# Mini Mule, How much can he hold?



## KWAK

I'm getting a mini mule tuesday and was wondering what the heaviest he can give rides to is? He's 37 inches at the withers.


----------



## Bunnylady

Congratulations! I think I'm in love. 

Here's my 32" mini mule, Betsy:





(I don't know why that picture always looks photoshopped to me. It probably has something to do with the flash)

The general rule of thumb with horses is about 20% of the horse's weight in rider and tack, so a horse that weighs 1000 pounds can be expected to carry a rider plus saddle that weighs a total of 200 pounds without a problem. That isn't set in stone, of course; an animal with a more solid frame can carry more than one with delicate bones, etc.

Donkeys and mules are said to have denser bones than horses do, so it is generally accepted that they can carry more weight than a horse of the same size. I have put an 80 lb. kid on Betsy and she made no fuss about it, but kids that big look a bit silly on an animal that small (it was only for a couple of laps around a ring on a lead line; I wouldn't ask her to carry that much for long) 

Offhand, I'd say about a hundred pounds should be safe for your guy, others might go higher.


----------



## frustratedearthmother

OMG - That is the cutest thing I've ever seen!  I... WANT...HER!


----------



## KWAK

Is there any way to guess what his breed his mom was?


----------



## Bunnylady

I'm inclined to think that like Betsy, he's a cross between a miniature horse and a miniature donkey. Some miniature horse registries will go as tall as 38"; I own a mini that grew taller than both of her registered parents and wound up around 40." A lot of the oversized minis get classified in a general way as Shetlands, though of course they can't be registered. I'm thinking your boy's color is Silver Bay, and the silver gene is way common in minis.


----------



## Chevoner

I love the striping on your guy's legs


----------



## goodhors

Sorry, have to disagree on the dense bone thing on 
mules and donkeys.  Dense bone is developed with 
exercise, consistant work.  Most Minis just don't get
that kind of exercise or work.

I am also going to disagree that weight your pictured
animal could carry, should be up in the 80-100 pounds!
At 37 inches, he is pretty small, and that kind of total
weight is TOO MUCH, even if animal doesn't protest
their load.  

Both animals pictured  probably don't weigh 300 pounds!
Could even be less weight, like 200-250 pounds.
They do look to be in EXCELLENT flesh, not thin or heavy,
so they are being managed VERY well for Minis.

If I divide 300 pounds by 20%, that is ONLY 60 pounds!!
If the animal weighs in at a lesser weight, then the load
should be even SMALLER.

A small child, or even a bigger kid, is usually fairly solid, 
with body weight on an animal being concentrated in one
part of the spine.  Real hard to carry a big weight on 
the spine, on just a small part of the donkey or mule body.
The "funny" photos often posted of donkey or mule loaded 
with so much brush you can only see the nose and feet, is
more spread out on the entire body of animal, so he can 
manage his load easier.

My experience with Minis is that a LOT of them will take 
being overloaded, surprised with new things they are 
not trained to do, and not react badly in a lot of cases.
But you don't want to make things PAINFUL to them by
overloading them, or you may have a LOT more bad 
reaction to the pain than you ever expected.  I have 
seen some folks try to hold a fighting mini, and even 
with lots of muscle, person lost the fight.

Mules and donkey both have LONG memories of
how they are treated, things that hurt or scared them.
So they WILL resist when they think something will
be like that again.  Once you lose their trust, is 
when the "stubborn" label comes into use, because
they won't even try stuff for you.  

Please be careful with your new mule, take your time
with him and work out an understanding with him.  Be
REALLY careful not to overload him with a kid or a load
that is too much to manage.  You might be able to 
get him weighed at a local grain elevator type place, so 
you KNOW what he weighs and can manage.  Minis 
usually can pull quite a bit more than they can carry, 
since wheels turn easily to get the load going.  Driving
could be a direction to train him for more enjoyment
and exercise.


----------



## MissMini

~~~Driving, that's MY plan........fully trained ......  need to shop for casual cart and harness......


----------



## goodhors

There are a number of things to keep in mind when Driving an equine.  Again, 
the animal needs to be comfortable working for you.  You don't want to go 
with cheap equipment, it seldom is made well or fits well, so animal is able 
to work to his maximum ability.  Like a shoe that pinches, just bugs you 
all the time you have it on.

There are MANY Name makers of harness, that do a pretty good job, will help
fit him well, but prices are not $59 specials.  I do not advise Ebay shopping, 
most of that is cheap junk, doesn't fit anything, breaks if stressed even if new.
2nd most important point in purchasing, is to have a steel tree in the harness
saddle, so cart shaft weight is spread out and not on his spine bones.  MOST
of the cheapy harness lacks a tree built in the saddle.

The cheapest carts are not well designed, often have wheel and metal failure.
ESPECIALLY if purchased used.  Folks bend the pipe shafts in and out, and with 
some rust, exposure to weather when left outside, metal fatigue lets shafts 
BREAK OFF in use!!  With the bicycle tires, they are made to only go on groomed
surfaces like a road, arena.  Even then, sharp turns can make the wheel come 
off the rim or fold the rim.  Bike tires are not made for sideways torque.  

Going to a Driving Trainer will help you and the animal learn carefully and correctly.
Much less chance of an accident, because you may not read him right or try to 
go faster in training, than he is ready for.  This is not a 30-day kind of learning
for an equine if he is to be safe for driving.  Needs slow and patient, so he TOTALLY
understands what is expected, knows his commands by voice, is not surprised or
overfaced in the training steps.  Donkeys live many years, so great basics in his
training will stay with him all those years to be usable.

Driving is a great way to use the minis, just needs to be trained well so both you and
animal are going to have a lovely time together, in reliable equipment to stay safe.


----------

