Hinnie or Mule?!?

Our miniature horse Candy gave birth to the cutest little guy early this morning, August 5th. And yes, he's a mini-mule. The mule is a hybrid. The offspring of genetically different parents. In our case the cross of a miniature horse and a miniature donkey, producing a miniature mule.

Many people believe that mules are stronger and more intelligent than horses or donkeys. The combination of the horses agility and the donkeys strength makes the mule highly sought after for hard labor jobs.

His daddy is Barney our miniature donkey. Did you know that you can tell a purebred donkey by the cross on it's back? (The strip of dark hair that runs down his spine and across his shoulders forming a cross.) Many believe that Jesus blessed the donkey with the cross because it was a donkey that carried the Virgin Mary into Bethlehem.

Did you also know that a donkey's ears are fully grown at birth?



So if a mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse, what is a hinnie you ask? A hinnie is the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey. Opie is a our miniature hinnie. You can see how short he is compared to the horse behind him.

One of the simplest ways to tell the difference between the hinnie and the mule is to look at their face. They tend to take on the facial appearance of the father. So the hinnie's facial features are more of a horse where the mule's facial feature is more of a donkey.