Anyone know anything about hinnies & mules?

Along with the ponies, a hinny (at least we think that's what she is) came home with us. She kinda falls into the so ugly she's cute area.






She's a whole lot on the wild side. When I ran her into the barn last night she was scared enough of me to go into the tie stalls, rather than her box stall. Here are Vamp and Seth meeting her. And likely wondering what the heck she is.

My dad was a "mule man". He had between 10 and 20 babies every year. I never cared for them. I know there are any number of people who will disagree with me...But I've always thought of them as unpredictable, and some, down-right dangerous.

Some mules will look like a hinny....A few can even look like horses. The one in your pics looks like a pony mom and a jack dad, though it's possible it's the other way around. AKA.....Mini mule.

About 25yrs ago Dad gave me a mini mule. I named him Ogden. He was coming 2yrs old....Strong as horse 3 times his size!!!!! We had him gelded right away....The horses hated him....He was such an escape artist, we had to lock him in a horse trailer at night. He'd kick the sides all night!!!! It didn't take long for me to get sick of him.....I gave him to a guy who did a lot of hiking in the Colorado Rockies......Ogden was happy being a little pack mule....I was happy he was gone.

I thought I might add....Most pony studs won't cover a donkey unless they are raised with them.....The same goes for horse studs. A lot of horses are scared to death of a donkey.

So you think she's more likely a mule? We were told that she was likely a hinny because she has the smaller ears, but I know absolutely nothing about them. She hasn't made a single noise since she got here either. She happily gets along with the ponies, but is terrified of people.

I haven't seen many hinnies...Probably because they are harder to breed. I do know that they have more of a whinny, rather than a bray.

There's a big mule show and races here every year....(they also have a draft horse show at the same time) My dad was into gaited mules, so most of his mares were registered walkers.....Many came from John Denver's Starwood Ranch. Dad bought them when they went out of business in the early 80s. A few of his mares were TB and QH. Some had the typical long ears of a mule...Others were shorter. Seems like it would depend on the mare. The TBs and QHs seemed to have shorter ears.

At first glance, I'd say that yours looks most like a hinny.

There used to be a gal who came to the mule show here all the time....You'd swear she was riding a TB. She had to have him gene tested to prove he was a mule. I think he won a bunch at the Bishop World Show.

On a side note.....My daughter and Tucker's mom used to show against a mule named Maynard's Miss Sheba. Beat her every time!!!!! That mule is now a Breyer Molding animal!!!!!! Sheba cleaned up big-time at Bishop.

The size and mark on her shoulder say she is donkey.. Mules are much bigger and their ears are way bigger then her's. My neighbors have two.. They are so cute.. A friend of mine trains and shows mules. The horses in her barn could care less about them. They are used to the lowed bray...

Mules have become big time around here.. I couldn't believe it when I was at the state fair and out came the hunt seat mule class.. Those girls were serous too. It was a blast to watch.. They were dressed to the nines and the mules were groomed just like you would your horse..

Almost all mules have that cross on the shoulder. Even grey mules have it, if you look close. Hinnies are less likely to have it.

Mules were mega-popular in the 80s and 90s....I don't see it so much anymore. Bishop Mule Days was like the equivalent to the AQHA Congress. Since my dad died, I don't keep up with it anymore, nor my dad's old friends. I believe numbers are down at the Winnemucca Mule Show and Races....Yes, races!!!!

I'm sure what you have is a mini mule....Pony mom, jack dad. As I said, jenny mom and pony dad is less likely because pony and horse studs generally won't breed a jenny....

Check out the Winnemucca Mule Show and Races on the internet!!

The size and mark on her shoulder say she is donkey.. I agree!

Ummmm... No most MULES dont have the marking. I know of several we trail ride with do not. A Friend of ours they call him Froggy, raises Mules, most of his are sorrel with a flaxen mane and tail. He has bred for a grulla, only getting one, His pride and joy, he did get a very nice Dun. But he liked the grulla. I can say I have seen a mule with the Donkey marking personally. Larger Donkies, yes. This photos as soon as I saw it, I thought what a cute headed Donkie.

Well, for as many mules as my dad raised...and like I said, that was 10-20 a year.... All of his had the shoulder cross. The only one that I have ever seen that didn't was one of the grey mules that played Blue on the Waltons.

I think the cross could have something to do with the type of donkey used as the sire. 30 yrs ago the most well known in Colorado was a mammoth jack called The Grand Valley Bomber. The other was owned by a guy named Darrel Stabinaw....Levi. The Italian giant jacks were just gaining ground about 15 years ago.

Like I said....I've never seen a mule without a shoulder cross....however faint or dark.....But I'll sure take the time to surf the net when I get home from work in the morning....

Your right, I found some, Seems like the ones with the cross are the ones that have dark legs, Found sorrel mules with out, greys as well. In fact the lighter mules none of them had them. Bays (if that is what you want to call some of them) had them. Found Grullas with out and with. Seems as though it went back to that color gene. Like I said Froggies Do not have even a faint one, I looked at my photos at home. Looked at my Grandpa pics, his Favorite pair, 16 hands, Greys. They didnt have any. He had a Big mule called Nig, He was coal black. Cant see his. But a bay mule Sal did.

She really looks to me to be a pony.. Maybe some donkey in the back ground.. But, not direct. I think her ears are too small.

I am sure that over the years the people who breed these animals have done just what the horse people have done and made crosses that have changed the way they are.. Like, the borrow has not even come up here. And, the mini donkeys, the really tall mules and more refined with better movement.. And, lets not foget the colored ones.. Appy, pinto, bay, grulla, buckskin. There are a bunch of them that come down the road every year to eat down this old gals pasture. Whole bunch of those colors there..

I got these shots from the Mule association, Donkey and Mini Donkey breeder. Maybe this will help...

MULE


Donkey


Mini Donkey

Heres a sorrel. I like the Sorrels. I dont know why?

How can she have donkey in her background??? LOL!!!!

I have a thought on this little CREME GENE, Barring on the legs, Bleeding on the SHoulders, Can this be a dorsel not the cross that donkies have?
you may bave a Grulla pony there.

She could have it in the back ground by starting with pony to donkey then just breeding that off spring back to pony, etc. I have had some paints I swear orginated with donkey some where back there.. This little one resembles a donkey. But, does not have those signature ears we expect to see when we think about how they look. Would be interesting to know if she bray's like a donkey.

I did see one on the mini donkey site that has shorter ears. He still has much longer ears then RF little one.



Look how darling the babies are...



Like I said before.. All the breads have evolved over the years by crossing this and that to get some thing different. And, new ones have come on the scene doing the same thing. The latest I heard about are the Spotted Saddle horse and Walker Loosa. QH is very well known for this. First we bred them to TB to get a taller and different shaped horse. Once that was done then those were bred to have more substance. We ended up with a pleasure horse that looks and is more the size of a TB and the halter horse that is HUGE and very tall.. QH were never that tall in the past.. I personally prefer a QH to look like it did back when I was a kid.

Just as the Donkey was bred down to end up with the Mini Donkey. The horse and the Donkey crossed to get a Mule.. The same thing goes on in the cat and dog world.

The offspring of horse/donkey and pony/donkey crosses are sterile.

Yes most of them are. My husband did get a mule in foal.. And, trained and road the off spring.. But, they are known for being sterile.. Mother nature some times just does what the heck she wants too.. And, I still say that RF little one could just be a pony.. That may have had a Jack back there some where.. It does not have the ears to be relative of either.. Unless, it was back in the line some where...

Not giving you a bad time.. Times have changed and I know many who have these animals and even thought of breeding one of my QH mares to one.. I really like them...

Molly mules that have been able to carry a foal have been found to be genetically a horse. Quirk of nature.

Time will tell, but I'd sure like to be there when RFs little one finds her voice.

On a side note.....The first 2 cloned mules raced here a couple of years ago. Idaho Gem...and Idaho something-or-other.

I started halter breaking her and when I took her away from her buddies she made this weird whinny that ended with almost a braying sound.
If she's a pony, she is the ugliest one I have ever seen. I been looking and haven't seen a donkey with her kind of tail or as small of ears as Mocha has.
I wonder where I could get genetic testing done? And whether the cost would be worth it to calm my curiosity.

No such thing as an ugly anything. She will have the best personality you will ever know.. What do the people say that you got her from?

Well, the auction barn says that her livestock manifest just had "mule" printed on it. I can't get the seller's name and number, so I can't get an age or parent details.