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Mini Mules Great For Work And Play
Dave McMahen enjoys his mini mules both on pasture and in harness. Though less than 36 in. high, a team has no problem pulling the scaled down wagon holding McMahen and his wife. He even competes with them against full-size mules.
  “I took them to a speed competition for mules, and people laughed when they saw them,” recalls McMahen. “I entered them in a timed race where they have to weave in and out around posts, and they won the event.”
  The McMahen’s have been breeding their miniature donkey jack to purebred miniature mares for more than 10 years. The key, as in any breeding operation, he says, is to start with high quality animals.
  “We use true miniature horses with good dispositions, not Shetlands,” says McMahen. “They’re all different colors. We sell them as foals, green-broke or fully trained, however people want them.”
  The miniature mules range in price from $400 to $1,200, depending on age, looks and how well the animal is broke. With customers from one coast to the other, he notes that transport can cost more than the animal.
  “It’s fun just watching them romp and play in the pasture,” he says. “They take a minimum of care, just pasture and hay as needed. They do need to be wormed and have their hooves trimmed like any equine.”
  McMahen raises and sells a unique full-size mule. His Fjord mules are produced by crossing his prize jack with a purebred, show quality Fjord mare. The Norwegian horse breed is noted for its golden coloring and dorsal stripe.
  “The mules from this cross turn out fantastic,” says McMahen. “I believe the breed has the best disposition in the world, and the colors breed true. I have three now and have raised and sold 6 in the past. A round or two in my training wagon, and they are fully trained.”
  McMahen also makes and sells mule corral panels. The lightweight, 7-ft. long aluminum panels are 6 ft. high for full-size mules and sell for $59.99 each. Mini mule panels are 4 ft. high, 6 ft. long and sell for $49.99.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, McMahen Mini Mules Farm, 6295 Old Highway 7, Dover, Ark. 72837 (ph 479 264-7247; info@minimulesfarm.com; www.minimulesfarm.com).


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2013 - Volume #37, Issue #2