I have Been wondering Why Anyone would get started with Mules? Does It start as a pack animal. Then you Just try and ride it for fun? Just an Inquiry. Thanks
LR

I had a neighbor when I was growing up who had a mule. He bought it to ride and never used it for a pack animal. He used it for hunting out in the woods. It seemed to work out until the mule didn't want to do anything. He would back up really fast, and then lay down with or without his rider.

I am looking for a chat room to learn about mules.dont think u guys r it. do you know of one?

Sorry Wooddawg,

We are just launching this week, but we have 12 sites drawing in from all over, so this forum will be a hot one in about 30 days or less. Check back in a week and Opt-in to our email list and we will update you as soon as we start picking up Mule info..

I have searched around and found nothing as well. There is one out there I will contact my friend who actually Trains them and loves them.. Get this she actually Jumps them.

Take care and let us know.. if you find one..

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.

We had a great mule that was used for lessons at our barn. She was pretty too, about 16.1+ hands, maybe bigger. They needed bigger horses to carry bigger students, so she came in. If it weren't for the mealy color around her muzzle and her long ears, you would think she were a horse. She was a great beginner jump horse and was steady to each fence. Not great form but safe and always went. Canter was a little odd as it looked kind of gaited if you know what I mean, not four beat but odd even though she was big and had a long stride. The kids loved her and compared to other lesson horses was never off and had hooves of steal.

It is amazing how versatile they are. We have a trainer in a town nearby (Canyon, TX), his name is Orin Barnes and he has a mule that they used to show. She does reining spins like a pro and in a halter and lead rope only! They take her to the trail rides in the canyon all the time. She is the only mule on an AQHA trail ride and they let the novice riders take her out. She is very steady.

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".