Mule or standard donkey

[OneFineAcre]

@Bruce mules can live up to 40 years. If properly cared for they can be active and useful almost all their life.

@OneFineAcre I would call and ask. I have a mule and she would attack the sheep if she could. She also hates dogs. I can just imagine the devastation she would leave behind her if she could go chicken stomping.

We should focus on animals we can eat
But gosh she sure is a beautiful animal

 

[Bruce]

@Bruce mules can live up to 40 years. If properly cared for they can be active and useful almost all their life.

I know, it just struck me funny. It is sort of the opposite of the joke:
"Have you lived here your entire life?"
"Not yet"

Maybe for mules "Life begins at 9" instead of "at 40"

 

[frustratedearthmother]

@OneFineAcre - I think you should do it. She's got the WHOLE REST of her life ahead of her!

 

[Bunnylady]

This is Betsy:

She was about 9 years old in this picture, and in a way, life for her began then. She had basically had no training at all; apparently her previous owners had just wrestled her into whatever they wanted to do with her. The person who gave her to me was told she could be ridden or driven. Once I figured out that that person was living on Fantasy Island, Betsy and I stumbled back to square one, and I had her doing leadline pony work with my kids within a couple of weeks . . . which was about the time she stopped hassling the goats.

When I brought Betsy home, my goats weren't sure what that thing was, but of one thing they were sure - it must eat goats. Betsy did her best to convince them that they were right about that; she chased them at every opportunity. I'm not sure how serious she was about it, maybe for her it was just a game, but I wound up fishing Moon out of the duck pond twice the first day (and you know how much goats hate water!) By the time she eased up, those pointy headed problem children had the Rule of Mule firmly ingrained in their minds. I have two miniature horses that outrank Betsy in the "horse herd," but though the goat are pretty cheeky with the miniature horses, when Betsy moves in, the goats move out! Even Spike, a tall, lanky dairy-mix wether that was a incorrigible bully where the other goats were concerned, needed just a glare from Betsy to make up his mind to go find something else to do.

Though there have been chickens free-ranging in the goat/mini paddock for as long as she has lived here, I can't say that I remember Betsy every chasing the chickens. Maybe they are too fast for her to waste her energy on them (mules are smart like that). I have seen her trying to stomp on ducks, though - and I have reason to believe she has injured a few of them. And if she didn't kill that raccoon last year, it wasn't for lack of trying. A couple of months ago, I saw a fox looking in through the fence while I was out working in the yard. The horses saw it too, and stood looking at it for some time. All but Betsy. She looked, then walked slowly and deliberately over to the fence where the fox had been. And stood looking for quite a while. Good thing for the fox he didn't go in the fence.

 

[Green Acres Farm]

This is Betsy:

She was about 9 years old in this picture, and in a way, life for her began then. She had basically had no training at all; apparently her previous owners had just wrestled her into whatever they wanted to do with her. The person who gave her to me was told she could be ridden or driven. Once I figured out that that person was living on Fantasy Island, Betsy and I stumbled back to square one, and I had her doing leadline pony work with my kids within a couple of weeks . . . which was about the time she stopped hassling the goats.

When I brought Betsy home, my goats weren't sure what that thing was, but of one thing they were sure - it must eat goats. Betsy did her best to convince them that they were right about that; she chased them at every opportunity. I'm not sure how serious she was about it, maybe for her it was just a game, but I wound up fishing Moon out of the duck pond twice the first day (and you know how much goats hate water!) By the time she eased up, those pointy headed problem children had the Rule of Mule firmly ingrained in their minds. I have two miniature horses that outrank Betsy in the "horse herd," but though the goat are pretty cheeky with the miniature horses, when Betsy moves in, the goats move out! Even Spike, a tall, lanky dairy-mix wether that was a incorrigible bully where the other goats were concerned, needed just a glare from Betsy to make up his mind to go find something else to do.

Though there have been chickens free-ranging in the goat/mini paddock for as long as she has lived here, I can't say that I remember Betsy every chasing the chickens. Maybe they are too fast for her to waste her energy on them (mules are smart like that). I have seen her trying to stomp on ducks, though - and I have reason to believe she has injured a few of them. And if she didn't kill that raccoon last year, it wasn't for lack of trying. A couple of months ago, I saw a fox looking in through the fence while I was out working in the yard. The horses saw it too, and stood looking at it for some time. All but Betsy. She looked, then walked slowly and deliberately over to the fence where the fox had been. And stood looking for quite a while. Good thing for the fox he didn't go in the fence.

She is pretty!

 

[micah wotring]

Oh, all this talk makes me want one now! I've never had any experience with any equines so I won't go there until I've helped somebody with theirs so that when I do get mine I can give her a good life. Maybe someday when I have a HUGE herd of sheep and goats to protect maybe I could train one for a guardian. Of coarse then you couldn't ride it because you'd need it to stay with the herd. Hmmm, I've got A LOT to research on. Maybe someday...

 

[AClark]

When I was a teenager, we had a BLM burro. He was pretty cool, even if he was really small. He wasn't gelded but had a nice temperament. They make really good livestock protectors. Because of all the mining where I grew up, their population has exploded, and they're talking about ways to reduce their numbers drastically. He was definitely too small to be really ridden, but I would hop on him and ride him bareback, and I am a pretty small adult and my feet could almost touch the ground - I really liked him.

I don't have any experience with mules at all, but donkeys are definitely cool!

 

[Bunnylady]

She is pretty!

Thank you! She is also a character . . .

Last year, we had a ridiculously rainy period that flooded parts of the animals' paddocks with water up to knee deep. My daughter (known as BB2K on BYC) had been having problems with one of the minis not wanting to step in puddles when walking on the road, so she thought this might be a good training opportunity. She haltered first one, then another, of the minis, and walked them all around in the water. Then she had the absurd impulse to try it with our two goats. Moon wasn't thrilled with the idea, but she only resisted a little before walking in. Daisy, on the other hand, seemed to be of the opinion that you might as well kill her where she stood, there was simply no way she was setting hoof in that lethal stuff. Betsy saw what was going on, and strolled casually over. Maybe she thought, "if I had to, you gotta, too," but she nipped the goat on the butt. Daisy decided that water was less threatening than mule teeth.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

That's funny! Mule justice!

 

[Mini Horses]

Donkeys are smarter than you, mules are downright freaking brilliant.

@Bruce mules can live up to 40 years. If properly cared for they can be active and useful almost all their life.

@OneFineAcre I would call and ask. I have a mule and she would attack the sheep if she could. She also hates dogs. I can just imagine the devastation she would leave behind her if she could go chicken stomping.

So, yes these animals are extremely intelligent, remember like an elephant, generally do love their humans, can become extremely good protectors, can/will stomp the life out of what they feel is an "intruder" (even if the same species of "their" herd, just not one of them), SUPER sure footed, have a great intuition for danger, and are ANYTHING but stubborn -- that's a bad assumption -- they are very, very cautious and will do what you want with patience as a trainer. Once they do the new thing, they are good!! They really WANT to please you and be a part of your life.

I have had one kill a goat kid that entered the field with her herd, as it was not a part of "her herd". Even rabbits weren't safe with some of them. A fox, dog, etc., had NO chance. Not every one of them are that protective. But, some goat farms who had them found that the bucks were in trouble when placed into a field for breeding, if not already a part of the herd!!

When I warned neighbors about loose dogs, they thought it was to protect my goats --- well, partly, but mainly to protect their DOG, who would not have outrun that jenny.

While most mule jennets are not fertile (chromosome #s in cross) some can be. Not usual. The mule jacks should always be gelded, as they can get rank from the testosterone.
Donkeys & mules are extremely strong....more than most horses. Plus they tend to have a chase until they just stop type mentality when after a female to breed. Part of their "game", not a lot of gentle foreplay. One of my jacks, who was only 32" tall, could pull two big, strong, 6' men all over the place with them hanging on to his halter when he was in "breed" mode. Can be quite nasty to a jennet -- or not! Unbelievable strength. They can jump like you would not believe! Stand by the fence and propel themselves straight up & over. Amazing.

Donkeys by nature are foragers of some poor graze. They do far better than any horse with little to no grain and less grand hay. A donkey will almost never over eat. Did you know that one of the reasons, many years back, that they were kept in racetrack barns was because they would bray if a stranger entered?

Had a herd of mini donks, about 30 head, and they were very loving animals. Some days I wish I still had a couple.

So, if you are looking for a mule, just know that if you are patient, kind, loving -- it will usually be returned 100 fold.