Mules vs Horses

[Hunt'nFish]

Well said... stock is what you make of them.
Speaking of which, we need to get ours out and hit the high lakes.
Hunt'nFish

 

[zia]

View attachment 38286
Why choose? Use horses and mules, ride or pack both! This is June 30, 2016 in NM

 

[DirtyDusty]

I know this is an older post, but what’s everyone’s opinion of gaited stock? I have only hunted in Colorado once, on horse back, and the guy who owned the horses said that gaited horses or mules where useless in rugged mountains. Is this true?

 

[Carr5vols]

I will take a mule over a horse any day in rough steep nasty country. I own and hunt off both horses and mules and have no problem saying it takes a great horse to keep up with an average mule. Mules are tougher and smarter than horses. They require less feed and water than horses. Mules also travel with a smoother gait than horses on a trail. Now for cowboying or chasing steers in the arena give me a horse but steep, slick, rocky, deadfall, nasty country hunting and packing, give me a mule.

WHAT HE SAID!

 

[wymtnpounder]

I know this is an older post, but what’s everyone’s opinion of gaited stock? I have only hunted in Colorado once, on horse back, and the guy who owned the horses said that gaited horses or mules where useless in rugged mountains. Is this true?

Nope. I have a couple gaited TWH four year olds and there doing great. In fact the seam to do better in dead fall and deep snow than any of my others, they seam more flexible.

 

[PNWGATOR]

Walker mare we had was a true pleasure to ride and I often wonder why every animal we own isn’t gained. Like riding a magic carpet. Lol

 

[jmez]

Not true. Gaited horses are fine. Much tougher than a QH, get you there quicker and have a lot more stamina.

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

 

[Beendare]

This did turn out to be a good thread.

Robby's chevy/ford comment was funny. More like; tank vs a ten speed.

All I know is I've been on mules going up muddy trails that I personally couldn't get a trials bike up it and that mule was rock solid going over and around 4' boulders like it was nuthin.

Horses/mules can be a Savoir......or a total pain in ass in the backcountry...usually both.

....

 

[Mike 338]

I know this is an older post, but what’s everyone’s opinion of gaited stock? I have only hunted in Colorado once, on horse back, and the guy who owned the horses said that gaited horses or mules where useless in rugged mountains. Is this true?

No personal experience but Tennessee Walkers are a favorite endurance breed. Taking advantage of their ability to gait may be somewhat limited due to the terrain but the breed is fine. Personally, I like smaller mounts in the mountains. If you need to lead them uphill, their shorter steps match my own and they're a little less likely to lunge past you. I have a small riding mule out of a TW. She doesn't gait but when she walks fast her ride is smooth. Most mules are a less jiggy than horses. If I had a TW, I wouldn't hesitate to use it but for mountain riding, there are simply no long, straight, level trails to get up a good gait.

 

[rayporter]

once met some walkers about a mile from the trailhead. one stopped and asked how far the lake was.
oh, about a 5 to 6 miles, says I. he turned around and says to a half dozen folks 'lets go we can be there by noon'.- [it was 11 o clock and almost a thousand foot gain]
down the trail they went gaiting with sparks flying. I always wondered how many went lame or died.

mountain raised animals can do quite well I have noticed.

 

[Brooks]

I have a couple Tennessee Walkers and they can do anything in the rough mountains our Quarter horses can, they are gentle and smooth riding. My favorite kind of horse is a quarter horse, nice big gelding !! We sold a big John mule last year because when he had a bad day it was a bad day !! He was 17 hands high 13 years old and could pack out anything and a good mule most of the time but dang he was unpredictable.

If I was looking a few horses or mules for something to ride and pack with it would be quarter horses. Spend time with them, train them, take them into the high country as much as possible and last but not least.... know how to ride and handle a horse !!!

I couldn’t imagine not owning horses that I can take to the mountains with any time I wanted to... Horses, Hunting and Mountains I love everything about all of them .

 

[njdoxie]

I’ve enjoyed this thread for some reason, as I don’t own either and have zero experience outside of elk hunts. But it’s been a fun read. I’ve never wanted to own either, and after reading this thread, I’m downright happy I don’t own either.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[theleo91386]

I know this is an older post, but what’s everyone’s opinion of gaited stock? I have only hunted in Colorado once, on horse back, and the guy who owned the horses said that gaited horses or mules where useless in rugged mountains. Is this true?

It's not entirely true, but there is some truth it. The issue is if you go that route you pretty much have to have all gaited stock because mixing in non-gaited breeds usually creates headaches. If you're going solo and only using 2-3 head (1 to ride and 1 or 2 to pack) it's not bad because you can usually that many gaited animals worth owning. If you're in a situation where you're cycling through animals so they can rest or end up borrowing other peoples stock than you'd be better off going with non-gaited animals just because that's more the standard in the mountains.