{"id":362975,"date":"2026-01-08T08:05:34","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T13:05:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chronofhorse.com\/?post_type=article&p=362975"},"modified":"2026-01-11T11:40:46","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T16:40:46","slug":"the-brays-have-it-ushja-again-oks-mules-for-hunters","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.chronofhorse.com\/article\/the-brays-have-it-ushja-again-oks-mules-for-hunters\/","title":{"rendered":"The Brays Have It: USHJA Again OK\u2019s Mules For Hunters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Back in September 2023, sport horse breeder Kimmy Risser proposed a U.S. Hunter Jumper Association rule change that would allow mules to compete in hunter and equitation divisions<\/a>. Though the USHJA approved the rule that December, the U.S. Equestrian Federation did not, first tabling and eventually voting against the proposal a year later. As a result, long-eared equines remain excluded from hunter competitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in late 2025, Risser and eventer Holly Fox, owner of Fox Farms in Woodland, California, resurrected that rule change proposal, again requesting access for mules in the hunter ring. USHJA approved the proposal at its December annual meeting, and now it goes back to USEF to be reconsidered and voted on again in June. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expanding the mule rule is only logical, argue mule lovers including Risser and Fox: Mules have been allowed to compete in dressage for more than 20 years and were welcomed\u2014after a two-year effort<\/a>\u2014into the jumper ring in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, neither Risser nor Fox own nor compete mules. But they have friends who do: Risser\u2019s friend Whitney Barnard owns Alan A Day\u2019s Work, the jumping mule who became a Breyer model<\/a> in the summer of 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Alan A Day’s Work might be the most famous mule to grace the horse show circuit, thanks to his status as a Breyer model, but he’s not the only one. A group of mule lovers are asking that long-ears, who now are welcome in the jumper division at USEF-recognized shows, be allowed in hunter classes as well. Winslow Photo<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

And Fox became friends with lifelong mule aficionado Amy McLean at the University of California, Davis, where McLean is a professor in the Department of Animal Science and Fox is the equestrian center coordinator. McLean, who grew up on a mule and donkey farm in Georgia and earned her Ph.D. in Mali, West Africa, through Michigan State University in donkey nutrition, training, and management, has conducted mule and donkey research in over 40 countries.She eventually began riding with Fox\u2019s assistant trainer, and the three since have attended shows together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The foundation of the proposal, for both Risser and Fox, is simple: There\u2019s just no reason mules can\u2019t compete against horses. Hunter classes have clear standards, and mules can be held to those same standards and judged equally alongside their horse competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, on a more personal level, Risser and Fox just want to be able to enjoy additional equestrian events with their friends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Barnard and McLean have been turned away from competitions at various levels due to their partners\u2019 long ears, as so many venues\u2014from schooling shows to rated competitions\u2014abide by USEF rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMule owners are humble people,\u201d McLean said. \u201cIf you own a mule, you have to be. Most of us attending horse shows with our mules are not trying to beat six- or seven-figure horses. We just love our animals, we set personal goals, we want to improve our own skills, and we want to get out and show the world what mules can do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hunter ring, McLean explained, may also be better suited to many mules\u2019 temperaments and personalities. She currently competes her own Greystone\u2019s Silhouette\u2014whose breeding includes Belgian Warmblood, Quarter Horse and Andalusian donkey\u2014in local jumper shows. But although she says \u201cSarge\u201d is athletic and loves to jump, she suspects he\u2019d favor the hunters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMules, Sarge included, are generally on the slower side, which is a disadvantage in the jumper arena,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I much prefer to go slow and pretty!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Amy McLean suspects her mule Greystone’s Silhouette (here with dog MoonPie at Mule Days in Bishop, Ca<\/em>lif.) might prefer the hunters to the jumpers. Photo Courtesy Of Amy McLean<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The expansion of competitive avenues for mules would, according to both McLean and Barnard, be nothing but beneficial to the equine industry as a whole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[Mules and donkeys are] a growing population,\u201d McLean said. \u201cBut mule-specific shows are getting smaller. Some states don\u2019t have any<\/em>. So let\u2019s broaden the opportunities and get mules to more shows.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, mule supporters argue, other breeds with breed-specific shows, such as Quarter Horses and Arabians, are still welcome to participate in hunter shows. They\u2019re not excluded because they already have their own breed organizations. So why should mules be limited, and what effect might that exclusion have on the industry as a whole? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if people realize it, but this rule has a trickle-down effect that really has the greatest impact on local levels of showing,\u201d said Barnard. \u201cIt limits grassroots riders. And it financially impacts show organizers; people bring their mules to do the jumpers but can\u2019t show in the hunters. Passing this rule would result in more engagement and more income for local show organizers as well as larger organizations, which we know is vital to the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When \u201cAlan\u201d was allowed to compete in jumper classes, for example, Barnard upgraded her USHJA membership, became a member of USEF, recorded Alan in both organizations, and then took Alan to their first rated horse show, excited to now be allowed to compete. There\u2019s no other way to view it, she said, besides industry growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow, the fact that we can show in jumpers but not hunters just seems so silly,\u201d she continued. \u201cI can warm up with your hunters, stable next to your hunters, longe next to your hunters, graze next to your hunters\u2014but we can\u2019t compete in the ring together. It just isn\u2019t logical.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McLean agreed that the expansion of competitions for mules would be a financial benefit across the industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI ride with a trainer,\u201d she said. \u201cSo if I could also compete in hunter classes, I\u2019d attend more shows, which would mean more money in her pocket as well. It\u2019s a win-win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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One of Amy McLean’s most successful mules was Wild Bill, a three-time World Champion All-Around Amateur Mule, shown here in a jumping class at Mule Days in Bishop, Calif. Photo Courtesy Of Amy Heartfield<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Supporters of this proposal are optimistic that 2026 will be the year the rule is passed. An educational social media campaign in 2023 and 2024 brought awareness and empathy to the plight of mule owners who want more opportunities to show. And mule aficionados, McLean included, have been raising awareness and advocating for mules throughout the industry over the past few years by writing letters to organization leaders and speaking at various equine events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last June, McLean gave a talk at the American Horse Council\u2019s annual conference titled \u201cDonkeys and Mules Are Equine, Too.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTop folks from USEF, USHJA and USEA were there, and I received a lot of positive feedback,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when might we expect to share the hunter ring with some adorable long-eared equines? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mule supporters like Barnard and McLean hope the answer is 2027. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposal will be considered by various USEF committees this spring, and USEF members will be allowed to comment on all rule change proposals. (In 2024, the majority of member comments were in favor of passing the rule.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May, a few overseeing USEF councils will consider the committee and membership responses and make a recommendation to the USEF board. USEF will then review and vote on the proposal at its mid-year board meeting in June. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the rule passes, mules could begin competing in hunter divisions at any competition following USEF rules in 2027. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s notable that two different affiliates on four different occasions\u2014twice at USHJA and twice at [the U.S. Eventing Association]\u2014approved this rule, but it was voted down at the USEF level, despite so much positive member feedback,\u201d Barnard said. \u201cThe FEI allows mules in their <\/em>rulebooks. I really hope this is the year we see USEF do the same.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what stereotypes we\u2019re up against,\u201d McLean said. \u201cThat mules bray instead of whinny, maybe, or that people believe mules are not as well-trained. I don\u2019t know. I just wish people would be more open, and let judges judge as they see fit, according to the same standards that horses are held to.\u201d

\u201cMule people are grassroots,\u201d Fox added. \u201cThey\u2019re just trying to have a good time with their animals, who are completely<\/em> qualified to participate in the sport. It\u2019s absolutely within their wheelhouse of what they can do, and what they enjoy doing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Back in September 2023, sport horse breeder Kimmy Risser proposed a U.S. Hunter Jumper Association rule change that would allow mules to compete in hunter and equitation divisions. Though the USHJA approved the rule that December, the U.S. Equestrian Federation did not, first tabling and eventually voting against the proposal a year later. As a result, […]\n","protected":false},"author":114810,"featured_media":362976,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false},"tags":[10072,8049,10020],"article_categories":[9401,974,1987,89],"acf":{"ad_unit":"","ad_unit_mobile":"","spotlight_visible_till":"","image_home_display":"","facebook_image":"","featured_image_caption":"","hide_featured_image":["yes"],"sponsor_heading":"","sponsor":"","sponsor_logo":"","sponsor_link":"","related_gallery":"0","blogger_profile":324349},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chronofhorse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/362975"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chronofhorse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chronofhorse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chronofhorse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/114810"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.chronofhorse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/362975\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":363142,"href":"https:\/\/www.chronofhorse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/362975\/revisions\/363142"}],"acf:post":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chronofhorse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blogger_profile\/324349"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chronofhorse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/362976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chronofhorse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=362975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chronofhorse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=362975"},{"taxonomy":"article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chronofhorse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_categories?post=362975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}