Guest Contributor

Del Boy Voted Best British Donkey

A donkey based on a Gwynedd beach has been voted the best in Britain in annual awards.

]]> Read the whole store on BBC News at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/7591903.stm

Donkey Behavior: A comparative study of donkey and horse behavior

By: Amy McLean, Ph. D candidate and Dr. Camie Heleski, Equine Behavior Specialist
Michigan State University Animal Science Department
East Lansing, MI

]]> Most often donkeys and mules are treated as horses with long ears. These unique creatures have unique behaviors when compared to horses. Many times their behavior has been misunderstood and in some cases the animal may have been treated more harshly than it should have been. The overall strength of mules and donkeys is far superior to that of the horse, especially when compared on a pound for pound basis. These animals tend to use their strength to their advantage. For example, have you ever led your donkey or mule somewhere, like to load it on the trailer, and it just didn’t feel like going that day? Quite often when this happens they just quietly turn their heads and drag you along to their desired destination. The head and neck strength is impressive and often used more to their advantage than that of a horse. The same can be true when using a twitch on a donkey; it raises its head or turns its neck to a degree where you have little or no control. Mules and donkeys also tend to use their strength to their advantage when you are saddling or performing farrier work; they may simply lean their shoulders or bodies into you, making it difficult to hold the hoof and stand, or to cinch them up as you are smashed against the barn wall.

Some people are very successful at training donkeys to perform like performance horses such as Tim Phillips, well renowed World Champion Donkey and Mule trainer, riding Al and Melinda Birt’s, World Champion Jack at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Mule and Donkey Show in 2007. This jack later went on to win many awards at Bishop Mule Days, Bishop, CA.

Other behavioral differences include the donkey’s ability to hide pain. Researchers have often warned owners, caretakers, and veterinarians that a donkey that maybe colicking or having other health problems, even lameness, will not show the signs until it’s too late to solve the problem. Some could say the donkey is being too smart for its own good when it hides pain in such a manner (Taylor and Mathews, 1998). Donkeys, unlike horses, continue to eat when they are dehydrated or sick. This is good for an animal that is a native to the desert, but not good for the owner who may not realize their donkey is sick because it continues to eat. Donkeys and mules can also be cautious of water from different areas and refuse to drink until reaching dehydrated levels. Although unlike the horse the donkey and mule will drink a large amount of water at once and rehydrate themselves without health complications (Yousef, 1979). In terms of grazing, donkeys tend to be more browsers, which allows them to selectively pick which type of forages they want to consume instead of eating everything in sight (Aganga and Tsopito, 1998 and Mueller et al., 1998). They can also consume more forage in the same amount of time as a cow their size without chewing faster (Mueller et al., 1998). These behaviors, being browsers and consuming a large amount of forage in a short amount of time proves to be very efficient in areas where forages are sparse. The donkey will use its prehensile- like lips to select forages of higher quality. Also, when digesting food the donkey has a slower digestion transit time when compared to horses, and they seem to get the most out of their feed. This helps explain to a small degree why a donkey can eat poorer quality food than a horse and still stay fat (Izraely et al., 1989)!

As we all know, our long eared creatures enjoy routines. If the farrier or veterinarian is coming to our farm say an hour or two before feeding, the animals tend to be more wary about why they are being caught or fed earlier than usual and may refuse to cooperate. Trying to explain why your very well trained animal with long ears doesn’t want to be caught when it’s not the usual feeding time or time to come into the barn to someone who has little experience with them often creates an interesting conversation to say the least. Many times the conversation results in responses such as “you should better train your donkey or mule or get rid of it because I wouldn’t own an animal I can’t catch!” The correct retort might actually be, “maybe you should learn more about donkeys or mules then you would understand that you have to outsmart them.” Donkeys and mules tend to trust people they know and can be standoffish towards strangers. It is often advised when catching mules and donkeys that treats and routines seem to work best, along with slow motions and quiet voices.

A well trained saddle donkey is highly demanded. The Garret’s of Stillwell, OK sell many riding donkeys each year and their family enjoys showing and training saddle donkeys.

So, what do you do when your donkey or mule displays an undesirable behavior, such as refusing to move forward and balking? A recent study at Michigan State University’s Animal Science Department with equine behaviorist and expert, Dr. Camie Heleski, addressed that very question after first conducting the study with horses. She was interested in seeing how the donkeys would respond and how it would compare with the behavior of the horses in the project. So to learn more about donkey behavior and how it compares to horse behavior when learning a new task, Dr. Heleski teamed up with Sharon Windsor of Turning Pointe Donkey Rescue in Dansville, Michigan along with the help of an animal science undergraduate student, Laura Bauson, who was very interested in learning more about equine behavior as she plans to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine. The following study addressed the question: “What do you do when your donkey balks at crossing something out of the ordinary?” The study was conducted in November, 2007 at Turning Pointe Donkey Rescue www.turningpointedonkeyrescue.com, MSU researchers tested 50 donkeys using several different applications of learning theory.

So, what do you as a donkey owner do when your donkey balks at crossing something out of the ordinary?
a) bribe it with some tasty treats
b) smack it on the behind with a convenient object
c) talk nicely to it
d) pull on the lead rope and release the pressure whenever it steps forward
e) use a crinkly piece of plastic to “startle” it forward

Turns out that a), d) and e) can all work quite effectively.

One method was classified as “traditional, negative reinforcement” which meant, in this case, that the donkey’s halter and lead rope were pulled on, and when the donkey stepped forward, the pressure was released. This routine was repeated until the donkey had crossed the obstacle in question…in this case, a tarp lying upon the ground.

The donkeys were allowed a certain amount of time to cross the tarp. Some donkeys such as this one calmly crossed on the first attempt.

Interestingly, though, another method worked just as well and was easier on the handler and the donkey…bribing. Half of the donkeys were assigned to the “bribe” treatment. When the donkey began to hesitate at crossing the scary tarp object, the handler held out a handful of treats – in this case, a bit of sweet feed. When the donkey moved forward to take some of the treat, it eventually found itself walking onto and then over the tarp. Donkeys were just as likely to cross the tarp with the bribe as with the pressure-response method from above. (And it should be noted, the bribe was not required to continue getting the donkey to cross over the frightening object. Once the donkey had crossed the tarp once, normally no more bribing was required.)

Some of the donkeys were assigned to treatment groups which a bribe was offered, meaning if they did or didn’t want to cross they were offered grain as a bribe. Notice this donkey has her muzzle in the feed bowl.

Occasionally neither of these methods worked and that was when “the donkey motivator” was called in. This involved a second person standing behind the donkey with a crinkly, plastic bag on the end of a longe whip. When the donkey would begin to balk, the “motivator” was shaken to make some noise. More often than not, only a few shakes of the “motivator” would get the donkey to step forward and cross the tarp. As with the bribing, once the donkey crossed the first time, rarely was the “motivator” required for future crossings.

Some of the donkeys in the study who did not want to cross the tarp were encouraged to cross with a “donkey motivator” which was a lounge whip with a plastic bag tied on the end.

According to Sharon Windsor, owner/manager of Turning Pointe Donkey Rescue, “donkeys aren’t stubborn, but they are very cautious.” And in my opinion, too many people are too quick to beat on donkeys to get them to do things…this study demonstrated some effective alternatives that can be used in a way that’s more much more fair to the donkeys.

Many of the donkeys would lower their heads before and while walking on the tarp

Donkey is investigating the tarp before crossing with owner of Turning Pointe Donkey Rescue, Sharon Windsor.

Dr. Heleski, reported in her study with horse behavior, that “Our work with the horses showed that positive reinforcement; i.e. providing a treat to the horses whenever they would walk forward onto the tarp, was every bit as effective at getting the horses to cross the tarp as the traditional pressure-response method of pulling on the lead rope and waiting for a forward response…plus it was much easier on both the handler and the horse. Unfortunately, in the equine industry positive reinforcement, such as food treats, has garnered a somewhat bad reputation and people will say that you’re ‘spoiling’ the animal.”

This is not to say that food should be relied upon solely, but it can be a valuable tool in the arsenal of handling various equines. (may want to insert cartoon figure of carrot dangling in front of donkey)

One other method that was employed when all other methods had failed was to have 2 handlers each with a lead rope attached to the side of the halter. For some reason, having the 2 handlers on the sides of the halter seemed to work when all other methods had failed.

Just a few things to keep in mind the next time your donkey decides to be extra cautious J For more information on equine behavior, visit www.myhorseuniversity.com and check out the Equine Behavior class that Dr. Heleski has developed. If you have any questions or comments please email me at mcleana5@msu.edu.

References:

Aganga, A.A. and C.M. Tsopito. A note on the feeding behaviour of domestic donkeys: a Botswana case study. Applied Animal Behavior Science. November 1998; 60(2-3) pp 235-239.

Izraely, H., I. Choshniak, A. Shkolnik, C.E.. Stevens and M.W. Demment. Factors determining the digestive efficiency of the domesticated donkey (Equus Asinus Asinus). Q J Exp Physiol 1989; 74-6.

Mueller, P.J., P.Protos, K.A.Houpt, and P.J. Van Soest. Chewing behaviour in the domestic donkey (Equus asinus) fed fibrous forage. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 1998. 60; 241-251.

Taylor, T.S. and N. Matthews. Mammoth asses—selected behavioural considerations for the veterinarian. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. November 1998. 60; 283-289
Yousef, M.R. The burro: a new backyard pet? Its physiology and survival. California Vet. 1979. 33;31–34

Mule Days Videos by Video Mike

Bishop Mule Days is coming up soon. If you've never been, here's a great preview and a chance to see what all the excitement is about!

]]> Mike Kerson (Video Mike) has done an excellent job capturing the escence of Mule Days in his DVDs of the last 5 Bishop Mule Days. There is so much going on during the week of Mule Days that it would be impossible to fit all of Mule Days onto just one DVD. However, each of Mikes tapes has it's own unique focus.

You will love watching these DVDs and seeing some of the best mules and donkeys in the world competing in many different disciplines - from Gaming to Driving, from Western to Jumping, from Halter to Trail, and a few unusual and surprising events thrown in along the way.

Mike's collection of Bishop Mule Days videos is a must-have for anyone who enjoyes watching longears show off their versitility and skill in the show arena!

Kristie Jorgensen
LongearsMall.com

My Favorite Mule is a Hinny! - Part 4

Hello Hinny!
By Amy K. McLean
Sowhatchet Mule Farm, Inc. Madison, GA

]]> After the first part of “My favorite mule is a hinny,” I was very pleased that readers contacted me with their experiences with hinnies. One of my key contacts was from a gentleman by the name of Mr. Larry Whatley of Lake Providence, Louisiana. He has successfully raised thirteen hinnies. About thirty years ago Mr. Whatley started riding mules on coon hunts. One day a friend of his let him borrow his hinny and after riding the hinny he decided he was going to try and raise another animal like it that was quite, easy going, and smooth to ride. He purchased a registered Spotted Saddle horse stallion and eight mammoth jennies. Four of his jennies after the first year conceived and four did not. He decided to sell the jennies that did not conceive when bred to the stallion and he selected four more jennies with hopes they too would conceive when breed to his stallion. The first year he was a lucky man some may say in terms of previous breeders reported difficulty in raising hinnies, and he had four hinny foals. Over the past ten years he has had thirteen and kept the jennies that would conceive and I believe this was a very important and key feature to Mr. Whatley’s breeding program. All of his jennies have been pasture breed and his stallion did begin breeding the jennies at the age of 2 and he had only serviced one mare before that time.

Some stallions have been reported as being scared of jennies and not wanting to breed them. Dianne Mangrum, of DM Bar Farms located in Alvin, Texas has also successfully raised a hinny by the name of “Opie” short for Optical Illusion. When Dianne first tried to breed her 13 hand grey jenny, Franny, to an overo American Paint Horse Stallion by the name of Something Illusion, he wanted nothing to do with his new long eared girlfriend. So, Dianne being an intelligent person decided she would trick the stallion into breeding her jenny and that’s just what she did! She collected urine from mares that were in estrus (heat) and stored the urine in a bottle with a spray nozzle in the refrigerator and took the special solution with her when Franny was in heat. She simply sprayed Franny with the mare urine and the stallion serviced the jenny. Fourteen months later Franny had a foal, “Opie.” I was interested in knowing how long the gestation period was for a jenny carrying a hinny and Dianne was the only breeder who was able to provide me with that information. At the time I thought Dianne was also the only hinny breeder who had hand bred her jenny but it turns out that Walter Nunn also hand breed his Doc Bar Quarter Horse stallion to his jenny. In addition, I spoke with Dr. Tex Taylor of Brammoth Farms in Bryan, Texas and he too has raised a hinny. Dr. Taylor actually Artifically Inseminated twelve jennies and had only 1 hinny foal. So, it’s possible that the first estimation about the conception rate being 20% when breeding for hinnies has been overestimated after speaking with the various breeders. I was also interested in learning more about the gestation length of jennys who were carrying hinny foals.

We have reported mares when bred to jacks having gestation periods of 11 and half months in-between the normal gestation length for a horse that typically foals around 11 months and a jenny that normally foals around 12 months. When I asked Dianne about the gestation length of her jenny Franny she made a good point that each dam is different but still there were some differences when she was carrying the hinny foal. Typically, Franny when carrying a donkey foal had gone 13 months and Franny went 14 months when in foal with Opie. There was some concern by Dianne about the foal developing to such a large size since Franny was a month longer than normal but Opie turned out just fine. Franny was not rebred on her foal heat but several months later Franny was reintroduced to the stallion. This time Franny only carried the fetus to about 90 days. Other people such as James and Lisa Ferguson of Equine by Design, in Sanger, Texas have also tried to raise hinnies and have had similar experiences. Lisa had mentioned that several of her jennies did conceive but they too lost their foals around 180 days. It maybe possible to supplement the jennies with hormones, such as a progestin commonly referred to as Regu-mate to prevent the jennies from absorbing or slipping the hinny foals in this critical time period. Although Regu-mate is costly but will supply the jenny with additional progestin (synthetic version of progesterone) and this should aide in keeping the jenny in foal since this hormone is responsible for signaling pregnant to the pituitary gland, which is located at the base of the brain. In addition to breeding for hinnies I was also interested in speaking with additional people who own, ride, and train hinnies.

Several of Mr. Whatley’s clients contacted me after reading the first part of the hinny article and what they had to say was very interesting. Ron and Carolyn Gruby of Marianna, Arkansas purchased two hinny foals from Mr. Whatley and they had previously ridden mules. They both love their hinnies which are extremely, tall and beautiful animals and notice that they were more calm and docile than their mules. The Grubys enjoy trail riding and have taken their hinnies on some challenging but breathtaking trails in Colorado.

Another fallacy that has been strongly associated with hinnies is the fact they are small, long backed, not smooth to ride, and inferior to a mule especially in harsh or mountainous conditions. I even had an email from an outfitter out west who said he would never own a hinny because they did not have the heart or bottom like a mule and would not work in the mountains. I guess there are two sides to every story. Another client of Mr. Whatley’s, Jenny Westin of West Mar Mules in Montana, also sent me some information about her hinny, Dolly Pearl. Dolly Pearl has won many awards in mule shows and has been a wonderful trail animal! Jenny like the Grubys is very satisfied and happy with their hinnies. Their hinnies are by the same sire and have excellent conformation, dispositions, and way of moving (they are gaited) despite contrary belief. Westin did state that when she first called Larry she was looking for a mule and didn’t know if she would have called if she had known that Dolly Pearl was a hinny. Other fallacies that have been associated with hinnies are the fact they are hard to train. After speaking with Dianne Mangrum who later sold her hinny as a trail mount for lady in Wyoming, she remarked that “Opie” was very easy to do anything with and intelligent. He was a quiet, laid back individual that really enjoyed the trail more than the show ring.

It’s so important that we find what our animals are good at and then let them do their job. I also had the chance to speak with Eddie Moore of Williamsburg, KY who has started and trained all of Mr. Whatley’s hinnies. Eddie was very impressed with the conformation and disposition of Whatley’s hinnies. He also really liked the foot on the hinnies. Eddie believed that the hinnies’ hoof was more similar to that of the horse. Also, when he started riding the hinnies they all were extremely laid back and like other gaited mules some progressed more readily when he began to train them to gait than others but there was no difference in the hinnies’ movement compared to the movement and gait of mules. Another great example of a well trained hinny is LeMoan, owned and ridden by Walter Nunn. LeMoan has won many world championships and a great example of hinny that is nothing like the many fallacies that are associated with the animals.

Throughout my research and the information I have collected on hinnies I have continued to be intrigued with this amazing animal that has so many times been more misunderstood than the donkey or mule by our own industry as well as the rest of the equine community. So, I continued my search for hinny information in the form of scientific journal articles. In my search I have actually found several scientific journal articles about fertile hinnies. In the late 60’s a hinny stallion that was by a Shetland pony and a donkey jenny imported from Mexico was the center of attention for researchers at Texas A&M University and the University of Texas. The hinny stallion was still intact and had not been gelded and even more surprisingly produced well-formed live spermatozoa. Typically the sperm cells would not reach maturation in a sterile animal meaning the cell would not be “well formed” nor would it be alive. Te most amazing fact about this study was the number of chromosomes found in the sperm cells of the hinny. The cell either contained horse chromosome numbers or donkey chromosome numbers but a combination of both and many argued the possibilities of why or how this could occur. In fact in the study a brand new, never used artificial vagina was being used to collect the hinnies semen (Trujillo et al., 1969).

Later studies with more advanced technology have indicated that some horse chromosomes are present but a lower amount in the cells. In addition in 1981 a mule in China had a foal named Dragon foal. The sire of the foal was a jack. Blood samples were taken from the foal as well as from mules, hinnies, and donkeys which were used as controls and the foal was karotyped and proven to be the foal of the mule (Rong et.al, 1985). Later on in 2006 the same researchers due to advancements in technology proved the dam of Dragon foal was not a mule but indeed a hinny! A hinny breed by a jack actually results in a foal with only 62 chromosomes and not 63 as expected and the foal is genetically a donkey. A mule bred to a stallion horse would actually produce genetically a horse with mule like characteristics (Zhao et. al., 2006). So, the hinny continues to intrigue us all! Most importantly I hope people now realize that hinnies are not all small, long backed, strange looking, internally deformed, hard to train hybrid crosses but instead they are just as talented, wonderful, athletic, gentle, docile and beautiful as our mules! My favorite mule, LeMoan is not a mule but a hinny, so have you too been fooled? Thank you for your interest over the past several months and I hope you now have a different perspective of hinnies and you never know your mule might be one! Happy Trails! For more information on mules, donkeys, and hinnies please do not hesitate to contact me at amule@bellsouth.net, or 706-296-8743.
References:

Ball, B.A., Dobrinkski, I., Fagnan, M.S., Thomas, P.G. 1997. Distribution of glycoconjugates in the uterine tube (oviduct) of horses. Am. J. Res. 58, 816-822.

Breazeale, K.R., and Brady, H.A. 2002. Biochemical properties and localization of zonadhesin in equine spermatozoa. Thero. J6663: 1-4.

DeMott, R.P, Lefebvre, R., and Suarez, S.S. 1995. Carbohydrates mediate the adherence of hamster sperm to oviductal epithelium. Bio. Reprod. 52, 1395-1403.

Dobrinski, I., Ignotz, G.G., Thomas, P.G., and Ball, B.A. 1996. Role of carbohydrates in the attachment of equine spermatozoa to uterine tubal (oviduct) epithelial cells in vitro. Am J Vet Res. Nov. 57 (11): 1635-9.

Rong, R., Yang, X., Cai, H., and Wei, J. 1985. Fertile Mule in China and her unusual foal. Jrnl. Royal Soc. of Med. 78:821-825.

Sabeur, K. and Ball, BA. 2006. Characterization of galactose-binding proteins in equine testis and spermatozoa. Anim. Reprod. Sci. 2006, doi: 10.1016/j.anireprosic.2006.08.028.

Trujillo, J.M., Susumu, O., Jardie, J.H., and Atkins, N.B. 1969. Spermatogenesis in a male hinny histological and cytological studies. Jrnl Heredity, 79-84.

Yanagimachi, R. 1994. Fertility of mammalian spermatozoa: its development and relativity. Zygote 2, 371-372.

Zhao, C.J., Qin, Y.H., Lee, X.H., and Wu, Ch. 2006. Molecular and cytogentictic paternity testing of a male offspring of a hinny. 123: 403-405.

Personal contacts and interviews:
Dr. Dalen Agnew, Michigan State University, Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health

Ms. Angela Maschari-Busta, Michigan State University, Animal Science Department

Dr. David Pugh, Auburn University and Fort Dodge Animal Health

Dr. Tex Taylor, Texas A&M University

Page Bishop, TX- Hinny photos

Kathryn Bradley, Bryan, TX- hinny photos and breeding information

Sandy Dove, Kick Ass Mules, Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
References:

Ron and Carolyn Gruby, AR, Hinny Owners, photos and information

Dianne Mangrum, TX, Hinny owner and breeder

Eddie Moore, Williamsburg, KY, Trains Hinnies

Walter Nunn, Bryan, TX- Hinny Owner (LeMoan), breeder, and trainer

Leah Patton, American Donkey and Mule Society

Larry Whatley, Lake Providence, LA- Hinny Breeder

Sharon Windsor, Turning Point Donkey Rescue, Dansville, MI

My Favorite Mule is a Hinny! - Part 3

By Amy K. McLean, Dr. Mel Yokoyama, and Dr. Sue Hengemuehle
Sowhatchet Mule Farm, Inc.
Madison, GA

]]> Part III. My favorite hinny!

It is my belief that there are more hinnys in the mule world than we realize because we typically group hinnys and mules together at shows. I often wonder how many times hinnys are sold as mules and the buyer is not told in fear they will not buy the animal. We bought our first hinny a year or two ago and when purchasing the hinny, which we believed to be a mule, the seller told us before paying for him that the mule was a hinny and did we still want to buy him. The seller informed us who raised the hinny and that he was by a Rocky Mountain Saddle Horse and by a mammoth jenny. We still purchased him and he's been a very unique and wonderful hinny (see photos of James Dean). James Dean like several of the hinnys I have seen has a bald face. Of the few hinnys I have seen all have had some type of unusual star or markings that seem to be less common in mules.

Due to the fact that many people do not register their mules and animals change hands, and information is lost along the way, there are probably more hinnys around than we think. For example, twelve years ago I met a legendary mule trainer, who I consider to be one of my heroes, Walter Nunn, from Bryan, TX in Bishop, CA. He was riding a palomino mule, named LeMoan, that was fantastic on cattle and his friend Kathryn rode her in the reining and she was awesome! Twelve years later, I found out that one of my favorite mules, LeMoan, is not a mule! Until recent correspondence with Dr. Tex Taylor, who clued me in on LeMoan being a hinny, I had always thought LeMoan was a mule and I was bound to find out for sure!

Well, I didn't exactly know how to get in touch with Walter so through a friend (Tina Varga) I got Kathryn Bradley’s email. Kathryn is a great friend and traveling companion of Walter’s and I knew she would know for sure if LeMoan was a hinny and how to get in touch with Walter. I got the answers to both! Walter Nunn impressed me again, with the fact he has email and emails, not to mention he was also inducted into the Hall of Fame this year at Bishop Mule Days (2007)! He emailed me back and said "yes, LeMoan is definitely a hinny." For years I thought my favorite mule was a mule but nope she's a hinny! I studied the photos that Kathryn had sent me to see if I could tell any physical differences when comparing her to a mule and I could not. After finding out that LeMoan was a hinny I was curious to know more from Walter about raising and training hinnys. When I asked Walter about how many times he had to cover his jenny with the stallion, he replied, "I turned the stud in with the jenny and her bred her once or twice." It was a normal breeding schedule, the stallion was turned in with the jenny and she was bred once or twice and then she had a hinny! Unfortunately, Walter has not had any more hinnys and he has tried to rebreed LeMoan's dam but no luck. I was also interested in knowing if the gestation length is similar to that of a mare carrying a mule. A lot of our mares typically carry the mule foals 11 ½ months but I wondered if it would be the same or different if the jenny (since the donkey's gestation length is twelve months compared to the mare's being eleven months) was the mom. I did ask Walter but he couldn't remember.

I was also curious to know from Walter if training a hinny is similar to training a mule or more like a donkey. The hinny we own, James Dean, is super gentle but he was already broke when we got him so I missed out in terms of witnessing how he was started and how he reacted. Walter responded in his email, "LeMoan had a few donkey moments of just sulking up and not going forward and then she got over it." I think her multiple world championships in roping, cow working, cutting, and team penning speak for themselves! LeMoan and Walter Nunn are quite famous and are known from coast to coast for their many accomplishments in those events but I wonder what people will say when they find out like me that their favorite mule is a Hinny! Will this make more people want a hinny and then attempt to breed for hinnys?

I would like to know how many other mules are not mules but hinnys that are showing. I do know another hinny that has done quite well in the show ring. She's a beautiful, true tobiano, sorrel and white, 16 plus hand, hinny owned by Kick Ass Mules in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. This hinny has been shown throughout the country by Sandy Dove and she too has done outstanding. This hinny will catch your eye if you have never seen her! I have tried to contact Sandy to get some photos but I have not been able to do so. I do know that they have tried to raise more but I believe the hinny’s sire that was a paint horse passed away. This hinny like LeMoan is quite special and well trained. I was always impressed with this hinny because to me she was extremely "horsy" she moved more like a horse, more forward and correct, she seemed to have less resistance and more balance as she tracked.

If you have any experience raising hinnys please contact me because I would like to learn more about them. I truly believe there are more hinnys at our shows than we realize and it would be interesting to learn more about the challenges reproductively in trying to produce them, train them, etc. Dr. David Pugh did mention that when treating hinnys with sedatives that it's recommended to administer a dose more similar to what you would give a donkey and the dosage of a sedative for a mule should be administered closer to that of a horse. Again, these suggestions from a veterinarian are facts that need to be known and practiced by all that own these animals. These suggestions also raise more questions in my mind such as feeding hinnys vs. mules vs. donkeys. If administering medications is different for each hybrid because their body's metabolism is different these are topics that should be researched more. Our manmade hybrids continue to intrigue us all and there is still so much to learn from them! I look forward to your comments and feedback about hinnys; you can email me at amule@bellsouth.net or mcleana5@msu.edu, or send information to Amy McLean 1284 Anthony Hall, Animal Science Department, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48825. I will also be at the following shows this summer, Bishop Mule Days, Bishop, California and The Great Celebration Mule and Donkey Show, Shelbyville, TN look forward to hearing from y'all!

References:

DeMott, R.P, Lefebvre, R., and Suarez, S.S. 1995. Carbohydrates mediate the adherence of hamster sperm to oviductal epithelium. Bio. Reprod. 52, 1395-1403.

Sabeur, K. and Ball, BA. 2006. Characterization of galactose-binding proteins in equine testis and spermatozoa. Anim. Reprod. Sci. 2006, doi: 10.1016/j.anireprosic.2006.08.028.

Trujillo, J.M., Susumu, O., Jardie, J.H., and Atkins, N.B. Spermatogensis in a male hinny histological and cytological studies. Jrnl Heredity, 79-84.

Yanagimachi, R. 1994. Fertility of mammalian spermatozoa: its development and relativity. Zygote 2, 371-372.

Personal contacts and interviews:
Dr. Dalen Agnew, Michigan State University, Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health
Ms. Angela Maschari-Busta, Michigan State University, Animal Science Department
Dr. David Pugh, Auburn University and Fort Dodge Animal Health
Dr. Tex Taylor, Texas A&M University

Correspondence:
Kathryn Bradley, Bryan, TX
Sandy Dove, Kick Ass Mules, Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
Walter Nunn, Bryan, TX
Leah Patton, American Donkey and Mule Society
Sharon Windsor, Turning Point Donkey Rescue, Dansville, MI

My Favorite Mule is a Hinny! - Part 2

By Amy K. McLean, Dr. Mel Yokoyama, and Dr. Sue Hengemuehle
Sowhatchet Mule Farm, Inc.
Madison, GA

]]> Part II. Are hinnys different than mules?

The preliminary report indicated the foal was stressed and the lungs were bright red, there was a possibility the foal had passed away from equine herpes virus infection or septicemia. There was some evidence that the foal was stressed and possibly the jenny had an intrauterine infection. Curly, the jenny was later cultured and was cultured clean (no infection was found). One finding in the preliminary report which was interesting was a tubular structure attached to the broad ligament. This structure created a lot of conversation among many professionals in regards to what it was and was the foal possibly a hermaphrodite. The final necropsy report showed the additional tubular structure to be an enlarged blood vessel that is larger in size when compared to a horse. It’s possible that the larger blood vessel is normal in desert creatures like donkeys, mules, and hinnys. The report indicated that the foal most likely died from lack of nutrition and not due to an abnormal organ. Another very interesting event associated with the foal was the results of the karotyping.

This was a procedure I had not requested because after years of foaling out mares and jennys, I felt my experience was sufficient to identify the foal as being a hinny and never once did I think otherwise. The same was true for Sharon Windsor in both of our minds the foal was not a donkey but a hinny. When the foal was submitted to necropsy blood was taken from the foal to genetically identify the species. For whatever reason the blood was not properly stored in the correct medium to verify its genetic make-up but some how and this is where the necropsy results become some what fuzzy to me, a sample of blood or cells were taken and used to karotype the foal. According to Dr. Agnew, the pathologist in charge, when karotyping animals typically ten blood samples are taken for karotyping and the results are 75% accurate, however, the blood was not preserved properly but somehow the karotyping was still done by an expert in pediatrics genetics.

Only 62 chromosomes were counted from this obscure sample indicating the foal was not a hinny but actually a donkey. I’m still not convinced the foal was a donkey due to its physical appearance and more blood samples from known hinnys, mules, and donkeys are in the process of being taken and submitted for karotyping. Also, when reviewing the photos and slides of the foal I had the chance to look at the ovarian tissue of this animal. There was no follicular activity meaning no follicles were present and follicular growth was occurring to produce eggs (ovums) for reproduction. However, typically sterile animals do not reproduce so is this unusual in a hinny or mule to lack follicles? Again, some mules and hinnys in China and Africa (Morocco, Ethiopia, and Kenya) have reported mules and hinnys that have produced foals but would more mules and hinnys have foals if they were bred? When compared to horse foals (fillies) multiple follicular growth could be identified in the tissue. This leads me to believe the animal along with its phenotypical characteristics was a hinny. A sterile animal such as a hinny or mule can produce ovums and sperm cells but not all of them due to complications with genes pairing with one another. Although, maybe this is typical in a jenny foal to lack follicular growth in her ovarian tissue, or maybe this is typical of mule and hinnys, we don’t know because there were no other samples to compare the tissue to. Also, this brings up the question about how many hinnys have been karotyped to compare to and some of the journal articles I have read and reviewed just suggested that typically a mule or hinny has 63 but who really knows because how many mules and hinnys have been tested? So, you can be the judge look at the photos and make up your own mind. Hinny or donkey foal?

Donkeys have 31 pairs of chromosomes or 62 in total. Typically, mules and hinnys have 63 chromosomes, they inherit 31 chromosomes from the donkey (E. asinus) and 32 from the horse (E. caballus) (Trujillo). After reading several scientific articles I am not 100% convinced that all hybrids contain 63 chromosomes and maybe more research needs to be done. Most of the reports I have read in regards to hinnys and mules are the rare cases where both have produced offspring. Even more interesting one article found that an intact male hinny contained both horse and donkey sperm cells in regards to chromosome counts (i.e. some contained 62 chromosomes and others contained 64 but none contained 63 chromosomes) (Trujillo). The mystery continues!

My Favorite Mule is a Hinny! - Part 1

By Amy K. McLean, Dr. Mel Yokoyama, and Dr. Sue Hengemuehle
Sowhatchet Mule Farm, Inc.
Madison, GA

]]> Part I. Why a hinny?

Have you ever seen or owned a mule that just seemed a little more like a horse or maybe a little more like a donkey or only associated with donkeys in the pasture? Maybe the hybrid was not a mule instead it was a hinny. I have always been intrigued with hinnys. I almost bought a beautiful chestnut hinny with a star on his forehead in Houston, TX one year from Dianne Mangrum. The hinny was very horse like and quite fancy. Needless, to say my father would not allow me to buy a hinny. It is my theory that there are more hinnys around than we realize.

When trying to raise hinnys versus mules claims have been made that it is more challenging to get a jenny to conceive when being bred to a stallion. According to Dr. David Pugh, a well renowned mule and donkey veterinarian at Auburn University, “when breeding a stallion to a jenny, which produces a hinny, the conception rate is quite low, only about 20%.” I have had other conversations with industry experts such as, Dr. Tex Taylor, a retired veterinarianary surgeon from Texas A&M University, who has maintained his own private mammoth donkey research herd for decades. He has suggested that the decreased conception rate is actually due to problems associated with an outer protein covering on the stallion’s sperm cells commonly referred to as the acrosome. It is possible that the acrosome can not penetrate the outer covering of the jenny’s ovum called the zona pellucida. The outer membrane layer of the ovum (egg) or zona pellucida is made up of carbohydrate glycoprotein receptors and if the proteins are not compatible among the two species, fertilization may not be able to take place. Therefore, it is possible that the receptors can not or do not likely bind to the stallion spermatozoa.

Typically, the acrosome acts as an enzyme and breaks down the zona pellucida by drilling into the outer shell. In order to better understand why or why not the acrosome of the stallion maybe different from that of the jack I spoke with a reproduction specialist. Ms. Angela Maschari-Busta, a reproduction specialist at Michigan State University, provided me with more information about proteins found on the head of the sperm cells as well as a better understanding of what happens to sperm cells in the process of fertilization. She has worked exclusively for years with bovine sperm cells, specifically sexed semen (mostly all female cells) and has suggested to me that it’s possible that the head of the sperm which is covered in proteins are species specific. Furthermore, the intrauterine environment according to Angela could also have a negative impact on the stallion’s spermatazoa viability. Typically the sperm cells attach to the oviductal epithelium cells found in the lining of the uterine tubal(s). This process is mediated by glycoproteins found on the spermatozoa’s head especially galactose-binding proteins (Sabeur, 2006). Researchers have noted that the carbohydrates vary among animal species but the adhesion of equine spermatozoa binding to oviductal epithelium is carbohydrate dependent (DeMott, 1995). At this point the spermatozoa restore their energy by absorbing nutrients such as carbohydrates (needed for binding to the epithelium) or calcium (Dobrinski, 1996).

If the jenny’s intrauterine environment for example is higher or lower in carbohydrates or calcium this could create a hostile environment for the stallion’s spermatozoa and could cause the cells to either (1) die or (2) be motile but not fertile. In mares galactosyl residues are responsible for binding to the stallions spermatozoa in the epithelium but what about in the jenny is it the same residue (Ball, 1997). If the ligand binding residue is different then it is likely that the stallion’s sperm cell could die. To make matters even more interesting, some research has been dedicated to comparing a protein known as zonadhesin, glycoprotein found on equine spermatozoa. Among all three equine species, zebra, donkey and horse, this particular protein has been reported to be the same (Breazeale, 2002). Other reasons on why the conception rate is so much lower could be related to sperm-zona interactions which are also believed to be mediated by carbohydrate recognition (Yanagimachi, 1994).

According to Ms. Maschari, each mammalian species varies in the type of protein found on the head of the sperm or outer shell of the female’s ovum. So, the theory of why conception rates are lower when producing hinnys may simply be due to specifies specific related issues. Until more research is done one can only assume why the conception rate is typically thought to be lower. Although there are hinnys found throughout the world but just how many? Of course I’m sure you are wondering how we can produce mules if the proteins or receptors are not compatible. Great question and this is my assumption that the reserve cross, the jack sperm cells are more adaptable and have less problems binding to the receptor and penetrating the zona as well as possibly be able to adapt and live in the oviduct epithelium of the mare. Before we go any further I would like to know how many people breed for hinnys each year. I would love to get some feedback and have a better idea!

There are many different ideas and beliefs related to producing hinnys. Some fallacies and myths about hinnys include ideas such as, “the hinny is not physically sound when compared to mules, and hinnys often have internal problems such as, organs that are not developed.” Unfortunately, our industry is lacking in scientific research in the area of hinnys and mules and many of these questions or beliefs can not be answered or disputed. I did have a rare chance a few months ago to help with a hinny foal. Back in February, I had visited the Turning Point Donkey Rescue in Dansville, Michigan and met Ms. Sharon Windsor in sub-degree temperature! It was so cold that the diesel had frozen in the truck that day! Anyway, it did not stop me from visiting the farm and seeing the donkeys. A few weeks later Ms. Windsor called to ask me “how do you imprint a hinny foal?” I told her I assumed it would be like imprinting a donkey or mule foal but I had never seen a baby hinny in my twenty plus years of mules and donkey babies. About an hour later, I received another call from her and the foal was not nursing so I made another visit to the farm. The foal like Ms. Windsor said, “She was the funniest looking donkey foal she had ever seen.” We both concluded the foal was a hinny based on its physical appearance.

The foal was a bright red sorrel and cute as a button to say the least but the jenny was not thrilled about the foal nursing. It made me wonder if the jenny was not accepting the foal because it was a hybrid and not a donkey. After an army of volunteers and Dr. Colby (the vet on call) trying to get the foal to nurse on its own and that didn’t work the jenny was milked. The foal was fed colostrum from a frozen source as well as colostrum that were milked straight from the jenny but throughout the day the condition of the foal deteriorated. Later that evening we (Sharon and I) took the foal and jenny to the Michigan State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. By that point, the donkey mom, Curly, had become quite attached to her baby. The foal rode the whole way in my lap in the cab of the truck so we could keep her warm.

Unfortunately, once arriving at the vet school hospital, there were some difficulties in passing a feeding tube and it took 2 and half hours before the foal received plasma and she passed away later that night. There are some anatomical differences in donkeys, mules, and hinnys, when compared to horses that makes it more difficult to some times pass a tube or even collect blood from the jugular. In 2002 at the American Association Equine Practitioners Annual Meeting, several seminars were dedicated to mules and donkeys and how to treat them. If you email me I can provide you with copies of the articles if you are interested in receiving them and sharing with your vet(s). The proceedings include great diagrams and descriptions on many of the anatomical differences such as laryngeal anatomy which is obviously somewhat different than that of a horse because donkeys don’t whinny, they bray!

After the foal died I felt that it was very important to find out why this foal had died. I couldn’t help but wonder if some of the myths about hinnys were true such as the tales I had heard about their internal organs not being developed properly. Considering that the foal was a hinny to our belief, I thought this was a somewhat rare and unique opportunity to learn from the first hinny foal I had ever seen in 20 plus years! The foal was submitted and taken to necropsy by Dr. Carla Carleton, an endocrinologist at MSU’s vet school, who has an interest in mules and donkey and is serving on my graduate committee. Once the foal was submitted to necropsy, Dr. Dalen Agnew, was the pathologist assigned to the case and he did an outstanding job and really cared about why this mysterious animal passed away.

Grangeville Couple Trades in Horses for Donkeys

By Kristi Kingma

]]>
Liberty & Dev going for a drive down a country road

Luc transported a Grand Marshals

In February 2007 we were contacted by a reporter who was interested in a story about our farm. “Whell of course”, we replied, “Come out and bring your daughter!” Lorie Palmer, Community Editor for the Idaho County Free Press, Idaho’s oldest weekly newspaper drove out to meet Dev, Liberty and Lucers. Lorie needed to write a story for the Farm and Ranch Agricultural Special Edition.

They arrived in a damp gloomy grayish fog, not only from the weather but from preconceived notions that donkeys are stubborn and stupid. Oh whell, Lorie had already decided, they would never be able to get close to them and that it didn't anyway she was probably going to just write something humorous and get it over with.

First off the boys could not wait to meet her and her darling little daughter… While Dev and Liberty were busy checking out Hailey, Luc saw his opportunity. He gently reached over to take Lorie’s camera case off her shoulder. Luc is thinking…oh boy, don't know what it is but it must be for me! Lorie was a little startled to say the least!

After introductions all around Jim and I hand led the boys to a less muddy spot in the pasture. Now getting everyone in position took some good ole driving cues. Liberty back, Dev over, Luc…. Luc… LUC… get back over here and leave Hailey alone! The photo session was fun the boys were on their best (?) behavior except Luc who was pouting because he couldn't be next to the cute little girl. Of course when we left their mucky domain they followed us to the house and Lorie was dually impressed with them wanting to be with us every step of the way!

Luc had statically placed his rubber feeding mat so he could pull it into the pasture at just the right moment. As we walked towards the house Luc had the mat in his mouth and was looking for a victim. Liberty took the bait! They proceeded to entertain Lorie and Hailey with games of keep away and tug of war. Lorie loved it and Hailey got the giggles!

When we finally settled into the interview I think Lorie pretty much threw away her questions and we talked “donk” for almost two hours while Hailey played with Ardie, the Corgie, and our collection of stuffed donkeys. Hailey loved our talking Shriek donkey and gave it a real good workout!

Before leaving it was back to the fence to say goodbye to the boys, feed them more treats which of course they hated giving Lorie another photo opportunity.

Here is the story as picked up by the Capitol Press, The West’s Ag Site weekly newspaper 2/23/2007 and. Published in the Idaho County Free Press Special Ag Edition and The Brayer. Reprinted here with permission.

Kingma’s trade in horses for donkeys
By Lorie Palmer
Idaho County Free Press

GRANGEVILLE - "Nothing is safe when a donkey is around," laughed Kristi Kingma as she watched two of her three donkeys tug on a rubber mat. Kristi and her husband, Jim, literally did a 180-degree turn a few years back.

"We had just lost a German Shepherd dog, our watchdog," Kristi recalled. "We had our quarter horse colts and wanted some type of guard protection." When Kristi was discussing this with her daughter, Mitzi, who was at the time attending college in Texas, Mitzi suggested a donkey. "'Most everyone here in Texas uses a donkey as a guard,' Mitzi told me," relayed Kristi.

After much research via the Internet, Jim and Kristi were invited to visit a ranch in Montana where they were introduced to donkeys ... and they never looked back. "A lot of people we knew thought this was really weird, because we'd been horse people - I had horses all my life," Kristi laughed. "I grew up around mules, but horses were really my thing." "We found that donkeys are much, much easier," Jim stated.

The Kingmas purchased a Large Standard Donkey, Luc, who became the first of their working pets. Next came Dev, a Mammoth donkey, and then Liberty, also a Mammoth. All are geldings - neutered males. A walk outside or a drive up the Kingma's farm lane, located about five miles outside of Grangeville, causes the trio of donkeys to run - not from the vehicle or person, but toward them. "They are very intelligent, curious and they absolutely love people," Kristi said, as the three clamored for attention. The Kingmas said if they had to start over again in the farming/ranching business, they would definitely "go with donkeys." "The way our donkeys react is attributed to a lot of hard work and training, but it has been a joy," Kristi said, telling the three to "back up," as they amiably do as she says. "Donkeys are born without a job," Jim said. "They have to be given one." The Kingmas have made sure the donkeys have jobs - from trail rides and cart-pulling to shows and fairs where they have won awards and transported grand marshals.

Jim's full-time job is as the bookkeeper for Primeland bulk plant in Grangeville, but he spends much of his time farming the land (cereal grain crops and hay) where he grew up and is involved with the Snowhaven Ski Patrol. Kristi has worked for 12 years at Quality Heating and Air Conditioning. The couple live on the Kingma family farm where Jim was raised. "He loves it here," Kristi said. "And so do I." The couple's only daughter is now married and living in Omaha, Neb. "I have told Mitzi, 'the donkeys are your inheritance,'" laughed Kristi. "They can live 40 to 50 years if they're well taken care of, so it's not really a joke." The farm is complete with a long-haired Corgi, Ardie, and a handful of barn cats. "The time I spend with the donkeys is very soothing," Kristi admitted. "After a hard day I find it very relaxing to be with them, to have the solitude, or just to play with them." The Kingma's Web site can be accessed at www.teamdonk.org.

Kristi & Jim Kingma attend to their three donkeys, Luc, Dev and Liberty, in Grangeville, Idaho

Mammoth donkey Liberty and Large Standard donkey Luc play tug-of-war with a beat up rubber mat

Donkey facts
* Donkeys bred to donkeys produce donkeys. Donkey, Burro, Ass, jackass, jennet, Miniature Donkey, Mammoth, Jackstock, standard, Mexican Burro - they are all terms for Donkeys.
* A male donkey (Jack) bred to a female horse produces a mules. Mules can be either male or female.
* A male horse (stallion) bred to a female donkey (jennet) produces a hinny. Hinnies can be either male or female.
* Twins are 10 times more common in donkeys than in horses. Fewer than 1 in 1,000 sets of twins in horses are estimated to be born healthy and alive; in donkeys, 1 in 100 sets will survive.
* A group of donkeys is called a herd.
* Horses carry their babies for 11 months, donkeys for 12. A mare carrying a mule foal is usually about 11-1/2 months.
- Information from the American Donkey and Mule Society

Donkey Hoof Angles

By Vicki/ladywife

]]> Question: How do I know what angle to trim my donkey’s hooves?

I just looked at the farrier record of the donkeys I have here now and they range from 58 degrees to 68 degrees on the fronts, and 60 to 70 degrees on the rear hooves. They are miniatures and mammoths. I don’t have a standard donkey here at the moment but the last ones that were here were within those ranges too. I have seen miniatures with 70 degree shoulders and 40 degree hips but those are at the extreme. Here are pictures of a donkey’s front and rear hoofs properly trimmed matching the shoulder/hip and pastern angles.

Question: Is there an actual, physical way of determining shoulder and hip angles?

Feel for the point of the shoulder and mark it with a piece of electric tape, and then feel for the top of the shoulder blade and measure the angle from the point of the shoulder to the top of the shoulder. Then feel for the point of the hip and mark it with a dot of electrical tape and feel for the peak of the pelvis (croup) and measure the angle.

If you don’t have a land compass (also known as a compass protractor with arm) to measure the angle, you can use a protractor and a ruler and get a fairly close estimate of the angles. Here is an example of the points you use to get the angles:

Just ignore the green electrical tape marking the front and rear of her shoulder blade and her last rib and it has nothing to do with her angles. I had taped her for the picture and this picture best shows her angles. The blue lines are marking her angles. It isn’t unusual for a donkey’s shoulder and hip angles to be very similar, if not equal, which is very unlike a horse. Most horses are steeper in the hip than they are in the shoulder, and donkeys are usually the opposite being steeper in the shoulder than they are in the hip. Nellietoo has a very nice slope to her shoulder and hip. Maude is just slightly more upright and steeper in the shoulder than in her hip.

Many problems can be avoided by simply evaluating the shoulder and hip angles and trimming the hooves accordingly.

Vicki/ladywife

McLean to conduct Donkey and Mule Research

Michigan State University, Animal Science Department, East Lansing, MI

]]> For the past 27 years, Amy K. McLean, the daughter of Ray and Jessica McLean of Sowhatchet Mule Farm, Inc., located in Madison, GA, has been involved with the mule and donkey industry. You may recognize her name or face from the show ring or possibly from the many informational articles she has supplied the mule and donkey industry with for years. Her love for mules and donkeys has impacted her life since she was 6 months old and her father introduced her to the next door neighbor’s guard donkey, PJ and she often claims that she was imprinted at birth by Longears.

She has been the first to do many things with mules such as the first person to show mules in the Georgia State 4-H Horse Show, as well as competed and qualified 3 mules for the Southern Regional 4-H Horse Championships, the first female and youth to show a Walking Mule 15 years ago at the Great Celebration Mule and Donkey Show in Shelbyville, TN, as well as the first female to win the World Championship Gaited Mule High Point with Las Vegas Lights in 1997 as well as repeating this accomplishment in 2000 and in 2003 with Viva Las Vegas. She has also won many awards showing all around mules in the amateur division all across the country including winning the Reserve World Championship All Around Amateur with W.C. He’s a Playboy the first year they offered this award (2004) at Bishop Mule Days in Bishop, CA. In addition to competing at mule shows, she enjoys competing at open horse shows with the mules and exposing other people outside the industry to mules in a positive light. She has also visited many equine events including educational seminars with her mules as ambassadors for the industry.

Outside of the show ring Amy attended the University of Georgia in Athens, GA where she completed her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science with an Equine Emphasis and a second major in Dairy Science along with a minor in Agribusiness. She went on to complete her Masters of Science at the University of Georgia, in Animal and Dairy Science with the emphasis of Reproduction Physiology and all her major course work focused on monogastric nutrition. Thanks to her involvement in the mule industry she was able to pay for all six years of her education through scholarships won in 4-H and FFA where mules were used as the topic of many speeches and demonstrations. She strongly encourages youth to continue to show throughout their high school and college years!

McLean was recently accepted to a PhD program at Michigan State University, where she gave a mule and donkey seminar in May, and she plans to concentrate her efforts and research on donkey and mule studies. She has received a United States Department of Agriculture Fellowship and hopes to supply the industry with the much needed research. Some areas of focus will include but not be limited to nutrition, exercise physiology as well as the possibility of looking into donkey lactation studies. These studies will be conducted here in the states as well as internationally to help improve the lives of many donkeys and mules who are still used as “beast of burdens.” She plans to continue to write informative articles for the mule and donkey publications as well as update the industry on her latest research.

Unfortunately, few donkey and mule studies have been conducted in the United States with the exception to several dedicated mule and donkey enthusiasts such as the infamous Dr. Tex Taylor, his daughter Ethel and his colleagues at Texas A&M University as well as by Dr. Robert Miller. However a few private individuals such as Mr.
Don Jacklin have supported several mule research projects such as the recent cloned mule project at the University of Idaho, and more recent a project by Colorado State University where a horse embryo was transferred and placed into a mare mule who later gave birth, there has been a lack of interest among university systems to conduct mule and donkey research. Hopefully, in the next few years more research will be done and provided to the industry and those who have experience in research such as Dr. Taylor and Dr. Miller as well as other veterinarians and professors internationally will be involved with Amy’s projects and studies. If you would like to contact Amy with further questions or suggestions you can reach her via email at amule@bellsouth.net or at 706-296-8743.

Mule AmbASSadors: “Mules Attend TX State 4-H Horse Judging Contest, GA State 4-H Horse School and Open Horse Shows”

By Amy K. McLean
Sowhatchet Mule Farm Inc.
Madison, GA

]]> I believe people who choose to be different and ride a mule or donkey are very unique individuals. One must have a lot of patience and be a strong person to ride an animal that is extremely intelligent and normally thinks 4 or 5 steps ahead of its rider. I tend to think that people who show or ride mules and donkeys are also confident people. However, it may be possible that to think or even believe that our animals build confidence and strength into our personalities; one riding a mule or donkey most often faces many not so funny jokes when you ride a long eared animal as well as a few some what embarrassing moments in public when your mule or donkey decides, “I’m not doing this today.” Some of my favorite remarks include, “oh, how cute” or “or look at its big ears and why are its’ ears so big,” “why are you riding a donkey (and it’s really a mule)” or “my horse just loves your mule” that’s my favorite comment. I have always been very proud of showing and riding a mule and never once have I been to a horse show wishing I was riding a horse! However, don’t get me wrong I do not take mules to horse events for the stratification of placing ahead of the horses but as practice and as ambassadors for our Longears.

I try to take every opportunity possible to help educate and inform the ones riding the short eared equine about our animules attributes and versatility. It’s not very often that you see horses competing in more than one event in several different disciplines. I had the chance to start educating the equine industry in Georgia at the early age of 10 when I entered my first 4-H Horse Show. I was quite delighted that everyone was just taken by the mules and feel in love with them. Today at some of the open shows I attend with my mule, W.C. He’s a Playboy; there are regulars that come over to pet him sort of like mule groupies. Occasionally, there are some horses that tend to be a little scared of the mules for example, one of my friends showed an Egyptian Arabian in the saddleseat division in 4-H with my mule Fido, a Walking Mule, and the Arabian eventually feel in love with Fido! A true love/ hate relationship but the cool thing was the fact my friend and her family feel in love with Fido first! In my opinion, mules and donkeys seem to have a captivating personality that draws you into to them.

Again, I can not stress the importance of youth being involved with an organization like the 4-H club, which teaches so many wonderful and life essential skills such as leadership, loyalty, responsibility, a hard work ethic, importance of friendship, etc. The Georgia State 4-H Horse program was always very receptive to me showing my mules in the shows and using them as my equine project animal. It saddens me deeply when I hear of 4-H members throughout the country being denied the chance to show their mule or donkey in their 4-H Horse program. I know some states such as Texas even developed just mule and donkey classes to keep the Longears out of the horse classes. The 4-H Club was not intended to develop hardships for its members and by not allowing 4-H’ers to show their animals in an open horse show type environment where you have every breed, registered or not, and ponies showing against one another there is no excuse why a member should be denied the chance to use a mule or donkey as their 4-H project and compete in the shows.

The mule I mentioned earlier, Fido, attended many of the Georgia State 4-H Horse Shows and won many awards and even traveled onto the Southern Regional 4-H Horse Championship 3 times and placed in the top ten every time as well as the top 3 several times. Fido was always on his best behavior and represented our Longears the very best as he was the first mule to attend many of these prestigious horse shows! I also showed three other mules in the 4-H State Show including Las Vegas Lights who also qualified for the Southern Regional Show. Unfortunately, I am now, a little to old for 4-H, so I take every opportunity possible to show our mules at open horse shows. I enjoy showing our mules at open horse shows because there are a variety of classes to compete in as well as extremely open minded officials who fairly judge our mules.

I use the open horse shows as schooling shows for the mule shows that we travel thousands of miles to attend. A few of these open shows are quite large such as the Newton County Saddle Club which holds their shows at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, GA which was home to the 1996 Olympics. The open show is split into two days, Saturday is all English & Gaited and Sunday is Western & Petite Division. The average show will have around 300-400 entries per day and two or three rings going. Most people at the show just love the mules. We take my mule which shows both days, gaited mules, and mini mules to the petite show. The show has even added classes for miniature donkeys and mules in the petite division show on Sunday. Many people from North and South Carolina have begun traveling to the show on Sunday to show in the petite division as well as several who travel from North Georgia to compete in the gaited classes on Saturday.

There has also been an increase in adding Walking Mule Classes to Walking Horse Shows around the country. We use to show our mules at the Walking Horse Shows in the Country Pleasure Classes which are open to any breed or type of equine, but now many of the shows such as the Columbia Spring Jubilee, Columbia, TN as well as the International Walking Horse Celebration, Murfreesboro, TN have added Walking Mule Classes.

I really encourage people to get out and take their mules and donkeys to open shows because number one our animals can compete very easily and number two it’s a great way to promote Longears. Playboy has been named “Hunter over Fences” division champion several times for the day as well as for the end of year, and has been champion and reserve in the western show too. By taking a mule or donkey to an open show, you have the chance to open many people’s eyes to how talented and versatile our animals are as well as increase the popularity of mules and donkeys. The idea that a mule or donkey is stubborn and they are only used as draft animals is quickly diminished.

Another advantage is the fact you expose many judges to the Longears. I have had many compliments from the judges over the years which include some individuals who have judged world breed shows such as, the American Quarter Horse World Show. In the past two years four different judges who have judged at several of the open shows I attend have gone on and received their American Quarter Horse Association Judges Cards, as well as three judges at these open shows who have judged the world Quarter horse show, and many of them have approached me about judging mule shows because they were really impressed in the quality of the animals and their versatility.

In addition, this year at the Texas State 4-H Horse Judging Contest, several of us who were competing at the Houston Livestock Mule and Donkey Show were asked to be in the 4-H’ers state contest. Our mules were used in the contest for the Western Pleasure class. What a wonderful opportunity to again expose all ages to the world of mules. I heard so many positive comments from the 4-H’ers after the contest. I think the 4-H’ers and their leaders really enjoyed the chance to judge something different but something they could easily see in their judging career. In addition, I believe the officials including Dr. Pete Gibbs, from Texas A&M University who coached the World Championship Collegiate Horse Judging Contest was impressed by the western pleasure mule class.

The 4-H Club does an outstanding job in supplying its members with many educational opportunities such as horse judging, horse quiz bowl, public speaking contests and even a school where you can take your equine and learn how to better ride them. This past June a friend of mine who is a professor of Equine Nutrition at the University of Georgia, Dr. Kari Turner, invited me to bring a mule or two to the Georgia State 4-H Horse School to once again expose and help educate the youth and their leaders to the world of mules.

I took two of our show mules, one gaited, “And Red Eye Gravy” and the other not, “W.C. He’s a Playboy,” to 4-H Horse School which was held in Perry, Georgia. There were close to 200 4-H’ers in attendance and they were extremely intelligent. I have never been asked so many well thought out amazing questions about mules in my life. I taught two sessions with each mule being utilized in both lecturers and for a full hour students and adults from the age of 10-60 were fascinated and no one fell asleep while learning about mules and donkeys. I think I was most impressed with two different 4-H’ers asking if mules could inherit genetic disorders like HYPP. Having mules all of my life as well as having an extensive animal science background the thought never entered my mind until this past fall and here are 4-H, the youth of America, on top of their game! Impressive!

Although I’m not the only person showing a mule at open shows, I have friends all across the country from FL, SC, OH, TX, ID, AZ, to CA that do utilize the open shows to practice with their mules and expose more people to them but I encourage more of you to utilize these open horse shows. So, for those of you who love to show try an open show this fall get your mules and donkeys out in front of our friends on the short eared equine and show them what our Longears can do! Please don’t get me wrong I have nothing against horses because we need them to make more great mules! If you have any questions about using your mule or donkey in a 4-H project please do not hesitate to contact me, at amule@bellsouth.net or by phone at 706-296-8743.