Both are very strong, but the mule has greater physical strength for its size, and more endurance. A mule gets its athletic ability from the horse and its intelligence from the donkey.
Mules are often considered superior to horses when it comes to trail riding—there's nothing better for riding in the steep mountains. They are more sure-footed, tend to be smoother gaited and because of the aforementioned self-preservation and less flight response, some consider them safer than horses.
Although it depends on the individual animal, mules trained by the Army of Pakistan are reported to be able to carry up to 72 kg (159 lb) and walk 26 km (16.2 mi) without resting. The average equine in general can carry up to roughly 30% of its body weight in live weight, such as a rider.
Mules have inherited the best qualities of both, being larger and faster-moving than donkeys but less picky about food and stabling than horses, and cheaper to keep. They will pull a cart or carry packs across their backs, and can be ridden.
They live longer than horses and tend to require less food than a similar-sized horse. They can also sense danger better and are more cautious than horses or donkeys, making them safer to ride when crossing difficult terrain.
“They are very effective guard animals, as long as the mule is trained to be a guard animal.” However, mules come with their challenges as well. Their brays can be loud and irritating to neighbors, and that same instinct that drives them to kill coyotes can also cause conflict between them and, say, a family dog.
Draft mules, and mules produced by breeding mammoth jacks to large mares could easily reach 17 – 18 hands and weigh over 2,000 pounds. This means that, depending on the actual weight of the mule, a draft mule could easily carry a rider and saddle with a combined weight of 400 lbs and possibly more. What is this?
They CAN and DO gallop - when they feel like it, and especially in play. Mules are more horselike and gallop more readily, but a donkey can be trained to canter or lope under saddle.
Generally speaking, a mule, or donkey, can carry more weight than a horse because of the unique muscle structure of the animal. However, an equine that is not conditioned properly will not be able to efficiently carry as much weight as one who is.
Many reports from preliminary data gathered from handlers and veterinarians claim that mules display aggressive behavior, and in many cases, it has become nearly impossible to work with these animals to even perform the most basic husbandry or veterinary procedures.
Mules are a hybrid of a mare (female horse) and a male donkey, but a mule is more intelligent than either. This has been tested scientifically and shown.
Mules require less food and have more stamina than horses of the same weight and height, making them resilient working animals in some of the harshest environments.
If your trailer is large and has good suspension, your mules and donkeys can ride for as long as twelve to fourteen hours without too much discomfort, provided that you make frequent fifteen-to-twenty-minute stops every two to three hours along the journey.
There is a lot of discussion about training mules versus training horses. There are some who say that mules are harder to train than horses and others who say just the opposite. It has been my experience that it isn't really that one animal is more “difficult” than the other.
Mules tended to have more stamina than the horses. Mules could travel about 20 miles a day. They also were more surefooted in treacherous climbs due to the fact that, unlike a horse, they are able to see where they are placing their hind feet..
If they have the inclination, most mules have the ability to easily clear a fence up to and even over six feet high. The capability is certainly there, but in general, mules lack the motivation to expend the energy to actually jump out.
But combined with the dissimilarities in the horse-donkey chromosomes, the end result is usually — but not always — sterile offspring. While there are no recorded cases of fertile mule stallions, there have been a few dozen cases of mule mares giving birth after mating with a horse or donkey.
Befuddling Birth: The Case of the Mule's Foal Mules — the offspring of female horses and male donkeys — are generally sterile and can't reproduce.
Those mismatched chromosomes make it hard to make viable sperm and eggs. So mules are sterile because horse and donkey chromosomes are just too different.
The average lifespan of a mule is around 30 years, but some have been known to live up to 50 years.
Donkeys and mules are remarkably versatile and hardy: They work as farm and pack animals as well as saddle mounts, jumpers and draft animals. Mules and donkeys on the farm are highly valued. Treasured for their intelligence and gentleness, they are sensitive and generally love people.
Though mules and donkeys are less likely to founder than horses, it is still possible, and they should be monitored for it. The most obvious sign of founder is heat in the fetlock, pastern, and hoof. This happen most often in the front feet, but it can affect all four.
Mules have a reputation for being difficult to work with. Stories abound about mules simply refusing to work for their owners.