[Pa Teeny]

I saw two men riding horses in the woods ....I laughed as the one horse was not woods smart and had issues....I assumed they were getting them ready for an elk trip..

 

[Laylow]

I've rode "rental" horses in Colorado and 60% of those I'd shoot. If you hunt out west enough you'll see where the primo "outfitters" throw their dead horses out in a ditch before the trail head. If I had my druthers I'd buy a mule rather than a quad. Rumor has it a mule can see his back feet where he steps and a horse can't. I believe it. I've had a mule shimmy over a 3 and a half log with and elk on it. They ain't dumb.

 

[dce]

Mules are sure footed but they can be as big of a pain as any horse.We were riding in SGL 331 just after they put a new metal grate bridge over a stream.My daughter brought a young,green mare along just to expose her to that bridge.There were six of us on horses and two people with mules.I went first with a more seasoned horse and my daughter and son followed right behind.They got a little edgy when they heard the shoes banging on the metal grates but they did fine.The mules flat out refused to cross.It took about an hour to get them over and we ended up blind folding them with jackets to get them across.

I doubt many people haul horses from pa to Colorado just to hunt.That's a lot of stress on a horse.My daughter has qualified twice for the national finals rodeo in Wyoming and I refused to haul our horses that far.

 

[mountainhippie]

In high school I worked for a family friend who raised mules with her husband. They bred saddle mules for elk hunting outfits out west, and they were spectacular animals.

The thing about mules isn't that they're stubborn, it's that they're smart. Horses are usually too dumb to realize that what you're asking them to do is something they don't want to do, and if you do something to tick off a horse they usually forget. Mules know what's going on, and they remember. If you have the patience and understanding to work with them that can be a good thing, but it's challenging for sure and can sure be frustrating if you come to an impasse and communication shuts down.

Even at their worst, though, I'll take a mule over a donkey any day. Their breeding jack was a real piece of work. I used to have to mow down his paddock with a weed eater, and they told me that if he ever got out of his stall while I was in there to drop the weed eater and jump the fence. They had to get the fencer turned back on in a hurry because if he got loose he'd kill every male animal they had.

 

[Laylow]

Good horses in the mountains are good horses. I never ride a horse on a narrow trail with my feet in the stirrups. Had one slip one time and I bailed off to the high side. Horse went low and ended up coyote bait.
Mule will never go straight over a hill with a load on. Switch back moves . Smart
Tried to trade my quad for old Hank but the outfitter said no way.