Re: What type of equine to use when?

On Nov 15, 2:46 pm, Peter Knutsen <pe...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
When and why do you use a donkey, or mule, or pony, instead of a horse?


Well, it's partly a matter of what is available but let's suppose you
have a free choice.

A donkey is admirably suited to carrying heavy loads for its size and
it can get enough to eat in many environments where a horse would
starve. It can easily keep up with people on foot. It can negotiate
almost any terrain where a man would want to walk. Some people find
donkeys rather pleasant company. It would not be good at keeping up
with a mounted individual or group. It isn't a suitable riding animal
for a large person. Donkeys are rarely used to draw vehicles but they
could be, I suppose.

A mule has many of the virtues of a donkey combined with a larger and
more powerful frame. However, those virtues are somewhat diluted by
the horse qualities the mule has inherited from his mother, which is
the same place that the mule got his larger and more powerful frame.
Mules are often used to draw wagons on poor roads. Mules can be ridden
but they might be harder to control in mounted combat than horses, not
being willing to risk their lives. Mules are sometimes, um,
difficult.

If the animal got his horse qualities from his father the animal is
usually called a hinny, not a mule. I have only read about hinnys and
they apparently didn't have enough useful qualities for people to
breed them deliberately. The one I read about the most was a sweet-
tempered little donkey-sized animal that carried children at a pony
ride.

The word "pony" covers a great many animals and some of them aren't
much like one another. Many of them are hardy and can do well in poor
terrain but I don't think they can live on the kind of course
vegetation on which a donkey will thrive. Still, a pony is often
chosen as a riding animal for a smallish rider.

--
Will in New Haven
Next week: "What kind of dog should I take into the Mouth of Hell?"
.

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