Mules aren’t natural jumpers, but they can jump, and they do so from a standing start. When hunters encountered a fence, they would dismount their mules, throw a blanket over the fence and encourage the mules to jump. Mule jumping originated from coon hunting. If you’re intrigued by the idea of mules, but not ready to purchase your own, you can head to the Pea Ridge Mule Jump held in Pea Ridge Oct. I believe anything a horse can do a mule can do, too.” They are very intelligent and willing to please, with each having its own personality They have a nice long stride and it makes a very soft ride. “I think mules are so sure-footed and they will bond to their owners easily. as well as France, Canada and Mexico.Īs for why the Posts made the transition to breeding mules, Robin finds that question easy to answer. Robin says, “When we started riding them, we were absolutely hooked.” Now the Posts have 25 brood mares. Though the mules were originally for pulling a wagon, they did so well, they broke the mules to ride. They loved the mule and bred the mare again a year later to have a matching set. Like Loyd, they started small and bred a jack to a Missouri Fox Trotter mare. She and her husband have bred and raised mules for 20 years. Robin Post, of Post Farms Mules in Dolph, Arkansas, agrees that mules are an amazing ride. Loyd says he’s seen an increase in Baby Boomers buying mules as Boomers retire and decide they’d like to ride but prefer a gentle animal with an easy gait. They provide a safer trail experience, especially for less experienced riders. Horses spook quite easily and will take a rider with them, but mules have a steadier personality. Mules are prized for their surefootedness and sense of preservation. “I’ve made people mad because I wouldn’t sell a mule that I knew wouldn’t work out for them.” Most of his animals are used for trail riding and he prides himself on matching the potential owner to the right mule. Loyd’s dedication to superior breeding has produced many fine mules over his long career. He built his herd of broodmares up to 35, each mare known for different abilities. He purchased a daughter of quarter horse racing champion Easy Jet and bred her to Arkansas Red, a high-quality jack donkey. Loyd decided to look for the best breeding stock he could and try to produce a higher quality mule. At the time, people would breed mares they considered lower quality to a jack to produce a mule. Loyd had always been interested in genetics and saw an opportunity in mule breeding. “We didn’t do worth a darn, but we sure had fun.” That first mule show was just the beginning of the adventure for the Hawleys. Loyd says they decided to enter every event in the mule show. The Hawley family was already competing in horse shows. He bought a pair of mules and took them to a mule show. Like many mule enthusiasts, he originally rode horses and stumbled into the world of mules. Loyd Hawley has been raising mules in Prairie Grove for over 30 years. However, you can still find mules in Arkansas. Like the horse, the mule suffered a sharp decline after World War II as modern farm equipment came into widespread use. Photo Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, During the Depression era, over 350,000 Arkansas mules worked the fields to help plant and harvest crops for a hungry population. By the next decade, that number jumped to over 57,000 and continued to rise as mules plowed fields, pulled wagons through the steep Ozark and Ouachita mountains and even pulled streetcars through Little Rock and Ft. In 1850, Arkansas had an estimated 12,000 mules. Soon mules pulled wagon trains across the southwest and became the backbone of the army as well. They consumed less than a horse, were hardier animals and worked longer. Their endurance made them the preferred farm animal in the South. Washington’s bet paid off, especially in the South. The donkey arrived in 1785 and the history of mules in America began. The Spanish mule breeding program was highly regarded and Spanish mules were prized. At the time, it was illegal to export a Spanish jack. He asked Spanish King Charles III if he could have a royal jack (male donkey) to begin a breeding program. The newly minted country had few mules and Washington felt mules would be crucial to the agricultural development of the nation. The lineage of the American mule can be traced all the way back to George Washington. Mules are the result of crossing a male donkey with a female horse. We’ve all heard the phrase “as stubborn as a mule” but in reality, mules are intelligent, hard-working animals that have a long history in the Arkansas.
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