This is the thing about mules. They are really not all that bad for riding and a lot of people teach train them for riding. They don't all start out for packing, although they are really good at it. If you have the RFD channel on Directv, there is a lady who trains them for jumping, dressage, western pleasure, reingin-you name it. I think her last name is Meriweather, but I will have to look it up. She is really cool except she has a big gap in her front teeth. Her mules do everything! My uncle had a mule and some of them are hard to keep because they are really good jumpers. Like walk straight up to the fence and jump it. I rode it once, he was pretty cool and steady. I was about thirteen.