Mule Horses
Ht. Anywhere from miniature to 16hh
Color: Common colors are Sorrel, Bay, Black, and Grey. Less common are White, Roans (both blue and red), Palomino, Dun, and Buckskin and Appaloosa.
Historically, the mule far outshines the horse in its usefulness. The ancient Greeks and Romans, for instance, used mules for light transport instead of horses. The Hittites, who were among the most powerful of the early horse peoples, valued mules at 60 shekels while horses went for only 20. The Kings of Israel rode mules as well as prelates of the medieval church because of the mule's comfortable ambling gate. But the mule's greatest value remains its versatility. They can plow a field, carry a heavy pack or be ridden in comfort with very little care required.
Mules are the sterile offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a mare. Once in a while a female mule will be able to reproduce with a horse but the end result will only be a horse foal, not another mule. An uncommon (and some feel far inferior) relative of the mule is the hinny, which is the result of a male horse (stallion) and a female donkey (a jenny).
Mules come in all shapes and sizes. There are mules that resemble quarter horses, huge draft mules, fine-boned racing mules, shaggy pony mules and many more types. The mule's short thick head, long ears, small narrow hooves and short mane closely resemble a donkey. Its body, neck coat give it a more horse-like appearance overall.
Fans will tell you that mules are less temperamental than horses, highly intelligent, stronger, adaptable and resilient. They have a brave but calm nature and their highly developed sense of self-preservation is often mistaken for stubbornness. A mule's skin is harder and tougher, allowing it to withstand extreme temperatures as well as rain better than a horse and go longer without water. It has harder hooves and is more sure footed on rocky terrain that would be too steep for the average horse. They also show greater endurance than horses; a mule needs only 4-5 hours of sleep a day. It can travel at over 3 mph or about 50 miles in a day. Oxen might cover 5-6 miles in a day. They are also far more economical to keep than a horse. The only area in which mules are generally inferior to horses is in running speed, which is pretty much irrelevant for draft and pack animals.
Pack animal operators generally find mules preferable to horses: mules show less impatience under the pressure of heavy weights. Their hooves are harder than horses', and they show a natural resistance to disease and insects. Many North American farmers with clay soil found mules superior as plow animals, especially in the U.S. state of Missouri, hence the expression "stubborn as a Missouri mule". Mules are generally less tolerant towards dogs than horses, however. They are also capable of striking out with any of their hooves in any direction.
Mules played important roles in both World Wars as reliable means of transportation, particularly in rough mountain regions like Burma and Italy. After World War II, however, mules fell on hard times. The use of mules for farming and transportation gave way to modern tractors and trucks. A dedicated number of mule breeders, however, continued breeding the great lines of mammoth jacks started in the United States by George Washington with the gift from the King of Spain of two Catalan Jacks. These hobby breeders began to utilize better mares for mule production until today's modern saddle mule emerged.
Although still used by the Indian Army to this day in mountainous border regions to transport heavy guns where trucks cannot go, today's mule is generally used just for fun. Exhibition shows where mules pull heavy loads have now been joined with mules competing in Western and English Pleasure riding as well as dressage and hunter jumper competition. There are also gaited mules that are capable of gaits like the fox trot, rack, running walk, stepping pace, or paso fino. These mules are excellent in the show ring or on the trail.
There is one peculiar sport where the mule actually outshines the horse, and that is high jumping, also called the Coon Hunter's Jump. It stems from the raccoon hunter moving his saddle and pack mules through the woods. Wooden or stone fences could be taken down, but wire ones could not. The hunter would flag the fence with his coat or a blanket, and jump his string of pack mules over one by one. In the show ring, mules jump a single rail standard to increasing heights. The last clean jump is the winner. Mules only 50 inches tall at the withers have been known to clear jumps of up to 72 inches (6 feet). These jumps are not from a galloping approach, like Puissance, but from a standing start inside a marked area. Truly a remarkable feat!
One weekend in particular where mules are given their chance to shine is the Bishop Mule Days Celebration held every Memorial Day Weekend in Bishop, California. There is no way to actually describe Mule Days. It is part mule show, part test of skills, and part Wild West Show. More than 700 mules compete in 181 events including Western, youth, English, cattle working, gaited, coon jumping, racing, musical tires, gymkhana, packing, shoeing, chariot racing, team roping and driving.
Highlights of the Celebration include watching cowboys get the opportunity to prove their roping and riding skills astride some of the best working mules in the United States. And of course there's the Packer's Scramble - the wildest, nosiest and funniest event of the weekend.
