and the mule 23, which makes them hybrids that cannot breed. Not a separate species, although in 1984 there was a female mule by the name of Krause who gave birth to foals, twice, when bred by a donkey named Chester. Jackasses are not native to North America (you might argue that point given the present state of the economy), apparently the first being imported in 1785 by George Washington, who also began the first mule breeding program.
A mule has a larger head than a horse, like the Jack, and its recognizable ears can measure thirty-three inches from tip to tip. Some mules are extremely sensitive to being handled about the ears, a trait that led to the development of a special bridle called a mule bonnet that can be strapped on without touching the ears. And this should be the first clue as to the unique disposition of the mule, for all of their endearing qualities, if a mule does not want to be handled a certain way, with a certain part of its body (feet for example), in a certain way, or by a certain person, convincing it otherwise may be difficult and at times, nearly impossible.
Mules are capable of developing deep bonds of affection with their owners and although they cannot successfully breed with a horse (they can still try, so males should be gelded), they are very drawn to mares. Trail riders commonly turn out a hobbled camp mare for the night that tends to stay close by and the unhobbled mules are invariably found with the mare the next morning.
It is a fact that hybrid organisms have qualities that exceed similar qualities in their parents. For example, mules are known to be more intelligent and hardier than horses. They find warm climates comfortable and can work in heat that horses would find intolerable. On the average they live longer than horses, and mules working in to their thirties are not uncommon. They can pull more and carry more for their body weight than most horses, all the while needing less feed than a horse for their body weight. I will suggest that many mules bred between an average or small sized jack and a finer boned, leaner variety of mare, will produce a lean mule that may never put on the weight that most contemporary horse owners, and the horse community, including trail riders and packers, are comfortable with.
By comparison, a mammoth jack donkey and a solid draft mare, often a Percheron, will produce a solid body and big boned mule that will prove to be a great trail animal. These draft cross mules are a desirable item in the north where bogs and bush prevail, but they are not a new item. The famous Missouri Mules, desired, bred, and used by the thousands in America’s westward mule train push in the 1800’s, is nothing more than the mammoth jack – draft mare cross.
Along with a greater intelligence comes a long memory and a capacity to be self-minded, self-preserving, what you might call stubborn. Or far worse by someone interpreting your expletives when your mule refuses to do something. You can usually convince a trail horse to complete a task in a pinch, say, cross a wooden bridge, a stream, dig in an scramble up or down a steep boulder strewn mountain side. But if a mule refuses, and it will not tell you why, although it may feel it is too dangerous or it is just too tired and wants a rest, you may find the stubbornness insurmountable. And if your treatment of the mule is harsh during these difficult moments or during training, it will save up the injustice to be unleashed on you at a later time.
I am told that the mule’s memory is a filing cabinet to be re-opened in an instant. You treat one badly and they will not forget. They do not turn the other cheek very well; forgiveness is not a virtue. Not an admirable trait for the beast of burden (or was that a donkey?) used by Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus. I asked mule owners and read material in the hope of finding some good stories about pay back day but came up with very few. One, being a farrier who was harsh, slapped a mule with the flat of his hammer, and a few years later was shoeing that same mule, turned his back, and was viciously kicked into the feed bin.
Like I said, pay back stories were few and so I am not yet entirely buying the infamous vindictive quality of storing up hateful memories to be later unleashed upon the perpetrator. I think more than likely when a mule owner or trainer does not understand the mule mentality, does not have the training ability or patience needed to work with an animal as intelligent and possibly unforgiving as some mules, the mule hesitates, does not respond as expected, or plainly refuses, and the mule is labeled difficult, stubborn, and unwilling to forgive and forget.
But if a mule’s memory is longer than a horse’s then so is the depth of the lasting bonds of affection they feel toward owners who treat them well. One lady was sitting out on her porch enjoying the evening. A short distance from her house was a large corral and barn where her mule Horace had free run of the barn and space. Suddenly and unexpectedly Horace came busting out of the barn bucking and rousting about in a great panic. Concerned with the strange behavior the lady walked down to the corral. When she looked back, the rear of the house was pouring out smoke – it was on fire. Unfortunately, the house could not be saved, but she was convinced that the point of Horace’s behavior was to relay the impending danger.
My friend Bob Silverthorne of Alberta’s High Country Guides School, long time mule owner, commented that a trainer needs about fifteen years with horses before attempting to train a mule. The idea has merit as there may be a mountain of difference between the calm forgiving nature of horses, like our Fjord crosses, and a sensitive, aware mule with a long memory.
And yet, mules are famous for their reliability, trustworthiness, and dedication to a job. The best packhorse or dude horse or mule you can have, and forever admire, is one that when the season is over and you are home bound, sitting in your comfy chair or meditating between clean sheets, you cannot recall any events related to that horse or mule; the reliable trail partner was simply that unobtrusive, just did its job day in and day out, weeks, months and years of admirable service. Now there is a trail horse or mule you can respect and love. And mule owners have an endless library of the faithful, reliable, mule stories.
A mule is built different than a horse. It has more body weight over the front, typically good withers, and often a deep but not overly wide chest. They usually have thicker, tough walled feet in a design more concave than a horse, which is very desirable in a mule or a horse. Combined with a careful, intelligent mind, mules are better at picking their way over difficult terrain and narrow trails than your average horse. And as mentioned earlier, can carry heavier loads longer than most horses.
The Grand Canyon was endless under blue skies, a vast chasm of hoodoos and pillars, muted distant with the haze of heat, red and brown hues beyond. Far below lay the muddy twine of the Colorado River and the faint green patch of the Ghost Ranch. You need the experience of walking down the trails of the Grand Canyon to truly appreciate the incredible reliability of the mule. I did and I kid you not it was close to a terrifying experience to walk down my own self, on feet that have carried me over places you can imagine, and at this time I could not begin to imagine riding a horse down – would not have ridden a horse down – maybe walked one down after several Hail Mary’s – maybe. Mules ply those cliffs with kilometer deep gorges and trails like window ledges almost daily.
Because of the toughness of the foot and leg they suffer fewer foot and leg problems, a big plus with trail riders. I have asked veterinarians straight up if one horse breed typically has more foot and leg problems than other breeds and I have been told straight up that quarter horses and thoroughbreds lead all equines in that category, which should not be surprising at all considering that they are the performance athletes of the horse world in many disciplines, and years of breeding for desired qualities has left the durability of the foot lacking in some lines. I bring this up because if you primarily trail ride and you have been beset with foot and leg problems, there is hope, in fact you can turn a new leaf in your trail riding life by owning and riding a mule, or a horse with a foot and leg as tough as nails.
Many landowners like a mule or a donkey on the place because of their extreme dislike for predators, be it fox, coyote, cougar or bear. If you want to know just how extreme, google ‘you tube mule attacks cougar’. See the photo below. The mule does stomp the cougar after the attack, and it ends up very dead, but there are rumors that the mule may not have actually killed the cougar, although there is no question that it would have liked to.
With so many endearing qualities it is not a wonder that many owners are mule struck to the point where they believe a mule is attractive. OK, take a second look, they are kind of cute - ten-inch ears, bucket head, and all. And they can be exemplary trail partners. So why are they not more common on the trail? Well, their popularity as trail partners has been growing for years and continues to grow. And they have a hill to climb. Some riders cannot get over their looks, others associate a mule as a third world beast of burden, and history has not been kind to mules. Combine the above with the fact that a mule may not be the best choice for many performance disciplines or in hand shows (unless it’s a mule show!) and the mule is placed on something less than high ground in the eyes of many.
So what is my excuse? I have not excluded the mule deliberately. Where I come from a good trail mule is about twice the price of a good trail horse and harder to come by. We began raising and training our own line of Morgan, Fjord, draft cross horses years ago and are content with the decision, but I can say with conviction that we would have no qualms breeding mules. If it’s good enough for George Washington it’s good enough for me.
But there is something about the nobility of a horse, the heroic acts that I have witnessed over the years when stuck between a rock and a hard place; hard, remote, difficult, times and places that no man or beast should be found in but what the wilderness throws at us occasionally, more often for some of us. And the heart, spirit, drive; a bravado and a willing mind to get through, over and beyond - another campfire, another day.
I am not saying that a good trail mule cannot do what a good trail horse can do, I am just not sure it would be done in the same way. Cheers to those that love their mules and cheers to those that love their horses. Happy Trails!

Mules have many endearing qualities, and some less desirable. They are great for predator control – coyotes, bears, foxes, and apparently, cougars.

The thing with mules is that to train them you must be smarter than the mule. Do not abuse one, they can save up vengeance like a slighted spouse, to be released later. And don’t tell a mule owner their mule is ugly. Ditto for their spouse - beauty is in the eye of the beholder.