The Mule: The World's Most Famous Hybrid Animal

The story of the mule dates back years and years ago. Actually thousands of years ago. Over time the mule has become one of the first known hybrids and the worlds more famous one. What is a mule, how has it come to be so popular, and how does it fit in with other hybrids?

What is a mule?

A mule is a hybrid animal fathered by a donkey with a horse for a mother. This is done naturally by penning the male donkey and the female horse together. The horse has very little problems carrying the mule offspring, unlike many other hybrids. After eleven to twelve months of gestation a mule is born.

Mules definitely look like the cross between a donkey and a horse. Their bodies are longer then that of a horse, but have horse shapes, while their heads often show characteristics of their donkey heritage. Their necks often lack the curve of many horses and their fur is "combination fur". They have course mane fur and a tail like that of a horse. Even their "voice" is combination with a whinny at the front and a eh-aww at the back.

Mules come in a very large range of colors. The only colors that they do not come in is horse pinto colors, due to genetic inheritance. However it is not unusual for mules to have spots, come in all the same colors as donkeys or horses, and even to have wild patters, multiple colors, or light/white colored "socks" like what can happen with horses feet.

Mules also come in a wide variety of sizes from very small (under 36") to very large like a small horse. Their varying size lends them to varying tasks, including jumping, riding, other horse type sports, as well as heavy labor. Many of these mules are bred with a specific design in mind.

It has been said many times, that mules are stubborn. However that isn't really the case. Mules are more intelligent then horses and as such will not work themselves to death nor do anything they think is dangerous. This means they will stop before they have gotten to the point of death (horses will run themselves to death) and they will not climb places they feel are unsafe (many horses will climb dangerous mountain sides even if they may loose their footing and fall).

Back to that Size issue.

In the United States Mules are classified by size.

Miniature Mules- These mules are any that are under 50". There are very tiny mules that are under 36" when fully grown, and many people feel that this should be the starting size for miniature mules in the same way as it is for donkeys and horses. However, the size was set many years ago. These mules are often used for team pulls, and hauling.

Work Mules- Work mules are those over the size of 50" and they have a suitable build for working. They usually have a smaller mare as a mother and their build is not quite large enough to carry a man.

Saddle Mules- Saddle Mules are 50.01" tall up to 17 hands or so. They have the stock that lets them be used for riding, and horse sports including jumping and barrel racing. These horses usually come from saddle horses and sometimes from mammoth jacks (donkeys).

Draft Mules- Draft mules are the largest, stockiest of the mules. They are very large and very good for hard labor.

Race Mules- While race mules can come in any size there are some generalities. Most race mules are larger then 13 hands, and come from breeds of horses known for racing. However, to be a race mule you only have to be fast.

A long history.

In America mules trace back to George Washington who used donkeys given to him, to breed mules. However, the history of the mule dates back to before George Washington's time. Other historical evidence shows that mules have been around since around the third millennium BCE. They were great work animals (and still are in underdeveloped countries). They were stronger then a horse and a donkey, intelligent, and very capable of doing a wide variety of tasks. This made them great for the plow, hauling, and carrying as well as for riding for those who could not afford the longer enduring horse. Additionally the mule was less likely to be injured or to succumb to sickness or disease.

Mules in America continue to be bred for show and sport as well as for the genetics of it all. Crazier colors are sought and often obtained and these creatures are often shown and used in sports. With this in mind there are a great deal of American breeders. Many people love the mule for all of it's positive traits, and there are many mule "fans".

Fertile Mules.

Due to genetics most mules are infertile, there have been a few cases world wide of female mules producing offspring with donkeys or horses. A mule has 63 chromosomes that are a mix of each of its parent's genes. Because they don't pair up right, it is impossible for the genes to split correctly and match to that of another animals genes to form a successful embryo. When a female mule does produce offspring it is because she possesses a complete set of horse chromosomes from her mother. If the mule mates with a donkey she then produces a mule; if she mates with a horse then the offspring is 100% horse.

Hybrid Questions.

For most hybrid animals there are a great deal of questions about their future. What do you do when you are playing creator with animal's lives? Does this apply when hybrid vigor and a lengthy history makes them as common as many other animals? When we hear about a hybrid cat there are questions of whether or not these practices should occur. However most don't ask this question when it comes to mules. After all mules have been around for hundreds if not thousands of years. They have shown to be healthy, to have hybrid vigor and to be useful to man. Do they fall into the same questions as hybrids? Only the future will tell us what happens to the mule. However, there is no sign of stopping breeding of horses and donkeys. It is highly doubtful that mules will disappear into history.