what kind of equine do you use

[nmplott]

out west we love horses and my family here we love the quarter horse. what do you guys use?

[Jim Balash]

Mules are the best I've gotten them to go places that good horses wouldn't and use em for riding or packing. They also don't seem to spook as easy either. But this is just my opinion.
Jim

[Melanie Hampton]

We have a couple.. I have a bomb proof half arab/quarter horse gelding that was born on my place and I raised.. He turned 10 this year. Unflappable trail horse, and pack horse. We have a breeding stock paint mare, who is a nice trial horse and pack horse... We have a mule.. biggest little pain in the ass I have ever put a halter on.. She sure can pack, but I hate her LOL.. We have a 3 year old Kiger Mustang, who hasn't had anything done with her yet and I keep threatening to sell if Nick doesn't break her.. Not my horse and I don't want to mess with her

[Nora Cook]

Foundatioin Quarter Horse all the way.

Trail
Reining
Cutting
working cow
ropping

They will do it all. I love mine. I have had a few other breeds but love the FQH

[Josh Kunde]

lets see this season I have to choose from 14 different horses to take along I dont know which ones. The olny one for sure that is copmeing is Bunny, my dads mule she is out of a quarter horse mare and a Jack name South Side Hot Shot at one pont he was the best but I havent heard alot about him now.

[Missouri Boy]

I have rode mules all of my life. Can through hogs still squealing over each side of my saddle horn and one accross there rump. Not saying their the best they just work for me! Got buddy that has a big bay stud foundation Quarter horse. Seen that stud save Vince from getting cut by a bad hog, when Vince got to the catch he jumped off the bay stud. The boar broke loose, came strait at Vince, knocked him down the bay stud didn't care for it. He ended the boars career with both front feet!


Renegade Hog and Bobcat Dogs
Salem , Missouri
Jason Raulston

[nmplott]

that is exactly what my question was meant to be...what works best for you? I grew up on a ranch so I know horses pretty well and one thing that I know is that what works for me may not work for you. I am new to the use of hounds to hunt, and so far I tried redbones and black mouth curs and not disrespect those breeds but they didn't work for me. So I tried plotts got some from pups and are training them now... These dogs are now some of my family members and will get rid of one for anything. Horses are the same way, I love my quarterhorses but what I use them for may not be what you use a horse for.

[Nora Cook]

nmplott,

You are very true, I did some X country when I was younger on some arab's and I tell you, I dont think a QH would do that great at that. A little to smart to go down some of that stuff. WHen I used to pack up in the Eagle Cap wilderness We used Mules and I thought that they were just about the greatest thing alive on some of those trails.

[live4hounds]

[nmplott]

[Mike Leonard]

Well I have ridden just about every type you can imagine, and I will say just about all of them are better than walking but there has been a few exceptions.

My two worst days I ever spent lion hunting were caused by two different mules hundreds of miles apart.The first was a big jenny mule called Sweet Pea who I later found out her real name was Madame X.The other was a big app John mule and when I came in from that hunt I looked like I had been put thru a salad shooter.This is not a general condemnation for mules because I also have ridden some very good ones. In fact one of the best hunting mounts I ever rode, was a little black mule out of Oklahoma. He was a climbing, crawling, packing little dude with a good handle on him and a running walk that was fast and smooth as silk. If I could find another one like that I would likely ride him a bunch.

Those two mule incident both happened when I was invited on hunting trips, and furnished a mount when I got there. I could bore you with details but the facts were evident after the first hour I was hunting with these folks. They didn't know much about riding, lion hunting, mule training or anything else that I was interested in they just like to talk about it.

I hear a lot of folks say I ride mules cuz they will go places a horse can't . Be very careful saying that becasue that just goes to show you have never really been in the rough stuff with good horses. A lot of people thinking riding them in the mountains makes them a good lion hunting mount. Maybe , maybe not. It is about the same difference as herding cattle on the plains to a corral, or crashing over brush thru thickets and off mountain sides trying to rope a bovine critter that is wild as an elk. It takes a whole different set of standards.

Mules have the advantage of highbred sense. What I mean bu that is that all the selective breeding that has been done to many of todays horses for a certain event or task is not influencing the mule. The mule is a one time shot, can't reproduce he has terminal genes. But where a fired up horse can be driven to exaustion, ridden off a place they can't get back up , and into dangerous situation where a horse would go trusting in it's rider the mule will stop. It's not that he is stubborn he is just cautious about getting himself in a bind. To me this is a real plus for mules especially where novice riders are concerned. One guy asked one of the mule guides at the top of the North rim of the Grand Canyon one time. I guess you put the tourists on mules because the canyon is just to steep for a horse to go up and down. He said no it's not that I ride my horse up and down that trail all the time. We use mules becasue we condition them to follow and where to put there feet before we ever put ourselves in a position of liability, and we know the mule will do what he has become comfortable with and won't do anything wrong even if the tourist tries to guide him this way or that. If he tries too hard the mule just stops and the wrangler can get the situation straight before it makes a mess.

So I like good mules,I beleive we have some fellow hunters on this and other hound forums that have some truely great ones. But like Bluegirl you are mostly likely to see that old cowboy lion hunter from northern New Mexico setting on a foundation bred quarter horse with a bunch of flop eared potlickers running around him. LOL!

[Nora Cook]

[Mike Leonard]

Horses doing fine Nora, had a heck of a good ride today. I did a couple mile warm up, and then came back to the arena to try out some new bosals and hackamore rigs I had built up. I have a freind who is a great trainer and an excellent rawhide man and he braided me up three new ones that I have been shaping all different diameters. I put some really nice fancy mecates ( McCartys) on them and got them adjusted. I wanted to show a friend a few things about these. The memory that horses have is truely amazing. I put this little red horse who has been straight up in the bridle for three years in a pencil sized bosalita. I got on double him twice on each side . I then took him down the arena and just a touch and he would drop on the release just like the bit and slide. Run backwards and 360 each way like a top. I really like to go back to it from time to time to tune them a bit. I sure don't do it enough but then again like I said horses have a great memory.

NOTHING LIKE BLOOD SIR, IN HOSSES, DOGS, AND MEN.(Thackery)

I would add, in women also. CHEERS!

[Big John]

I think it is the way they are raised. I had some sorry mules and horses over the years. Reg or non reg stuff, horses or mules, All of them someone else has trained/broke.The best I've had has been the ones I raise up hunting and riding in the rough Az/NM deserts and mountains. Most are not regestared some were. Happy Trails!
John

[Josh Kunde]