Well , Lone Ranger..I'm old enough to have seen all your movies.
MULES as you must know are the result of a male Donkey JACK breeding a female Horse mare. The result being a HYBRID. Taking the better quailities of both parents, be it Good or bad. Conformation being one of the bigger issues. Back when a work animal is all the owner was interested in just any old animal breed, pedigree not important. Just what was available. Then alot of people decided if they were to have an animal (MULE) with better conformation that they would have to reach out of their own area and locate animals with conformation to fit the job expected of the animals being bred for. Example WITHERS, SIZE and size of hoof. Work or pack Mules out of DRAFT mares by Mammoth Jacks, but not just any animals. The better conformation was the goal. For work ,a draft mule should have the feet of it's parents, so a draft Jack Mammoth was used.
Saddle Mules.. pick the breed of Horse you like , but do not forget WITHERS. Use a Saddle Jack with a good smooth gait, and again those withers.
In the end you come out with an animal more cautious than a Horse and more sure footed. Raise it as if it was a horse and you will be happy it is not. A good well trained Mule or for that matter a good saddle Donkey is worth its weight in gold.
check our site for pictures of Saddle Donkeys.
American Donkey Association
ADA CEO thedonkeman "helping to IMPROVE the STATUS of the DONKEYS".