# Mule vs horse



## pinkyshot (Jul 18, 2011)

I am shopping around and I like peoples opinion on and expereince with mules....I see them going for more than horses but from the research I have done they have more endurance and can do pretty much anything a horse can do and most the time better....I most likely am gonna do trail riding maybe play around in the gymkhanas here but not anything for money....everyone I know has horses, but I think mules are pretty neat animals....has anyone owned one and how did the like riding them...can I use a regular tack..just anything from personal expereince would be great....


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## Dresden (Jun 24, 2011)

I know nothing about mules. 

I have seen a gaited mule who is always ridden in regular tack. I assume you'd just have to make sure the saddle fit the mule same as you would a horse. 

Sorry I can't offer more help


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## gigem88 (May 10, 2011)

I don't much about mules, but I do know they are very intelligent. And those ears are just tooooo cute!


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

I would take a well trained mule over a horse any day. However, I would never get involved with a half trained or badly trained mule. They are either the best partner you could ask for or hell to deal with.


Whatever you do with a mule, the mule really has to love it. They won't run a pattern because the rider says they should. They will only run if they _like_ to run. Endurance mules are the same way. Either they love jogging the trails or they won't do it. One of the greatest CTR horses I've ever met was a mule. He adored his job.


A well trained mule takes a wonderful trail partner. They will take care of their rider, pace themselves on long rides, don't tend to be afraid, and are generally just sensible animals. 

If you want to buy one, try it out. Evaluate mules on an individual basis and don't think you can fix one with issues. You CAN fix them, but it is so much harder than a horse and takes so much more time. Horse people have a hard time training mules because mules aren't horses. :wink:


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## pinkyshot (Jul 18, 2011)

Ya thats what I have been reading is that you have to train them different than horses but once they trust you can make good partners


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## DustyDiamond (Mar 18, 2010)

I don't really no anything except if they are say on the trail or anywhere and they decide they don't want to go, they won't move no matter until they decide they want to and they're ready to. That's why they need to be really well trained and have to love what they are doing.


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## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

A friend of mine has mules. He said he will never go back to horses again, they are so much stronger and have a lot of stamina.
They are harder to train than horses (he says), but are smarter.
The biggest problem he has run into is tack.
He says horse saddles just don't fit mules properly. (Look at a horses' back and a mules' back... they are not the same.) He rides in an area with a lot of steep hills, and says that the saddle will especially tend to slip forward while going down a hill. He compensates for this by outfitting his mule in a breast collar and a type of crupper. It goes around his rump as opposed to under his tail.


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## pinkyshot (Jul 18, 2011)

Ya I figured if I get one I def want one thats already trained lol...I would think the one that goes around the rump would be more comfy than the one under the tail..seems like it would put a lot of stress on their tail going down hill if the saddle slips...


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I've been around mules my entire life, mostly driving teams but there have been a couple of riding mules in there as well. Personally, I prefer a good horse because I don't understand the way mules think. They are incredibly smart and they really think about things. I second everything Brighteyes said, if you are going to get one, get a good one with no issues. When a mule is good, they are _****_ good and when they're bad, they are hell on wheels to try to deal with.

The ones that we rode, we just used regular tack on them and had no problems. One thing about mules, their gaits feel different than a horse's. They aren't better or worse, just different and can take a bit of getting used to.


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## petitepyromaniac (Oct 12, 2010)

smrobs said:


> I've been around mules my entire life, mostly driving teams but there have been a couple of riding mules in there as well. Personally, I prefer a good horse because I don't understand the way mules think. They are incredibly smart and they really think about things. I second everything Brighteyes said, if you are going to get one, get a good one with no issues. When a mule is good, they are _****_ good and when they're bad, they are hell on wheels to try to deal with.
> 
> 
> > I second this. I can't read mules the way I can read horses, and I don't like things I don't understand. You'd think they would be the same, but they're definitely not.


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## Indyhorse (Dec 3, 2009)

I love my mule. She is the bane of my existence, but she honestly is a delightful creature. Just don't tell her I told you that. :lol: She thinks too much of herself as it is.

I have worked with a lot of mules in the past, and I'd ride a good mule over a horse any day. I definitely prefer their gaits, and even though they are narrow for my taste (I have a thing for wide horses) I feel very sturdy even on smaller mules. 

Like Brighteyes said, the thing is to find a GOOD mule. There are a lot of bad mules out there, and a good, well trained mule will cost you a lot - but you get what you pay for, too.


(video I made of my mule a couple weeks back


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## petitepyromaniac (Oct 12, 2010)

BAHHAHA! Best video ever!


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## pinkyshot (Jul 18, 2011)

Love the video very cute


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