# Our first horse...QH mare



## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

She looks a lil bum high but i really like the hip on her. She has good bone as well. Her back looks a tad long to me but nothing serious. I think she would cross well to a jack and give you a good QH mule .

I would wait to see what others say though, im still new to this lol.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

GAAAAAAAAAH! ........ I can't say what I'm thinking. The mare is adorable, little long in the back but that seems to be a QH thing. 

I'd rather my daughter marry an alien than breed one of my mares to a donkey. Sorry.


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## arl13 (Nov 6, 2013)

To start with I will mention I am the Abby to "Abby's Dad." And this is my mare but the only stipulation of getting her was for him to breed her to a jack. This is his idea not mine. However i do get to break the mule so i guess its a win win


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

arl13 said:


> To start with I will mention I am the Abby to "Abby's Dad." And this is my mare but the only stipulation of getting her was for him to breed her to a jack. This is his idea not mine. However i do get to break the mule so i guess its a win win


LOL! Sorry Abby, I just have a "thing" about this kind of cross breeding. I know several people who absolutely SWEAR by their mules. Just not something I can even think of without shuddering.


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## arl13 (Nov 6, 2013)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> LOL! Sorry Abby, I just have a "thing" about this kind of cross breeding. I know several people who absolutely SWEAR by their mules. Just not something I can even think of without shuddering.


Haha my dad is one of those people that SWEAR by their mules. I myself can't say much because i grew up with one. He was my babysitter while dad was working outside lol


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## Abbys Dad (Mar 16, 2014)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> LOL! Sorry Abby, I just have a "thing" about this kind of cross breeding. I know several people who absolutely SWEAR by their mules. Just not something I can even think of without shuddering.



Have you ever set a mule?

Mules were very important to the early settlers of our country. And still play a good role in the hills with backpacking and survival. 

I dont believe I have ever heard of a Arabian being anything but pretty, and that makes me shudder, lol.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

very nice mare, and I think you'd get a nice mule out of her, depending on the sire.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

We could compromise XD! I like Arabian mules!


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

^I like the bottom one.... lol.

Mules are great for what they're designed for, so are Arabs (which are also very versatile and used in creating a large number of other breeds).

I don't think anyone is saying that they have a problem with mules persay, just that they wouldn't want to breed their mare to a donkey lol. I hope you can understand the technicality. While I don't know many mules I think they're pretty cool, but breed my mare to a donkey? No way haha.

You're also breeding something that in theory shouldn't exist (not sterile) but that's O/T.

I think this mare would be nice for a mule offspring, though I don't know technical details.


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## Abbys Dad (Mar 16, 2014)

Actually, there has only been 2 replies regarding the original question.
To those members, thank you for you input.
To the others..I dont believe I asked if it was right to breed a horse to a donkey. I believe it is up to the owner for what THEY want...not others.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

3/4 responses answered the original question.

No one meant any offense or was saying you shouldn't do that. Just that they would never do that, meant in a humorous way.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

So ANYWAY getting back to the confo...


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## Abbys Dad (Mar 16, 2014)

Actually, I think its a little too late for serious replies. I doubt that anyone that has a real comment will reply at this point.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Have faith!


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## CrossCountry (May 18, 2013)

I really really like this mare. I especially like her hindquarters.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

I have always wanted a mule!
Don't see many in the UK. 

Nice stamp of mare, mares are often longer in the back, short coupled mares often have difficulty in carrying a foal.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Abbys Dad said:


> Have you ever set a mule?
> 
> Mules were very important to the early settlers of our country. And still play a good role in the hills with backpacking and survival.
> 
> I dont believe I have ever heard of a Arabian being anything but pretty, and that makes me shudder, lol.


I have never sat on a mule. I have nothing against them, just can't imagine deliberately breeding for one, whether a QH mare is the dam or whether you use another breed. 

I refused to sell a mare to someone once they stated they were going to breed her for a mule and what I said to my husband was, "My daughter might marry an alien from Mars, but no mare of MINE will bear a mule.". I love donkeys and I love horses, just like I love chickens and guinea hens. I just wouldn't ever cross any of them. 

What YOU do with your animals is totally up to you.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

This is a nice, adequate sort of mare. Shoulder a bit steep. Back and coupling a bit long. 

There are good riding mules that go for very little money just about every week at Camelot Sales in NJ. Some look very very good.


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## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

Mules arn't my thing either, but I do appreciate their strength and stamina, and the historical role they played. Around here good riding mules are few and far between, and they sell for half a fortune. I have never seen one go through an auction either.

Any ways, I like this mare, and I think she would produce a nice riding mule. No glaring faults I can see.


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## dbarabians (May 21, 2011)

Abbys Dad said:


> Actually, there has only been 2 replies regarding the original question.
> To those members, thank you for you input.
> To the others..I dont believe I asked if it was right to breed a horse to a donkey. I believe it is up to the owner for what THEY want...not others.


This is an open forum and adult conversations do not always stay on topic. Your remark about arabians was not offensive to me but not based in fact.

That mare should produce a good mule if bred to the right Jack. Most mules in my area are from mares that should not be bred and around here any jack is used. It is good to see a quality mare bred for a mule.

I have ridden one mule and my father bought a mare once that was in foal. The morning she foaled I knew something was different . When the foal moved and we could see it we were surprised it was a mule.
I had to talk my father out of shooting it and his name was the first word out of my fathers mouth [email protected]^^it. Shalom


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

When I was quite young my grandfather took me to visit a dealer friend of his to buy a small pony for me and all I was interested in was a mule that I saw as being black at the time and just like Fury - the black stallion on the now ancient TV series. When he said no I cried, stamped my feet and then lay on the ground having a real hissy fit
I did not get anything that day (at least not anything equine related!!)
I don't know much about breeding mules but would think that mare would be great for producing a well built one that had some quality about it especially if she's also good a good temperament


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

I have no problem with mares being bred to jacks IF it is planned, both of them are built in a way that suits each other, and if you have experience with handling mules. My mini mare was bred to a jack for a mini mule foal before I bought her, and it didn't 'ruin' her for me at all. Actually IMO she was a poor choice for a brood mare in the first place due to a steep croup and straight back, but that is beside the point xD The baby turned out adorable, although to everyone else she looked 100% donkey, BUT because my mare had an inadequate hip/croup,stifle, and the donkey, by nature, also had a very straight back, hip, and steep croup, the filly obviously inherited that and had locking stifles. I think she grew out of it but can't say for sure since I sold her as a weanling. I didn't know how to handle a mule and didn't want to ruin her.




























the mare:










From what I can see, your mare is very nice and should do fine if you're picky about your jack too. She's well balanced with an aquedate hind end and nice legs. I think after foaling she'll make a NICE riding horse too.


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## Strawberry4Me (Sep 13, 2012)

I have always wanted a dressage mule! Breed her and train the baby in dressage!!


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## Abbys Dad (Mar 16, 2014)

Thanks for all the responses. She is a great riding mare right now, and has great manners. She comes to meet us whenever we go in the pasture to get her for her daily brushing. She gets ridden 3-5 times a week, and will be more when the weather turns more favorable. We have just talked to the original owner who had her for 5 years, and she stated that she can barrel race, team sort,carry double, is great in traffic, and also knows how to lay down on command to allow the rider to mount, and then stand back up!! So far, she hasnt did it for us, but she has bent her knees like she wanted to. I think she will in time. Thanks again!!


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

I would like to comment:

I have bred, raised and trained many mules -- several dozen. Almost all of them have been out of registered mares, mostly AQHA mares, but I have bred Morgan and Arabian mares to Jacks. I prefer the mules out of good AQHA mares. 

I have bred several mares that way that had AQHA points and I raised 3 mules that were half brothers/sisters to one of our stallions. The dam was a high point working cowhorse in OK and had reining and trail points as well. I do not think raising a good mule was 'beneath' her at all. I had a granddaughter of Doc Bar (also with AQHA Points) and her best foal was her mule foal. Back when we had the 'last' horse recession in the late 80s and early 90s, we were selling mule foals out of these mares for $1500.00 to $4500.00 when AQHA foals were selling for $100.00. Raising good mule foals out of them allowed us to keep our good mares rather than selling them to the killers like everyone else did back them. This was when 350,000 horses a year were going to slaughter.

Personally, I do not like the mules out of Mammoth Jacks. Mammoth jack-stock have been bred for draft use. They are lunky headed, coarse, heavy on their front ends and have very dead mouths. We have found that Spanish Catalonian Jack-stock have been bred for saddle/riding stock for centuries. BY FAR our best riding mules were sired by them. Mammoth mules are much more suitable to working in harness than riding. It is what they were bred for.

The Jack we used in the late 80s and 90s was a gray/roan Spanish Jack standing about 13.3 hands. His mule foals stood mostly 14.2 to 15.2 hands. His mouth was so shallow it was probably only 2 1/2 inched from the corner of his mouth to his lips. This is what you want if you want mules with light, sensitive mouths. He also had a very refined head for a Jack and much smaller ears than a mammoth. Spanish stock are just much more refined. His foals rode like horses, were not heavy in their front ends, they stopped and turned around like horses and had really nice gaits. They 'short loped' like a good horse.

Your mare is OK, but would not be my first choice. I do not mind her hip at all. You want to stay away from 'rafter hipped' mares, narrow hipped mares and what I call 'cat-hammed' mares (mares with very small stifles and gaskins). Most of all, I like mares that are very deep in the heart-girth and have withers higher than their butts. We needed a crupper or breaching on very few of the mules we raised because they had far better than average withers. Since mules are naturally heavier in their front ends, you really need mares that have good withers and a deep heart. That is where I would fault your more the most. 

We raised several mules that team ropers used and headed and healed on. Several would really work a cow. You could 'cowboy' off of them and doctor any size stock in the pasture. 

Just a few of my observations from doing it. Good luck with what you decide to raise.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Excellent post...do you by chance have any pictures?


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I have to agree with Cherie, don't go with a mammoth jack unless you absolutely _must _have the added size.

Anyway, about the mare, she is really nice. Like others have said, a little bit long through the coupling, but overall I really like her. Her legs are clean and straight with good angles in all the right places, her feet and bones are thick and sturdy. That is a nice mare to breed to the right stud (or jack).

She should throw you a _really _nice mule. Even though I personally prefer horses, I've ridden/trained several mules and can attest to how nice they are under saddle....if trained right :wink:.


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## Abbys Dad (Mar 16, 2014)

Yogiwick said:


> Excellent post...do you by chance have any pictures?


They should be viewable to you at the beginning of page 1


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Thanks, but actually I was responding to Cherie, sorry for the confusion!!

I did comment on your mare already but I am no expert (she is lovely though!)


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Great post Cherie!

She'll make a nice refined mule , post the potential jack?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

your mare is cute. It would depend on what the jack looks like.


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