Mule
Terminology
Mule: The hybrid
animal produced when a male ass (Jack) is crossed with a female horse. The mule
is a sterile hybrid, meaning it cannot reproduce. Mules come in both male and
female. A tiny percentage of female mules have had foals, but this is considered
a freak genetic accident. Mules are a combination of traits of the parents with
the most obvious donkey traits being long ears, narrower body and smaller
hooves. The horse contributes size, speed and muscle. Other characteristics such
as the head and voice (an odd combination of the bray that ends as a whinny) are
a blend of the parent features. You can always tell a donkey from a mule by the
fact that a donkey has a tail in essence like a lion or a cow (long tail with a
tassel) and the mule has a tail like a horse (short tailbone with long hair).
Hinny: This is
the term used for the hybrid animal produced when the female ass (jennet) is
mated to the male horse (stallion) to produce
a foal. There are both male hinnies and females. The genetic inheritance of the
hinny is exactly the same as the mule. Scientists think that differences in
hinnies and mules may be from the result of maternal influences on the fetus,
and in the upbringing of the foal. Some hinnies tend to look like horses with
long ears, but most cannot be told apart from mules. Untraced animals can not be
verified as hinnies. For all purposes, hinnies are classified with mules.
Hinnies do not differ from mules in endurance, or other useful traits, but are
bred more rarely because the donkey dam tends to make the offspring smaller.
Donkeys do not as readily conceive to horse stallion as to donkeys. The equine
hybrid is easier to obtain when the lower chromosome count (the donkey) is in
the male.
Horse Mule: The
proper term for the male mule. All male mules should be gelded, since stallion
mules are very sexually active, even though they are sterile. Many people refer
to a male mule as a john mule, but the term is informal.
Mare Mule: The
proper term for the female mule. The common informal term for the female mule is
molly mule, and is frequently used.
Mare Hinny or Horse Hinny:
The terminology for the hinny follows that of the mule for clarity.
Mule Colt or Mule Filly:
The young male or female mule under the age of three. When show classes are
listed they are frequently listed as "Mare Mule under One year of age"
etc. This is of course correct but more difficult to use in speech.
Miniature Mule:
Bred from various types of pony mares or Miniature Horse mares. 50" at the
withers is considered the cut-off height for miniature mules.
Saddle Mule:
Bred from mares of riding horse breeding. These vary in size from small to very
large but having riding type confirmation.
Pack/Work Mules:
Bred from mares with some draft blood or of heavy work types rather than for
saddle type confirmation.
Draft Mules:
These are the largest mules and are bred from various Draft mares. Belgian mules
are the most common, valued for their bright sorrel color, but mules from
Percheron, Clydesdale, Shire and other draft breeds are also seen. The larger
and heavier the better with these mules, but refinement is desired as well.
Gaited Mules:
Bred from the saddle-gaited horses including Tennessee Walking, Foxtrotter, Paso
Fino and Peruvian Paso. A jack exhibiting a smooth singlefoot type gait is
desirable as the sire of these mules. Gaited mules have their own registry in
the American Gaited Mule Association, which requires qualification testing of
the animal to show gait, as well as video evaluation of the sire and dam. These
mules may also be registered in the American Mule Registry (ADMS) as Saddle
Mules of gaited breeding.
Mule Train
