Mules anyone?

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NancyNGA

Well-known Member
Location
Georgia
Anyone else think that mules are beautiful? I especially like the tall red ones. Must be the ears. Never had a desire to own a horse, but if I did, I'd pick a mule instead. ;)

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Young mule and its mama (horse)

mule3.jpg

Anyone here ever own one? Ride down the Grand Canyon on one?
 

They're beautiful Nancy. They look just as pretty as "regular" horses.

What the heck; Even Clarke Gable had ears that stuck out. The wags said that Gable looked like a car coming down the street

with both doors open.
 
My great-grandfather had a mule named Bessie, who was the meanest animal alive. She wouldn't bite Pa, but she'd try her darndest to bite anyone who came within ten feet of her stall. We kids were scared to death of her.

Factoid: if the animal is the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey, it's called a "hinny".
 

jujube said:
My great-grandfather had a mule named Bessie, who was the meanest animal alive. She wouldn't bite Pa, but she'd try her darndest to bite anyone who came within ten feet of her stall. We kids were scared to death of her.
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That's interesting, Jujube. I figured they would be more even-tempered than horses. I think they tend to be calmer, in general, than horses, don't startle as easy, more sure-footed. I suppose every animal species has its outliers.
 
Falcon said:
...What the heck; Even Clarke Gable had ears that stuck out. The wags said that Gable looked like a car coming down the street
with both doors open.
Click to expand...
I guess that's why I always liked Clark Gable too---because of his ears.:giggle:
 
I'm sure everyone here remembers Dolly the sheep, but did you know scientists at the University of Idaho successfully cloned a mule? Born on May 4, 2003, Idaho Gem was the first member of the horse family to be cloned. This is a short clip taken of him back then.

 
SeaBreeze said:
I think all animals are beautiful! :love_heart:
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"Love, love me, do. You know I love you..." :playful:

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Mules are very much different from a horse, they are very sure footed, can pack a good load, protect your stock from predators, can be sweet, can be a pain in the a##, and I admit to being a better person for owning one. Our Raymond is on the left side of this picture, he does all of the above & loves to be ridden.

Tara feeding with the herd.jpg
 
Thanks for posting Ryder. Raymond is one of those tall red ones I was talking about in the first post. He is pretty. Is he stubborn?;)

Btw, I'm a better person for owning goats. :rolleyes:
 
Sounds a mule might make!
A little more donkey and less horse? Maybe one of the downsides? ;) (Repeated at slow speed at the end, just for fun I guess.)


And what a lovely fence. Makes mine look good.
 
Raymond isn't very stubborn, it's more like I have to figure out why he does what he does (if that makes sense). Mules do some peculiar things, like the time when he was left behind in a fenced pasture, he just rolled under the fence & joined the rest of his herd (or he might jump or go through the fence). In the mountains when we turn him loose to graze after carrying packs all day he spends his time patrolling the perimeter of our camp area. The horses will stay in close & feed while he is doing his thing. At home if we don't take him with us, he'll bang his hoof on a gate to vent some of his frustration. Either way, he likes his head scratched & inner ears rubbed.
Ray.jpg
 
Ryder, thanks for the stories. The more you describe Raymond, the more I think I'd like him. I like animals with "personality." If I were only a little younger.... might get one.

Does he make sounds anything like that video above? Assuming you have to trim hooves, does he cooperate with that?
 
My dad served with the Field Artillery in WWII. He had been born and raised on a farm and had only completed 6th grade. But, he could handle mules. He ended up spending most of the war in Austria and Czechoslovakia with the mule trains pulling field cannons and packing ammo. The mules could pull the heavy loads through the mountains and go places mechanized equipment could not. We had horses around as I was growing up. Those were my Granddad's. My Dad said he could never get along with a horse. They weren't nearly as smart as mules and were much lazier. I never got along with either!!!:)
 
Thanks for the story, GO-Man! :)

WWII U S Army drafts Missouri mules, 1943.



Soldiers of 99th Field Artillery try to train Army mules, Ft. Lewis, Washington, October 16, 1940 (Silent)
(Pulling of tails would seem rather counter-productive to me. ;))

 
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"George Washington was not only the “father of our country” but also of the American Mule.

The best mules in the world resided in Spain, but were the exclusive monopoly of the King Charles III of Spain, who guarded them against any export... When the King heard of General Washington’s quest for the best breeding stock of mules, as a gesture to the famous man, he sent him two of his finest Spanish Jacks as a “Royal Gift.”

Washington arranged for 30 mares of his own and more from his neighbors to be bred by the “Royal Mule.” Within a couple of years there were 57 new mules at Mount Vernon. Washington farmed them out across the country to improve the nation’s stock, and they formed the basis for the American mule."

Footnote by me: It seems he would have to farm out the donkeys to improve the nation's stock.:confused:
 
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