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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 604
 
Location: Cookeville TN | What do/would you look for conformation-wise when looking for an "all-around" quarter mule? (trail riding, pleasure classes, mule shows, fun shows, etc.) |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
 
| We love our mules!! such loves(we've had a few that were holy terrors but they didn't stick around long). We always like them over 15h just because my husband is a taller guy and says he feels funny on anything smaller. Smaller head, usually the mollys but sometimes the Johns will too. a good wither on them, keep in mind that it's not going to be that of a horses, a round wither is more common in mules. We like them with a little curve in their back, you'll see a lot with a straight spine from the hip to the withers. the rest is about the same when looking at a horse. Clean legs, good bone and feet, not a real straight shoulder, the hip isn't going to be as round usually takes after the jack more, nice wide chest, wider barreled mule over a narrow one. I think more important than conformation is personality and knowing who trained it. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1898
| I am no mule person but from seeing the mules at our "Mule Days" it looks to me like the mules intended for specific work closely resemble (or as close as a mule can get) the conformation of horses used in the same disciplines.
I did find this from the conformation section of the North American Saddle Mule handbook
Stock Type - dam to be of stock horse breeding
and/or the mule's conformation and way of going is
suitable for Western Work under saddle.
(Haha, yeah that's real helpful!)
I would say something with eye appeal, that's well blended with clean lines. Good luck on your search!
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 1D Lawn Mower
Posts: 1417
Location: Southeast, Texas | I have one you can have! [=
I'm no mule person either, and ours isn't a quarter horse cross. If looking, I agree to definitely try to find one with a good wither, as many are mutton withered and your saddle will not fit securely. Ours is out of a TWH mare, he's only about 14 hands but he's a pretty thing. (For a mule!) [=
I like the tall, leggy, TB crosses that we see at western pleasure/hus shows. |
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
 
Location: Texas | I've had a lot of mules and my advice is, get one with a great mind. Great looks should be second on the list! |
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| Find you a mule breeder that is using Belgium mares and mammoth jacks ... you will get you a nice mule around 16hh tall with a great gentle disposition and mule/donkey traits of being solid and trustworthy ... (Belgium mares have no feathers on their pasterns to collect mud and debris like percheron mares do)
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 604
Location: Cookeville TN | I have been looking at several and had decided that I definitely want NO GAITED or DRAFT crosses.
Yesterday I picked up and brought home the sweetest 3 year old, white QH MULE out of a cow bred mare! I'm super excited to get started working with her!
She's built awesome and has a heck of a hip on her. We decided on the way home that her name is officially Honky Tonk Badonkadonk lol.
Thank you everyone for the advice! :) |
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Expert
Posts: 1898
| bringinithome - 2014-04-10 11:03 AM
I have been looking at several and had decided that I definitely want NO GAITED or DRAFT crosses.
Yesterday I picked up and brought home the sweetest 3 year old, white QH MULE out of a cow bred mare! I'm super excited to get started working with her!
She's built awesome and has a heck of a hip on her. We decided on the way home that her name is officially Honky Tonk Badonkadonk lol.
Thank you everyone for the advice! :)
Congrats on your new mule! If I were you I would invest a TON of time researching the wright and wrong ways to start mules. I know that they can get soured very easily and become very spiteful if you foul them. They are far less forgiving than horses.
When my mom was a kid her parents owned a pack station. She said they had a mule that had been fouled up by a man who tried to break it to drive and from that day on that mule would not allow a man to handle it. Women had no problems with him.
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