• The day dawned cold and windy but that did not deter mule, donkey and draft enthusiasts from assembling to celebrate their animals.    They plowed, pulled wagons and skidded logs, seeming to enjoy the brisk air as they performed their various tasks.    They worked amid the bustle of the people who gathered for a closer look at these animals and their handlers, some for a better understanding of what it must have been like  in days gone by and others to recall their own memories from the pages of history.  As the sounds of the live bluegrass band filled the air, the crowd was  free  to enjoy rides on mule drawn wagons, amateur plowing, antiques, and a farmer’s market.   While browsing the grounds, they were able to relish hot boiled peanuts, roasted corn, pork sandwiches and fried pork rinds.  There were pony rides, face painting, handmade bows, mule and donkey knickknacks, a mule and donkey artist, tack for sale and even some mules for sale.  The day culminated with the amateur show boasting
• Smallest Mule/Donkey/Draft
• Largest Mule/Donkey/Draft
• Most colorful Mule/Donkey/Draft
• Costume contest
• Mule/Handler look alike
• Longest ears
• Prettiest Mule/Donkey/Draft
• Ugliest Mule/Donkey/Draft

and an amateur obstacle course for animals under saddle or in harness.  As always, Southern States Mule and Donkey Association hosted this day free of charge to the public in their on-going efforts to promote mules, donkeys, draft animals and the way of life that they represent.

Dont’ forget to check out our pictures for details of the day!

Jack (male donkey)  x  mare (female horse)  =  mule  (males are Johns, females are Mollys)

Stallion (male horse)  x  Jennet (female donkey)  =  Hinny

Now that’s pretty straightforward.  Mules and Hinnys are cousins…sort of.  Now lets look at another branch on the family tree.

Zebra stallion  x  horse mare  =  Zorse (sometimes called Zebra mule, Zebrule, Golden Zebra

Horse stallion  x  zebra mare  =  Hebra (sometimes called  Horbra)

Zebra stallion  x  pony mare  =  Zony  (If the pony is a Shetland the offspring is sometimes called a Zetland)

Zebra stallion  x  jennet  =  Zedonk  (sometimes called Zonkey, Zebrass, Zebronkey, Zebadonk, Zenkey, Zebryde)

Zebra mare  x  jack  =  Zebret  (sometimes called Zebrinny)

All Zebra crosses are categorized as Zebroids.

Now that is a lot of terminology to keep straight but it gets more complicated.  Because the offspring from any of the crosses above are hybrid, they are generally sterile.  There are no documented instances of male hybrids ever reproducing.  They are generally always gelded to make them more manageable.  However, once in a blue moon, or quite probably not that often, a molly mule will give birth.  It is an occurrence so rare the Romans used to say ” cum mula peperit” which translates “When a mule foals”.   Rare but certainly not an impossibility.  There are many unsubstantiated  stories of mollys giving birth,  but there are also a lot of cases, some quite recent, that have genetic testing as proof of parentage.

The following is from my memory (not to be trusted) of reading an article (which I could not find again)  about fertile mules and should be considered pure conjecture:

I  “remember” reading that  mules  only pass  horse genes to offspring; and that  hinnys only pass  donkey genes.  Hence, it would seem:

• offspring from a stallion horse  x  molly mule  would be a  “horse”
• offspring from a jack  x  molly mule  would be a “mule”
• offspring from a stallion horse  x  hinny  would be a “mule”
• offspring from a jack  x  hinny would be  a “donkey”

Who knows about Zebra crossings at this point?  Or what happens if mule offspring have progeny?   Where do they all fit in the biological classification scheme?  What are your thoughts?

]]> http://ssmda.wordpress.com/2009/09/19/mule-crossing/feed/ 0 ssmda http://ssmda.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/meet-bojangles/ http://ssmda.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/meet-bojangles/#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:01:26 +0000 ssmda http://ssmda.wordpress.com/?p=226 ]]>

Bojangles is the latest addition to the LaDon and Cathy Dewrell family of animals.

“Bo is a 17 hand bay mule. Although we have not had him very long he seems to fit right in with us. He has a very easy going nature toward not only people but other animals also.

Although he is the biggest animal in the pen, he will give in to all the others. I guess my favorite thing about him so far is no matter what he is doing if he sees me he will start coming toward me just to be rubbed and get some attention. He has a work attitude that I have been looking for in a mule for a long time. He is easy to catch,(getting him out of the way would be the hard part) easy to harness and hook up. He will stop and stand real well. I hope his partner, Cletus, will develop these traits from him by working them together. They are both mannered a lot alike and seem to work well together. Bo is about 9 years old and Cletus is about 4 1/2 years old and and 16 1/2 hands. I hope they will grow out to be about the same size. Both mules will work or ride. Bo seems to do real well out on the trails. I hope to someday be able to log with them and also do some gardening. Our partnership has just started but appears to be one that will last a long time.”    LaDon Dewrell

]]> http://ssmda.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/new-addition/feed/ 0 ssmda 072409 001 IMG_3695 IMG_4587 IMG_5083 http://ssmda.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/mule-day-celebration/ http://ssmda.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/mule-day-celebration/#comments Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:21:21 +0000 ssmda http://ssmda.wordpress.com/?p=141 ]]> Southern States Mule and Donkey Association will host a Mule Day Celebration this year!

Click on the link below for details:

SSMDA Mule Day Celebration Flyer

All mules, donkeys, and draft animals are welcome.  Everyone is encouraged to come out and share the day with us.

Our 2009 Plow Day commenced  on Saturday, May 2nd at 10am in Opp, Alabama.  SSMDA members and friends gathered on the plow site at the intersection of Veteran’s Memorial Parkway and Hattaway Road on Friday afternoon for an informal supper, a little work  and a whole lot of socialization!  Several people brought musical instruments and played and sang well into the evening to the delight of all.

Saturday’s weather was beautiful!  There were a variety of vendors including antiques, food, woodcrafts, horseshoe art,  pottery, carnival games, face painting, prebuilt coops and cages, pony rides  and, of course, mules for sale.  A large tent was erected, providing shade for the musical groups who played and sang throughout the day as well as many spectators who caught an enjoyable respite from the busy day.

Mules, horses and their handlers displayed their abilities all day long giving everyone first hand opportunity to learn the many details of how people managed transportation, logging, and farming in the pre-motorized era.

An estimated 3000 folks browsed the grounds throughout the fun filled day.  Many thanks to all who worked to make it possible and to everyone who chose to spend their day with us.

Left to right: LaDon Dewrell, Patricia Graham, Cathy Dewrell, Anne Hancock, Tip Campbell, Kerry Hancock

Elections were held for the 2009 Officers and Directors on January 20, 2009 during the regularly scheduled meeting at the Covington County Extension Office.  Congratulations to our new Board!  May you have great success in the coming year!

PRESIDENT:                     LaDon Dewrell

VICE-PRESIDENT:            Kerry Hancock

SECRETARY:                    Cathy Dewrell

TREASURER:                    Patricia Graham

DIRECTOR:                      Anne Hancock

DIRECTOR:                      Tip Campbell

Hootie and owner Kerry Hancock

Hootie is a 2 year old mule on his way to becoming a great friend and companion to his owner Kerry Hancock. Born and raised in Laurel Hill, Florida, his sire is a 15 hand black mammoth jack named Panhandle Rudee and his dam is a 15 hand spotted saddle horse named Patches.

Hootie was a mischievous baby often kicking the barn walls and sometimes taking a passing shot at a visitor in his pasture just for the entertainment. At 5 months all that changed; Hootie went to “Mule School” at the Campbell Ranch in Andalusia, Alabama, and learned that there were better ways to use his pent up energy. By the end of his first week of training, Hootie was walking on a lead and standing quietly; in fact, Hootie won a 2nd place ribbon at the SSMDA Mule show with just 5 days of ground training, and by the tender age of 6 months he was pulling a small cart. Hootie still enjoys practicing his training skills and has now moved on to tackle more challenging tasks such as learning to ride the trails and working as a team with his pasture buddy and fellow “Mule School” graduate Ricochet. Come on out and meet Hootie and many of his friends at the SSMDA Mule and Donkey Classic on Sept 27, 2008, at the Covington Arena in Andalusia, Alabama.

Saturday, April 19, 2008 was a great day. Don’t get me wrong…there was a lot of planning, work and combined effort that went into making the plowing competition happen. But don’t you just love it when a plan comes together?!

H. D. Edgar and the city of Opp, Alabama graciously donated the use of the land. Mike and Susie Fleming, Cathy and LaDon Dewrell, Anne and Kerry Hancock and Elliott Wheeler worked long and tirelessly on everything from A to Z. Many special thanks to them for a wonderful day!

There was plenty of sunshine. There was a beautiful princess to greet everyone and another to pass out ribbons to the winners. Thank you, Hanna Seymour and Kaitlinne James. There was food, door prizes, singing entertainment, vendors, cake walks, wagon rides, various children’s activities, and lots of folks to enjoy it all.

And, of course, there was the plowing competition:

First place winners in the Riding Division were Jasper and Sassafras with Tip Campbell. Second place went to Fancy and Cletus with Cathy and LaDon Dewrell.

First place in the Walking Division went to Kate with Mike Fleming. Coming in Second was Rooster with Tip Campbell followed by Angus with Tip Campbell and Lowretta with Anne and Kerry Hancock.

Congratulations to all our winners and participants!