Donkies and Mules

[ladyhk13]

I know that donkies are great for protection of herds out in the pastures but do any of you know if mules have this same trait?

[rice paddy daddy]

I honestly don't know. But knowing how our horses are, and the fact that mules are 50% horse, I kinda doubt it.
My back fence neighbor has two donkeys to protect his cows from coyotes.

[Taz Baby]

don,t know much about them but do know about jackasses ( four legged kind) the protect the herd of cows and horses, goats like to butt them too much, so not good with goats in the same field. They will kill any dog if they can get to it. And they are not as stuburn as the mules.

[LUNCHBOX]

A few years back there was a guy around that had a few different herd animals. A pack of coyote killed his mule so I'm not sure how that works out. I don't think it was a defensive sacrificed. The local game warden verified the kill. I would think donkeys have a better track record.

[ladyhk13]

I think you guys are right. Mules are better for work and riding. So I guess we'll have to decide now whether to get mules instead of horses since they would work better for shtf scenario than a horse and have a dual purpose. DH would rather have horses so I think we need to look into this more...especially since we can get horses for free, not sure about mules. Gonna get at least one donkey though just because I like them.

[eagle326]

I think you guys are right. Mules are better for work and riding. So I guess we'll have to decide now whether to get mules instead of horses since they would work better for shtf scenario than a horse and have a dual purpose. DH would rather have horses so I think we need to look into this more...especially since we can get horses for free, not sure about mules. Gonna get at least one donkey though just because I like them.


Donkeys are usually bought in pairs. They tend to get lonely without another of their kind around. All the owners I know have pairs for this reason. It seems they're social animals. Hope this helps.

Mules are smarter than horses and more sure footed. A mule will not walk where the ground isn't solid beneath it hooves. I would own a Mammoth Jack if I had the land. George Washington used to raise them. Look him up on Google.

[ladyhk13]

Yup, I knew that...don't know why I wrote only one. Brain fart.

[Katrina]

Llamas make great protectors for sheep. MSU has several guarding their flocks as well as a burro. At least we've only seen one burro in the pastures at a time.

[work in progress]

My horse was raised down the farm lane from a donkey and mule farm. Whenever she hears one she has to go see where it is. I have been dragged and taken for a ride more than once so she can go see her long lost buddies. This is what I know about mules from my Uncle Charlie - he has ridden the trails out in the Grand Canyon and camped with his own mules all over the country.

He told me that good breeding is just as important as it is in horses - he made the mistake of buying his first mule without meeting its mother. For lack of a better word - the mare was a bitch. As a result, the mule had a lot of "donkey don't" in it. My Aunt Nannie would tell me the mule would wait until a crucial moment, water crossing, downhill climb, and lock up. Donkey Won't do this - Donkey don't do that. That's her phrase. No amount of beating, no amount of coersion - horse psychology - would entice the animal to move. That mule has been turned out with their cattle for twenty years now.

He took his smartest mares and bred them himself to come out with the mules he still has and uses today. He is in his eighties - and swears by them. They are calm, level headed, and he trusts their instincts and ability to reason. They can be mammoth, miniature, and pony sized. In the association and circuit I used to compete in, mules were forbidden. It's because they can jump higher, longer, and better. It must be those big, beautiful ears. They're better balancers than those little foxy ones all the other equines have.

[Grumpy Old Man]

It must be those big, beautiful ears. They're better balancers than those little foxy ones all the other equines have.

Being born and bred in western Missouri, home of long-eared women and beautiful mules, I represent that remark! In mules as in horses, breeding is everything. Mules are different from horses, not necessarily better or worse, just different. Mules have a number of inborn survival traits from both sides of the parentage. They are also a sterile hybrid. (As an aside the hybrid of a stallion and a female donkey is a hinny, but is harder to get). I have seen mules complete 100 mile endurance races and be ready to go the next day. But, and it's a big but, mules require a different approach than horses do in terms of training and partnering.

And as I have said before, there is a learning curve. Mules will win a pull most every time over draft horses, but the muleskinner is usually working his team daily. If you can find a person to teach you the skills then mules may be the way to go. OTOH, since you wish to ride and have them broken to harness you might want to consider a horse such as a Morgan. They were used extensively in Missouri as a dual purpose horse on the homesteads. My buddy Pnut has a Norwegian Fjord that is dual broken that he likes. He, like I, has several horses. He prefers quarters for riding and I prefer arabians- it's a question of personal preference.

Donkeys are good herd protectors as are llamas, however, many equines dislike llamas to extremes! I know Z, my arabian, absolutely freaks as does 10, my paint mare. It is usually a good idea to have more than one equine as they are herd animals and like the companionship of their own kind. It's good to have a goat or 2 as well. Goats are susceptible to many of the same diseases that equines are, but will come down with the illness first, allowing you to treat the equines with prophylaxis measures. Every stable I've ever been at, and the one I owned with the Queen of Darkness, had at least one, and usually more, goats. Nubian nannies and Boer nannies seemed to be the most common. You don't really want a billy unless you are raising a herd. Another aside, goats are being used a lot as pack animals and there is a pretty extensive network of individuals promoting the practice.

I learned to ride, sort of, when I was very young on my uncles draft mule, Nubbin. He was a gentle giant for a four-year old to learn on. I liked him so much I named my first pony Nubbin in his honor. Sadly both left for the Elysian Fields in my youth, but I remember them with great fondness.

If it were I doing it, I'd probably go the Morgan route and get a mare and a gelding. You could breed the mare and geldings are better horses to have than stallions, unless of course you plan to raise horses (Hint: DON'T). And a pair of donkeys will fit right in with that scheme as well. Plus donkeys are also great pack animals and can be ridden as well (Think of Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the back of a pure white donkey).

Well I've rambled long enough. Remember, with any equine, patience is a virtue, riding skills are different from harness skills, and it takes time to become proficient at cultivation of crops using traditional plowing, etc with team of equines.

[bacpacker]

Grumpy I'm thinkin you need to come for a visit and teach some skills when I get my BOL property.
:)

[izzyscout21]

or he could just come out to mine and we can all have a pow-wow.

[ladyhk13]

Nope....I'm claiming him! I have more work for him to do! And I'm a GIRL! LOL!

[Taz Baby]

Nope....I'm claiming him! I have more work for him to do! And I'm a GIRL! LOL!

and girls are first, remember? Or was that girls rule.

[Taz Baby]

Lady are you wanting full size or mini? CL has mini for 100.00 in Greenville Tn. Also look in free. Oh and BTW. There is a craigslistpal.com. Download that program and you can search what you want in any radius. I use it to search within a 100 Miles of me. Just mark what state, city, catergory, and miles. That way you don,t have to go do each one. Saves time and you don,t miss anything

[Grumpy Old Man]

Well, if things don't get better here I may be looking to relocate. It's just that I've made it a practice not to go east of the Mississippi unless I'm forced to; I may have to re-think that. There is a really good book called "The Body Language of Horses" by Tom Ainslee and Bonnie Ledbetter. He's a handicapper and his POV pertains to handicapping horse races. He won me some money!! Bonnie is more an Equestrian POV and deals with those issues.

Free horses may or may not come with bad habits. There is usually a reason they are free! Horses, like any other animal have unique personalities. Z is a prankster but loves his job. 10 is an affectionate mare, but she is a mare and gets notional. She really is a woman's horse, she flat out doesn't like men on her back! (Sound familiar??) I had one horse, Cobask that was in a perpetual state of fear outside the stable, even in the company of other horses. There was only one little girl (~14) that he would calm down with; I finally gave him to her as all he was doing was costing me money. She made a reasonable riding horse out of him for herself.

When you purchase a horse, a halter should be included; it's customary. You'll need brushes, hoof picks, shedding blades, lead ropes, tack boxes, feed buckets, poop rake, a generous supply of various Lexol products and a lot of patience. Watch their feet and yours-they'll step on your foot, look at you with the "What are you yelling about now Carrot Guy?" look and not move until you shove. Horses respond to pressure; that is why neck reining works and why you knees signal direction as well.

I can ramble about ponies all day long and have some hilarious tales to tell.

[ladyhk13]

Lady are you wanting full size or mini? CL has mini for 100.00 in Greenville Tn. Also look in free. Oh and BTW. There is a craigslistpal.com. Download that program and you can search what you want in any radius. I use it to search within a 100 Miles of me. Just mark what state, city, catergory, and miles. That way you don,t have to go do each one. Saves time and you don,t miss anything

Standard or Mammoth. Mini has no use other than to be cute. I am going for animals only that are going to be useful in some way. I don't want the extra work for no return. I told my dh that I am not going to be a farm whore. We will still have a life and I want to have time for family and hobbies so animals will be limited to specific reasons. If he decides he wants horses instead of mules for work then we will need to be looking for more of a draft horse that we can ride too and then I'll get donkies as well. Either way I'm going to get donkies...I just love them for some reason. It's up in the air on horse/mules....I have to see what dh wants, I keep talking about the mules but he doesn't seem to be real keen on the idea but I think they are very smart, strong and underestimated so the more I read about them the more I like them.

[ladyhk13]

Well, if things don't get better here I may be looking to relocate. It's just that I've made it a practice not to go east of the Mississippi unless I'm forced to; I may have to re-think that. There is a really good book called "The Body Language of Horses" by Tom Ainslee and Bonnie Ledbetter. He's a handicapper and his POV pertains to handicapping horse races. He won me some money!! Bonnie is more an Equestrian POV and deals with those issues.

Free horses may or may not come with bad habits. There is usually a reason they are free! Horses, like any other animal have unique personalities. Z is a prankster but loves his job. 10 is an affectionate mare, but she is a mare and gets notional. She really is a woman's horse, she flat out doesn't like men on her back! (Sound familiar??) I had one horse, Cobask that was in a perpetual state of fear outside the stable, even in the company of other horses. There was only one little girl (~14) that he would calm down with; I finally gave him to her as all he was doing was costing me money. She made a reasonable riding horse out of him for herself.

When you purchase a horse, a halter should be included; it's customary. You'll need brushes, hoof picks, shedding blades, lead ropes, tack boxes, feed buckets, poop rake, a generous supply of various Lexol products and a lot of patience. Watch their feet and yours-they'll step on your foot, look at you with the "What are you yelling about now Carrot Guy?" look and not move until you shove. Horses respond to pressure; that is why neck reining works and why you knees signal direction as well.

I can ramble about ponies all day long and have some hilarious tales to tell.

You are right about some of those bad habits! But out in our neck of the woods they are free because so many people are getting to the point that they can't afford to keep them any more so they are giving them away. TN is big horse country so when you have so many horses it's hard to sell them all so it's easier to try to find them a good home. The person who would find the horses for us is an ex jockey and knows everything horse so I know we would get good healthy ones from people he knows. He's in an area where everyone knows everyone. But if we go the horse route it may be harder to find the ones we want free since they would probably be draft horses but we can find percherons for about $800 ea. last I saw. Time will tell.

[ladyhk13]

p.s. Grumpy....what's wrong with east of the Mississippi?????

[work in progress]

Mini has no use other than to be cute. I am going for animals only that are going to be useful in some way. I don't want the extra work for no return.

Whoooaaaaa there missy! Just an FYI - Mini Mules and Donkeys and Horses can pull up to 5x's their body weight. They take up less real estate, they burn up less hay, and it doesn't hurt quite as much when they step on your feet. Now - you have to bend over constantly with these guys - if you have a weak back - I'd bet it won't help. Every breed, every build has its trade off. The amount of strength it takes to hold up and work the hooves on drafts or lazy mares like mine who treat you like you are their fourth leg when you trim their hooves is substancial. Training or getting an animal who has been trained properly or even has a good foundation is the most important thing for someone new or newer to the equine world. Knowing a few basic but necessary questions to ask people giving away their horses can really help keep you out of the hospital.

[Grumpy Old Man]

WIP made some really good points. I'm too stove up anymore to do my own trimming and I never was better than average at setting shoes, so I use a farrier that's really good. Of course SoCal where I live is big horse country- to the point that our local watering hole has a rodeo arena in front and a saloon in back, hence the name "The Wild West Arena and Saloon". I also use a horse dentist to float my ponies' teeth. He is much better than any vet. I do as much of my own diagnosing as I can, but I rely on the vet for my 5-ways and West Nile vaccinations and rabies, but I worm them myself.

Like WIP said, they are big animals that can injure you if you aren't paying attention. I agree that it's worth the money to get a horse with a good foundation. If you have a friend that can help select the free horses, like your jockey friend then you are one step ahead of the game.

As to what is wrong with east of the Mississippi, well nothing really except for the humidity. It's just not my preferred habitat; I like the west more with the mountains, deserts and plains and........low humidity. It really affects my sinuses.

[ladyhk13]

Whoooaaaaa there missy! .

WIP you crack me up!!!!! Well I can confortably say that my dh will no way no how agree to mini anything. I used to ride (actually from a toddler all through high school) but haven't been on a horse in years so I have no fear of them and I am hoping that it will be like getting back on a bike, ya never forget. My sister raises horses and has a wonderful vet, farrier and her neighbor shows horses - trains them so I think I will have a pretty good support group once we get over to our property and decide to get them. She bugs me all the time to go riding with her but I just never have had the time to go yet but I will probably start going when the weather gets nice just to get my butt back in shape...we trail ride in these parts up in the mountains so it'll take some time to get in shape. I can hear my butt and inner theighs screaming already. I had just thought about mules since I read they were such a good work animal and in a shtf scenario they may be a good alternative to a horse since they could do double duty and thought I would ask ya'lls opinion.