"The Gaited Mule & How To Get It" by Max Harsha

Originally appeard in the December 2005 issue

Almost every week or so I get a call from someone asking me about a gaited mule they might find. Well, to me gaited mules come in different types. It may be in a running walk, a foxtrot, or what is known as a walking mule out of the Tennessee walking strain. I have been associated with them all, to a certain extent.

I think it varies a lot as to what type terrain you are going to be traveling, as to which will suit you best. In flat country the walking strain or the foxtrotter may be your best choice. And, due to the fact they have been bred for fast walking, walking horse mares are probably going to give the fastest gaited mules in flat country.....of course, this depends on the type jack the mare is bred to.

If you like the taller mules (16 hand class), I like the Catalonian jacks, as they are a little more refined than some of the coarser big jacks. However, I prefer a smaller mule, around 15 hands, and you can get this out of what I call a medium-size jack, which is in the 14 hand class, or even a little smaller.

In my book, The Mule Skinner Bible, and video, I discuss seeing some get out of a jack to see what he is producing, as the size of the jack does not give an accurate size as to what he might produce. I have seen small jacks produce as big a mule as a jack a hand or two taller. Generally your smaller jacks will give you a mule with a ‘neater’ head, and most generally a quicker gait.

Now, getting back to the type of country you are traveling in, I like a neat-made mule with a quarter horse hip for this mountain country. I’ll take this type of mule and put a running walk on it for leveler areas we encounter and make it hard for most of the good flat country gaited mules to keep up. For this type mule I would consider a mare out of a thoroughbred/Percheron cross. I owned a mule like this once that was the best mountain mule I have ever thrown a leg over. I had trained him to hit a running walk whenever the country permitted, and buddy he was tough and hard to stay with.

One thing about the gaited mule, whether it is a running walk, which is similar to a foxtrot or a walking bred mule, most of them have a very smooth ride.