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I've been riding and hunting off mules for quite a few years now. after ten years of buying, riding and selling I have four good mules. My neighbor is getting up in age so I've been helping him with his cows. He is to old to still ride horses so he does his cow work off four wheelers I do all my cow work off one of my mules. One of my buddies helped me with some cows the other day he brought over his horse to ride it seemed to work better than my mule. I've never had a horse but am thinking about getting one for ranch work. Just wondering if you have any experience with a ranch horse in the mountains. My hunting partners usually get off and walk in the tricky spots in the mountains but my mule just slows down pays attention to where her feet are and trucks right through it.

We have had good luck with horses although I will never say one is better than a good mule in the really bad stuff. We have had the best luck staying away from hot blooded performance type stock. These horses have too much heart, and too thin a skin to back it up and may end up killing themselves and you in the process. Stick to breeds that are a little colder blooded. We have seen excellent results with Morgans, draft crosses, and some of the gaited breeds. I have quarterhorses that are good mountain ponies , I have several Tenessee Walkers that do quite well but are too tall, and my favorites are my Missouri Foxtrotters. I have 5 foxtrotter gelding that are short stout and can really cover the ground smooth and are extreemly sure footed and careful in the bad stuff. this may be part of the reason the US Forest Service has chosen them as their official horse and owns thousands of them. They say their Rangers can cover twice the miles in a day and not be all beat up from a rough gaited horse.

I do also have a coal black Andulusian gelding that is amazing in the rough country but these horses are still quite rare and most people wouldn't take such an animal into the bad stuff, but I will. LOL!

My family has been using ranch/rope bred quarter horses for over 30 years and they are great rough country mountain horses, but as of lately we have been breeding some foxtrotter, and shire in to our QH mares and they have made some amazing crosses for mountain horses/ranch work! The foxtrotter in them makes them smooth, and walk out fast, the shire adds peace of mind and strength. One of my buddies breeds gypsy vanners and they make great ranch/mountain horses, their a light draft breed. Mules will always have the upper hand in rough stuff cause of their self preservation mind set, and that they watch their foot placement, but horses tend to be more athletic for ranch work, note I said tend to be! I have seen mules that were athletic and good ranch mules, but I've seen a lot more horses excell at ranch work than mules.

Cameron

Thanks for the help. I think I'm gonna keep my eyes out for a good ranch mule. If anybody has one or knows of one for sale let me know.

http://www.ranchworldads.com/classified ... ting=36486


You might check this site out at times they have some good ranch mules for sale.

where you at in oregon. find someone useing good bred cow horse mares. we havnt bred any of our old cow bred mare the last few years. so dont have any mule to sell. will check with a buddy see if he got any to sell

You ever find a mule to ranch with ?

No I never did. I'm going next week to look at a quarter horse. He's been ranched on a little and been to the mountains a few times.