New to horses and mules

[Boulder Tuff]

I am 18 and starting out hunting with hounds and i would like some help as to what i should buy when it comes to horses/mules, tack, and saddles etc. Basically I want to know all the things i can buy to help me get off to a better start hunting with my hounds and have some good horses/mules.

Thanks Cole

[Brady Davis]

Welcome! Hunting with horses/mules is something that you will probably love! Caution however, that the horses and mules might drive you just as crazy as the hounds will!

I can tell you this, whatever you do end up buying, don't scrimp on everything; buy quality stuff....from your mule to your saddles. I'm not saying you have to break the bank but if you buy junk you'll end up hating it and buying something else.

I love to ride horses but for hunting in rough country, I am a huge fan of mules. I also like wade type saddles. But, I'm sure every guy you talk to will give you his 2 cents and it'll be different from somebody elses....

Good luck and let us know what you end up doing!!1

[sheimer]

I have been riding as long as I can remember and have spent several years packing and guiding. I have one piece of advice that all other advice revolves around: don't go cheap. Not meaning only price. If you are going to buy a saddle, have one built for you by a good saddlemaker. I recommend a wade tree. I started out with a factory built saddle and had too many sore spots. Then I tried a cheap custom saddle. I then had a real custom saddle built. If I'd just went with the best to begin with, I'd been sooooo much money ahead. While your at it, have the saddlemaker build the breast collar and rear cinch as well as the headstall. Get ahold of a rope halter without any buckles or snaps to break and freeze. Talk to someone about a horse or mule. Please do not just go to the sale barn and by one that looks good. Here again, you get what you pay for. If you find an outfitter this fall once their summer season is over you may be able to get one of the guides horses at a reasonable price. Don't forget, you should apply the same principle to bits, hobbles, reins, saddle bags, slicker, stirrups, riding boots, scabbards, and the list goes on and on.


The investment that your talking about undertaking is something most spend a lifetime to build up. In my case, I've spent my lifetime as well as borrowed a lot from my parents lifetime.

Once you get started, I warn you, quitting is the hard part. If you do this right, you and your children will enjoy the tack that you put together. If not, you will fight it until you get the good stuff. The enjoyment that can come from hounds and horses can become near misery without the right equipment.


Scott

[sheimer]

Brady was posting while I was writing. I guess if I'd just waited and just said I agree with him would have been easier .

Another thing to mention is in our country horses and mules are quite limited in the areas that we cat hunt in. I don't mean to rain on your parade, just being honest. I would love to use my horses more but I'm afraid I'd spend more time walking back to get them where I tied them up at than riding them.


Scott

[Eric Muff]

All great advice to be sure.
One thing you need to be is committed to what you are thinking about getting into.
All this stuff is expensive and needs looking after but not nearly as much as the horse/mule your gonna load it onto.
Get the good stuff once you are committed and don't forget the most important thing of all.....wet saddle blankets!

[BBGH]

Just remember the cheapest thing about an animal is buying it. After years of feed, vets, shoing, trailer, and pickup to travel your horse the horse is the cheapest thing. Dont take an old give me horse that is a p o s buy something nice, I like quarter horses, and gated horses, like the tennesse walking horse. But it is hard to beat a mule on the nasty trail. Good luck and welcome

[Boulder Tuff]

Thank you so much for the information and help. I dont know when i will be getting all this stuff but it is good to know where to start. I was wondering if there was a certain type of mule that you guys would suggest for a beginnner.

Thanks Cole

[sheimer]

broke

Scott

[Brady Davis]

broke

Scott

+1.....Broke well.....

[Machias]

One thing, and be honest with yourself here, do you have alot of patience? I mean when things don't go exactly as you have them planned or want them to go, does it roll off your back like rain on a duck's back? If not, pass on by the mules. There will be MANY times when even a dead broke really good mule will not act or do what you want. If your the type of guy that looses his cool, get a horse. Look at a LOT of mules before you plop your money down and even better if they will let you go on some test rides before you decide. Then keep in mind even the well mannered mule will almost always be a different acting animal once you get him to your place. He will not be comfortable with his new surroundings or you and will take several months before he decides to trust you. If you show him your not going to hurt him out on the trail then he will come to trust you and if you don't let him get away with stuff when he test you, and he will, then he will respect you.

[lmorgan]

Good advice all around. I consider myself a mule man, but I'm far from an expert. However, if I were you and was just starting out and knew less than nothing about being a horseman, I'd argue that you'd be much better off buying a good, well broke horse. Maybe something from a dude string if it doesn't have too many nasty bad habits like dude horses are fond of picking up. Mules are tempermental and unforgiving and you have to be smarter than they are (no easy feat), and very few gunsels have the experience at first to handle mules. A misguided mistake on a mule may ruin him forever. Horses tend to be more forgiving.

Of course, when my boys were first learning to ride, I wouldn't let them ride anything but mules because I trusted my mules to just follow the horses and get them home safely. I trust my mules more than any horse, but I'm not sure a green horn on a mule is a good idea unless it's an awful good mule. So what do I know?

Whatever you buy, when you're first starting out, buy something that is absolutely bomb proof and broke to death. You need a horse/mule that knows way more than you do in the beginning. Nothing on earth is more dangerous than a green horn on a green horse.

Just my $0.02. It's probably worth less than that.

[twist]

[quote="sheimer"]Brady was posting while I was writing. I guess if I'd just waited and just said I agree with him would have been easier .

Another thing to mention is in our country horses and mules are quite limited in the areas that we cat hunt in. I don't mean to rain on your parade, just being honest. I would love to use my horses more but I'm afraid I'd spend more time walking back to get them where I tied them up at than riding them.

Scott, that is very well said about horses and mules are limited in areas that we cat hunt. If you are not an experienced horseman you will get yourself in a heck of spot real quick in crappy conditions, not good. My suggestion is if you are just starting out in the hound world focus your time, training and learning with your dogs. you will learn alot more on the ground walking with your dogs than you can ever imagine, plus you are young that is a big help. later, Andy

[catdogs]

If you are hunting MT, a horse or mule won't do much good during our hound season, get a snowmobile instead.

[Boulder Tuff]

Thanks again for even more advice I appreciate it a whole lot. Im not just looking at a horse and mule just for hunting with my hounds. I was looking at them also as a help to me during the elk season and such. Love to hear more tips or thoughts from anyone about this topic. Im just trying to learn and become the best I can and make things work best for me.

Thanks again, Cole

[wwy]

I'll second what these guys said above although I'm nowhere near an expert either. Especially what Machias said about mules. They are awesome when they are good. I have been on some awesome ones. You can force a horse to do something and get by. You won't force a mule to do something for very long before something gives.

Like said above try a bunch of animals in the situations you want to use them before you buy one. Another thing, if you are thinking about getting more than one animal, I would try to get "matching" animals or ones that have similar shape and build especially in the back and wither. Saddles are spendy, if you buy one draft mule and a thoroughbred you are likely going to need two expensive saddles instead of one.

There are lots of different saddles each man has there own preferance. To me what is really important is the bars in a saddle (width, angle, length, and gullet dimesions). This is what fits the horse or mule not if it is a wade, an assosciation, visalia, etc. etc... Get the saddle fork you want then make sure the bars and gullet will fit the type of mule or horses you want to own.

Get each headache broke before moving on to your next task. You don't want to be fighting your horses and a trash race from your hounds at the same time. Break you dogs first, then start thinking about mules and horses or at least that as I would reccomend, although Im not sure I practice what I preach. Good luck.