You hear a lot of “party line” statements about mules vs. horses, i.e., mules are smarter, greater sense of self-preservation, more sure-footed, take less feed, never need shoes, etc. I think the truth of those things varies widely from mule to mule and horse to horse in a comparison.
So…let’s see if I can quantify the differences I’ve observed between the TBs I’ve had and Emma…and I’ll be the first to say that the handling and experiences that all those off the track TBs had compared to my mule’s “pet” upbringing probably has had a lot to do with the differences. But…here goes:
The horses (mares and geldings) tended to respond to all people equally–sort of a robotic response. “You’re a person, you must be okay.” The mule differentiates in a marked way. “Who are YOU?” You have to prove you’re trustworthy…but she’s sucker for food and scratchies, so that’s easy!
The mule will leave her food to come follow me around when I’m inside her paddock. She hangs out with me when I’m cleaning stalls instead of going to eat grass. She follows me like a dog when I’m checking the fence lines. She comes when I call her, and even when I don’t. My horses never did any of that. I always wondered if they liked me even a little. With the mule, I KNOW she’s fond of me.
The mule is ENORMOUSLY curious and lacks fear for the most part…but I think that is a result of her never having been hurt and always been treated lovingly by people, and a by-product of her age. My poor horses were all off the track and came with many built-in neuroses.
She’s definitely got the good donkey feet! Her hooves were practically chipless even after 3 days of 3 hour rides on sandy, gravelly terrain when we went camping earlier this year. She never gave ANY indication that the going bothered her in the least. I hope to never have to shoe her.
She is so careful and sure-footed. I really noticed this on the last Hunt trail ride. There was a creek crossing where both banks were churned up, rocky and and slick. I’d guess the water was 18" deep. The horses in front of me negotiated it the same way: slither-slide down into the water, splash through, plunge up other side. I threw the reins at Em and said “Deal with it.” She put her head down, cautiously stepped down the bank, stepped carefully through the water, and walked up the out bank quietly–tho the horses in front had gone on. Now…not that horses couldn’t/wouldn’t do that too, but this has ALWAYS been her approach from Day 1. I’ve not had to teach it to her. She is just …“studious”… when traversing obstacles. I LOVE that aspect of her personality. It might not be so much “Mule” as “Draft” but I love it.
Mules remember. I kid you not, I can teach her something, not practice it for three weeks, and when we revisit it, she not only remembers it, but often does it better than the last time we practiced it. I like to joke that I should just leave some books and videos in her stall so she can read up on things so I don’t have to train them.
Mules seem to have a lot more awareness of and ability to use their legs independently…horses seem less able/inclined to do that. My friend’s mule blasted a dog with one hind leg from a laying down position. Emma can very accurately scratch the base of her ear with a hind hoof. This characteristic is probably why they can be so sure-footed.
Are there downsides to mules? Well, sure! Their heads are usually kinda clunky–makes it harder to find tack that’ll fit. Some of them have narrow, shallow mouths and flat backs that are hard to fit bits and saddles to. You have to learn a brand of patience with them that is hard to explain, but I just call it “mule time.” We do things on mule time. It’s sort of like with a horse, you might push harder for a result when your training hits a wall; with a mule, you’re probably better off just leaving it alone. When you come back to it, you’ll likely find they thought about it and will cheefully do it. A lot of people don’t like the way mules look…they have the cast of a donkey in many points of conformation and it’s not the same rounded musculature we’re used to with horses. They have more of a tendency to kick than horses…at each other when arguing, at you when you’re annoying them, at dogs, at flies, etc. Not a vicious kick, more like a good shove with the most handy appendage. Emma and I have had a couple of “conversations” about this; she’s figured out that swinging a leg at me for ANY reason is going to earn her an uncomfortable punishment.
I personally don’t think mules or horses are better–there are good and bad examples of each. At the moment, I have a wonderful mule and so she is what I prefer.
We really gotta get out to hilltop together sometime–it’d be quite a sight, wouldn’t it? The Big and Bigger Belgian Club!
