| 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. Breed Organizations The American Donkey and Mule Society was founded in 1967 for the purpose of being a national Breed Society and registering donkeys and mules. Today it is still going strong, with over 22,000 donkeys and 2,100 mules registered. The Society's services include three main registries and two newer registries that are expected to grow quickly. The Miniature Donkey Registry of the United States is specifically for those animals of miniature breeding and under 36" in height. The American Donkey Registry covers the Standard to Mammoth breeds of donkeys. The American Mule Registry is for all sizes and types of mules and hinnies. The newer registries are the Race Mule and Zebra Hybrid books. In addition to the Registries, the Association has lots of information available on all breeds and types, as well as a catalog of books on long-ears. The donkey, mule, and zebra are all members of the equine family. Donkeys, horses and zebras all have unique breeds within the general term (ie, the Arabian as opposed to just Horse or Poitou as opposed to just Donkey). The mule and zebroids are hybrids, the former being a horse/donkey cross, the latter a cross of zebra/other equine. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For More Information, Contact: The American Donkey and Mule Society P. O. Box 1210 Lewisville, Texas 75067 Tel: (972) 219-0781 Fax: (972) 420-9980 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.donkeys.com |
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