So, what IS the difference between gait in a mule, and gait in a horse? I've been training and riding gaited horses for many years now. Some time ago, I started working exclusively with gaited mules. This was a first for me. I'd ridden a gaited mule once, many years ago, but not for very long. It's really different. Gait definition for horses is clearly defined most times. Occasionally you may get one that will fudge the line between gaits, or is just not very talented. You have a lot of room to play with the gaits. Gait definition for mules however is very different. Being a hybrid, they retain the gait of the mother, but the frame of the donkey. They CAN gait, and some of them gait very well. However, the gaits, and the differences between the gaits is not clearly defined. It takes a LOT of work to get and keep a mule in gait. Horses gait because gait is bred into their soul. Mules gait because we teach them it's easier on them to gait like we ask, than to not. You really have to have a good ear and a very good seat to train gait in a mule. It's very similar to teaching a horse to gait, with the exception that the mule is smart enough to know that it's a WHOLE lot easier to trot than to gait. It's similar in that it takes repetition in the gait. The donkey naturally has a shorter stride than that of a horse. The mule inherited this from his sire. It's our job to tweak that stride so it lengthens. It helps them gait, and helps us identify and set the gait. It can be quite challenging. Mules are a real challenge, but I still love my Foxtrotters.
Brooks Gaited Horse Training
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