12/31/2014
*** RANGER SCOUTS MASCOT ***
The Mule
Mules are a cross between a female horse and a male donkey, and in many ways, superior to both, while taking many of the best traits from each.
For instance:
* Mules are significantly more “maintenance free” than horses, particularly having less leg and hoof problems, but also less medical problems overall. If they primarily work on softer ground (not concrete or exceptionally stony ground), they don’t even need to be shod.
* Mules have tougher and less sensitive skin than horses.
* Mules live longer than horses (as high as 50 years, compared to the horse’s 30-ish years). They also have a greater number of years where they can be productive, averaging about 18 years to a horse’ 15 years of productivity on a farm-like setting. Further, mules can be used as many as 30-40 years for riding, long after the horse would be dead.
* Mules also require much less in the way of high quality food (no grain needed). They are typically fine with the more nutritionally deficient fair donkeys are accustomed to.They need less food, pound for pound, than horses, with a much more efficient digestive tract (needing only around 1.5% of their body weight per day, compared to a horse’ 2.5%, though this varies somewhat depending on how much work they’re being given. But the same basic ratio holds if they are given equal work.)
* Pound for pound mules are also stronger than horses and with better stamina and agility. They also are superior to donkeys in that they are typically much larger than donkeys, so the overall weight they can carry is greater.
* Mules make great guard animals for protecting livestock, similar to donkeys, but not quite as aggressive. Horses, on the other hand, tend to lean towards bolting when they sense danger, only fighting when they have to.
* Mules, like donkeys, also have a very strong “self preservation” sense, which makes them naturally a better companion in a fight with wild animals, and also better in the sense that they won’t let you work them to the point of death, like can happen with horses if you aren’t careful.
* Mules don’t spook as easy as horses do, making them better to ride in certain circumstances, such as in settings like trails down the Grand Canyon or in a storm.
* Finally, mules endure heat and lack of water much better than horses, gaining this trait from their donkey father, who is built more for desert life.
