The hinny will also eat a variety of different kinds of shrubs and bushes to sustain himself, where a mule will be more selective, again because of the influence of the female parent. On both hinnies and mules, the hooves should be trimmed more upright and the heels should be left longer than the hooves of the horse.
The hooves of a hinny tend to be more donkey-like-narrow, oval and more upright-where the hooves of a mule will look more horse-like a little rounder (although still oval), with slightly more angle than the donkey hoof, but not as flat, round and angled as the horse’s hoof. Gaited hinnies are preferable in this kind of terrain where there is little opportunity to gallop because they have a smooth, more ground-covering gait. The hinny, because of his meticulous way of going, is actually better in very steep, rocky terrain and, especially, in loose rock, and will not tire as quickly as a mule. He inherits his way of going from the jennet as does the mule, which tends to be a little faster, more energetic and more agile-like the mare. For instance, the hinny is a somewhat slower and more meticulous mover than the mule. The hinny is different from a mule in very subtle ways. However, the hinny is the hybrid cross between a male horse (stallion), and a female donkey (jenny, or jennet). The hinny, or hinney, is also called a mule.
The mule inherits from the donkey his incredible strength, intelligence, patience, perseverance, endurance and surefootedness from the jack and his equine beauty, athletic ability and speed from the horse. Because the mule most often demonstrates the best traits from each parent, he possesses what we call hybrid vigor. The mule is a hybrid cross between a male donkey (jack ) and a female horse (mare). Mule events, stock shows, trade publications and even television programs like Meredith’s series, Training Mules and Donkeys, continue to foster interest in these amazing animals. Today, annual events such as Bishop Mule Days in Bishop, Calif., host more than 30,000 people and 700 mules. Mules and donkeys have enjoyed resurgent popularity during the last 40 years. They also publish The Brayer, a bi-monthly magazine with an international subscriber base. Among them were Paul and Betsy Hutchins who, in 1967, founded the American Donkey and Mule Society, an organization dedicated to the protection and understanding of longears. It’s estimated that, by the late 1960s, fewer than 10,000 mules existed in the United States, and many of those languished-unused, unnoticed and in danger of fading from our culture altogether.īut a handful of mule and donkey lovers were determined to keep that from happening. But with the advent of engine-powered vehicles, the mule’s once-critical role in agriculture and industry diminished. One of the jacks died during the voyage, but the survivor, named Royal Gift, went on to sire an American dynasty that reshaped the very landscape of this country. However, in 1785, King Charles III of Spain presented Washington with a gift of two jacks and two jennets. At the time, the Spanish Government prohibited acquisition of the legendary Andalusian donkey. But right from the beginning, he faced a major obstacle. In addition to being the father of our country, George Washington was an enlightened agriculturalist-a visionary who, early on, saw the true value of the mule. If only a mule could talk, most people would be surprised at how smart they really are! If they are treated with force and abuse, they are not likely to comply with your wishes. When treated with patience, kindness and understanding, they learn to trust and obey. Mules and donkeys actually have a natural attraction to humans. Donkeys and mules have been labeled “stubborn” for centuries, but it is really only an abundance of common sense and a strong desire for self-preservation that might make them inclined to resist. A mule gets its athletic ability from the horse and its intelligence from the donkey. Both are very strong, but the mule has greater physical strength for its size, and more endurance. Think of a football player’s muscle build compared to that of a ballerina’s. However, a male mule should be gelded in order to make him a safe and sociable animal.Įxcept for the long ears, mules look very similar to horses, but their muscle composition is different. Mules can be either male or female, but, because of the odd number of chromosomes, they can’t reproduce. A horse has 64 chromosomes, and a donkey has 62. A mule is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare).
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