I found this thread from months ago and wanted to comment generally about differences in horses and mules.
Because a mule is a cross between a donkey jack and a horse (mare), one has to look at the difference between donkeys and horses. Both are prey animals meaning they are prey of the large predators. The horse evolved in North America and crossed into Asia via the Bering Strait land connection (in the past) & is how they got to the Eastern Hemisphere. The horse went extinct in North America before they were reintroduced by the Europeans, it is believed, due to some of the large and very fast carnivores in North America at the height of the last Ice Age. To the contrary, the Pronghorn Antelope in N.A. became a faster animal (one of the fastest in the world but no longer needed since the demise of those large & fast carnivores). Had the horse not migrated into Asia, we might never had come to know it as it would be extinct.
The horse is an animal that has one response to a danger and that is to flee, run. That response is a good one in domestication because it can be harnessed.
The Donkey (or Wild ***) is a species from Northern Africa. Primarily a solitary animal except for temporary herds for breed, it had to defend itself when necessary and avoid some very large predators. When a Donkey is confronted by danger, in a fraction of a second, it considers several options: (1) staying put and not moving; (2) fleeing or (3) attack. The Donkey is a thinker and decides this in an instant. If it decides to attack, it uses hoofs and teeth. The donkey survived in its native Africa as a species. The Donkey has a very high sense of self preservation. It is very territorial. Its traits have also been harnessed by humans world-wide.
The mule inherited traits from both the horse and the donkey. From the donkey, it gets its "thinker" side and its instinct for self preservation. When riding a mule and confronted with a creek / river crossing, the mule may believe the place you choose to cross is unsafe. The mule will find a place it thinks is safe and cross there. Mountain men used to say, "trust your mule." A mule is more sure-footed than a horse. If a mule stops on steep trail, then it considers it not safe. A pack mule when over-loaded to the point it would be dangerous for it, will not go. A mule rarely falls and will not go over a cliff.
Horses were better to run head-long into battle than a mule because a mule will rightly believe the situation is a dangerous one and not go. Over 500,000 mules served in WWI and WWII as pack animals and hauling artillery and such. The mules are considered veterans. The US Army gave the Afghans pack mules when they were fighting the Soviets. Napoleon crossed the Alps on a mule. Sam Houston, when fleeing Santa Anna across Texas, rode a mule. When he would get to a town, he'd get on a flashy horse to ride through in front of the towns people but would get on his mule again when out of the town.
Mules have hybrid vigor. They will not overeat, rarely get sick and have tough hoofs. Like the donkey, they have a high threshold for pain. Just some of the things I have read about mules. I have two mules. I try to let my mules think something is their idea and then they do it. And I also have a donkey. I have noticed my mules do not startle or spook easily like I have seen some horses do. I am a beginner and learning about both my donkey and mules.
Because a mule is a cross between a donkey jack and a horse (mare), one has to look at the difference between donkeys and horses. Both are prey animals meaning they are prey of the large predators. The horse evolved in North America and crossed into Asia via the Bering Strait land connection (in the past) & is how they got to the Eastern Hemisphere. The horse went extinct in North America before they were reintroduced by the Europeans, it is believed, due to some of the large and very fast carnivores in North America at the height of the last Ice Age. To the contrary, the Pronghorn Antelope in N.A. became a faster animal (one of the fastest in the world but no longer needed since the demise of those large & fast carnivores). Had the horse not migrated into Asia, we might never had come to know it as it would be extinct.
The horse is an animal that has one response to a danger and that is to flee, run. That response is a good one in domestication because it can be harnessed.
The Donkey (or Wild ***) is a species from Northern Africa. Primarily a solitary animal except for temporary herds for breed, it had to defend itself when necessary and avoid some very large predators. When a Donkey is confronted by danger, in a fraction of a second, it considers several options: (1) staying put and not moving; (2) fleeing or (3) attack. The Donkey is a thinker and decides this in an instant. If it decides to attack, it uses hoofs and teeth. The donkey survived in its native Africa as a species. The Donkey has a very high sense of self preservation. It is very territorial. Its traits have also been harnessed by humans world-wide.
The mule inherited traits from both the horse and the donkey. From the donkey, it gets its "thinker" side and its instinct for self preservation. When riding a mule and confronted with a creek / river crossing, the mule may believe the place you choose to cross is unsafe. The mule will find a place it thinks is safe and cross there. Mountain men used to say, "trust your mule." A mule is more sure-footed than a horse. If a mule stops on steep trail, then it considers it not safe. A pack mule when over-loaded to the point it would be dangerous for it, will not go. A mule rarely falls and will not go over a cliff.
Horses were better to run head-long into battle than a mule because a mule will rightly believe the situation is a dangerous one and not go. Over 500,000 mules served in WWI and WWII as pack animals and hauling artillery and such. The mules are considered veterans. The US Army gave the Afghans pack mules when they were fighting the Soviets. Napoleon crossed the Alps on a mule. Sam Houston, when fleeing Santa Anna across Texas, rode a mule. When he would get to a town, he'd get on a flashy horse to ride through in front of the towns people but would get on his mule again when out of the town.
Mules have hybrid vigor. They will not overeat, rarely get sick and have tough hoofs. Like the donkey, they have a high threshold for pain. Just some of the things I have read about mules. I have two mules. I try to let my mules think something is their idea and then they do it. And I also have a donkey. I have noticed my mules do not startle or spook easily like I have seen some horses do. I am a beginner and learning about both my donkey and mules.
