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Why A Mule?

By Marlene Malcher,
Mammoth Mules

Last Modified: August 13, 2003

As stated below, mules are gaining in popularity! Many horse owners are very knowledgable about their own brand of equine but don't know as much about mules. Marlene Malcher has kindly offered her article for this section of this site. Marlene demystifies the terminology and enlightens us with her wisdom - wisdom gained through practical experience!

Mules are gaining in popularity in the western provinces of Canada. I directly attribute this to the quality of mules being bred, raised and trained in this country. As mules are becoming more visible to the public eye through trail rides, shows and exhibitions, more people are willing to take a second look at these "horses with the long ears". Some folks who have secretly desired a mule are now stepping forward and actively searching for the right mule for them.

For those of you who are interested in, or curious about this vigorous hybrid, let me give you some of the facts, "right from the horse's mouth", so to speak!

First of all, a mule is the result of breeding a horse mare of any breed to an intact male donkey. The resulting mule can be a Quarter Horse mule, a Belgian mule, an Appaloosa mule, a Tennessee Walker mule, a Miniature mule… the list goes on. Whatever breed you particularly like can be used to raise that "type" of mule. Thus, in my way of thinking, mules are non-prejudiced, as they can originate from any horse breed. Likewise, the father of the mule - the donkey jack - can be any size of donkey. The Mammoth donkey, the largest, is in demand for saddle and draft mule production. Standard donkeys, however, and specifically the Large Standard donkey, can also be used in saddle mule production. Likewise, a Miniature donkey can be crossed with a Miniature horse to produce a Miniature mule. So, the resulting offspring can vary from very large draft mules over 17 hands high to the tiniest of mules under 36 inches. You can create the mule you want in one generation.

An interesting occurrence in mule production is the unpredictability of the end product. Sixteen and seventeen hand mules have originated from 14-hand mares and visa versa. Therein lies the genetic gamble that you must be prepared to take when you desire a certain type of mule. Our personal experience has been that there are some mares who, when crossed with the same Jack, have consistently similar offspring, but other mares will throw a surprise every time. I really don't know why this is, but it seems to be more of a phenomenon in mule production than in the horse-breeding world (it helps to be a gambler at heart!).

A donkey has 62 chromosomes and a horse has 64, leaving the mule with an uneven number of chromosomes at 63, rendering the mule sterile. However, male mules - or johns as they are often called - still carry all the "equipment" and will become unmanageable to handle if not castrated. This should happen between 5 - 12 months of age. If they are castrated too young, there appears to be a higher risk of excessive bleeding or evisceration. We have experienced both of these scenarios and consider them lessons learned the hard way. Never would we consent to mule castration without anesthesia. Mules have a very good memory and will remember the person or persons they consider to have caused them pain for a long time afterwards.

Although female mules (or mollies) are born with all the equipment needed to produce and care for a foal, they are also sterile. There have been reported cases of mollies giving birth, but this is an extremely rare occurrence and has not always been proven. Mollies do have heat cycles, but generally do not show like a horse mare. Of the mollies that do show a heat cycle, our experience has been that they can become really irrational, but generally the cycle is short lived. If heat cycles become a problem, having the molly mule spayed is an option. There are differences of opinion on whether mollies or johns make better mules. Personally, we don't have a preference. In our opinion, a good mule is a good mule, no matter what the gender.

Mules come in all sizes, colors and shapes. While the donkey has a strong influence on the build of the mule, the most desirable mules have a conformation more closely resembling that of the horse. The exception to this is the inheritance of the donkey's ears - to the confirmed mule lover, the longer the ears the better! Conformation is important, but to us it is secondary to having a good disposition. The bad reputation that still precedes mules in many areas of North American is a carry-over from when horse mares that were not desirable as horse breeding stock were bred to a Jack to produce something of value. The result was often an animal that could work but carried the same undesirable disposition as its mother, and was generally difficult to handle. Good mares were not bred to good Jacks, thus the mules that were raised for a time in the development of the west were often cantankerous and unpredictable.

Thankfully, those days have passed and now it is becoming more predominant to raise mules out of only good, proven mares. The result is mules that excel in beauty and disposition.

Mules are not stubborn. They are, however, self-preservers and they come by that desirable trait from their father (the donkey). When a mule is faced with danger, he is more likely to freeze or only flee for a short distance. Because of this, he is much less likely to do anything to injure himself or his rider. That is one of the reasons why mules make such excellent trail-riding animals. For over 100 years, they have been used to carry thousands of tourists down the Grand Canyon with never a casualty. Their sure-footedness and sensibility when faced with danger has made them the choice mount for climbing and travelling in treacherous terrain.

To us, one of the most appealing characteristics of mules is their very distinct personality. I find young mules are comparable to dealing with a creature that is a cross between a child and a dog! They are attention seeking, comical, jealous and affectionate all at the same time. Even mature mules will show extreme jealousy and will pout if things don't go their way. To top that off, many mules appear to have a very warped sense of humor, and you had better be prepared to share in their humor if you really want to get along with them. I can think of several instances when I'm sure my saddle mule was laughing at me, and many more times when he has caused me to laugh at him. Mules appear to spend a lot of time thinking, and generally it's for their own benefit! If you cannot leave your ego at the door when you go out to work with your mule, you probably shouldn't own one. Mules love mind games, so if mental stimulation is not your idea of a good time, we suggest you stick to horses.

Some of the comments we've heard, since mules have gained more exposure via participation in various demonstrations and competitions over the last several years, is that many people are very surprised to see that mules can run. They are in fact extremely athletic, agile creatures and they can turn on the speed, when they want to! Being cautious and self-preserving by nature, they are generally more reluctant to over-extend or over-exert themselves, especially for long periods of time. Mules can indeed gallop with the best of them, but not all mules really want to set any world records. That being said, mule racing is a growing sport in certain areas of the United States. The mules run on regular racetracks and set some very fast times. In the famous words of Ogden Nash "In the world of mules, there are no rules!" My translation of this is "Mules can do anything… if they want to!"

Whether you desire a mule with a lot of speed or not, mule riders appreciate the more comfortable ride that they get from a mule. This of course depends somewhat on what type of mare the mule was raised out of, but even mules raised from draft mares are generally quite rideable. The mule's narrower body and inherited gait from his father (the donkey) is much easier on your hips and knees, generally making for a much smoother ride than what most horses can offer (other than naturally gaited horses such as the Tennessee Walker or the Peruvian Pasco). A horse tends to give you a lot of side-to-side motion, while a mule gives more of a "rocking chair" motion. This is one reason why mules make such excellent pack animals - a load that has moves less is easier to carry and stays on better.

Mules are hardier than their horse cousins: they require less feed and can thrive on lower quality. This is all due to their donkey parentage. They will generally remain useful for a longer time, and will outlive most horses. Their feet, although smaller than a horse's, are tougher and more upright - I have never seen a mule that is flat-footed. Their self-preservation instinct makes them much less prone to injuring themselves. Over the years, we've had several horses cut and injure themselves, sometimes with fatal results. During that time, the worst injury any mature mule ever sustained on our farm was a sprained ankle. Personally, I like an animal that is "easy" on the vet bill!

Mules are very social animals and, like the horse, prefer to stick with the herd. However, it is not unusual for a mule foal to walk away from his frantic mother and visit with his human admirers. Adult mules raised in a nurturing atmosphere will also seek out human companionship more readily, and often display a very loyal, loving affinity towards people. They will become attached to the person who spends the most time with them, sometimes so much so that they will not work as well with anyone else, and will display shyness around strangers. Quite often, horse people are afraid that the mule might be aggressive towards horses - quite the contrary - mules love horses and are easily bossed by a horse. In my opinion, this is because a mule appears to remember his mother and her kind, long after he has been weaned. A mule, it would seem, forever holds his mother in high esteem and that respect stays for life. It is a well-known fact that outfitters often keep a horse mare with their herd of pack mules, as the mules will never leave camp as long as the mare is there.

As far as we're concerned, there are many more pluses than minuses if you are considering adding a mule to your life. However, mules are not for everyone, and it is best that you do your homework first before you decide to take that step into the "world of the longears"! Many folks find mules addictive, and even though they are sterile, mules have a way of "reproducing" at an alarming rate! My only consolation to you if you get yourself into this position, is to remind you that you are in good company!

Ch"ear"s,
Marlene Malcher,
Mammoth Mules