Originally Posted by RexM
This is thread is the most enjoyable I have ever found on the internet, thank you.

My first 20 yrs or so were spent on a cattle farm and we used Quarter Horses and Apps for work and recreation, but I have never had any dealings with mules.

A lot of the information here reminds me of the Will James book "Cowboys North and South". Different strokes for different folks.


You would know what I mean if I mentioned a 'traditional stock horse' ?

Since 1/4 horse have been bread for at least 5 different uses for years, mentioning the breed can be confusing to some. Appies have been diluted with 1/4 horse, so their not so basic anymore, you mentioned 'work' I know you know the difference cool !

But that 'traditional stock horse' type is hard to beat in the mountains!

Having packed professional on horses and mules, shoed horses and mules for over 20 years, I have meet less then 100 'good' mules in my lifetime. But have meet hundreds of good horses.

A good mountain horse will not be as tall as most stock horse breeders try for. And they will never have the top-end speed that most currant trends look for.

A good solid built , well muscled, round boned (cannons) rounded or wide oval barreled (rib-caged) straight conformation, good head-set and level-headed with a good work ethic horse, is hard to beat.

Traditional stock-horses were not as tall as we see them today, 15H would be on the tall side. If the first thing that catches your eye is how much muscle and well put together the horse is, is a very good one to spend more time looking over. Most horses used for mountain work today are pushing the tall/speed spectrum of useful DNA, you will get more work out of a horse breed differentially (traditionally).

We never see it any more, but well breed Cobb X's have done a lot of work as stock horses. Most everything anyone has ever rode or packed will fallow more of the Arib style blood-lines. Mountains and packing tend to favor more of a Barb style breeding. Some Mustangs fallow more of the Barb style. I have meet a few Mustangs I really liked.

President Useless S Grant was given 2 stud horses, one well bread Barb, and one well bread Arib stud, by the Sultan of Istanbul as a gift. Grant started a breed called the Ranger Horse with them, latter called the Colorado Ranger Horse, his idea was fantastic! Taking those studs and covering every mare they could find from Chief Joesph (real Appies), culling the less desirable offspring, much the same way the Appolisia's were refined, rendered a 'can-do' horse! Modern breeders ruined Grants idea, Ranger horses today look like modern Appies.

My idea, make this one a little shorter, round out and shorten the cannon bone, more inner-leg mussel, and a slightly wider stance in front, give him a job to tone the muscle on him, and some hoof under him, and you could drag your elk out!
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Or just worm, shoe and put some weight on this one, I'm good!

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In my opinion, mules will not out work a well breed horses for most people.

A hint, Chief Joseph and 800 of his men women and children, and their belongings, out ran 2000 of the US finest soldiers and scouts on horses and mules, for 3 months and 1700 miles of mountainous terrain!


Clinging to my God, and my guns!