17-9-26 Garand Pictue of the Day

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Originally Posted by Mark in Rochester

mean what animal in his right mind is going to let you cram a chunk of steel into their mouth and then let you get up on his back and kick him and jerk the reins ?

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If you approach riding in that manner, you will probably get what you deserve either from a horse or a mule. While the bit is a useful tool for communication with an equine, it is not necessary or even desirable in many cases. Look up hackamore, and bitless bridles. Many of my distance riding friends use them for Endurance rides where they ride 50-100 miles in a race.

I have heard many campfire tales about the "superior intelligence, sure footedness, etc." of mules. These are usually followed by another tale that starts like "remember the time George's mule shyed and fell to its death over the cliff?"
Ride or pack all the mules you want I will continue to win 50 mile races on my Arabian horses . The proof of this is the Tevis Cup Endurance race. 100 miles over the mountains from Lake Tahoe to Auburn CA. It must be finished in <24 hours. Over 90% of the finishers since 1955 have been horses, not mules. Look up some of the photos of horses going over Cougar Rock.

Maybe it was because mule tasted better than horse...they preferred them.

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Originally Posted by us019255

If you approach riding in that manner, you will probably get what you deserve either from a horse or a mule. While the bit is a useful tool for communication with an equine, it is not necessary or even desirable in many cases. Look up hackamore, and bitless bridles. Many of my distance riding friends use them for Endurance rides where they ride 50-100 miles in a race.

I have heard many campfire tales about the "superior intelligence, sure footedness, etc." of mules. These are usually followed by another tale that starts like "remember the time George's mule shyed and fell to its death over the cliff?"
Ride or pack all the mules you want I will continue to win 50 mile races on my Arabian horses . The proof of this is the Tevis Cup Endurance race. 100 miles over the mountains from Lake Tahoe to Auburn CA. It must be finished in <24 hours. Over 90% of the finishers since 1955 have been horses, not mules. Look up some of the photos of horses going over Cougar Rock.

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But was the beer ok?

FM 3-05.213 (FM 31-27)
JUNE 2004
Headquarters, Department of the Army

MULE CHARACTERISTICS
2-1. Mules are the hybrid product of a male donkey and a female horse
(Figure 2-1, page 2-2). Male mules are called johns and female mules are
called mollies or mare mules. Mollies are a cross between male donkeys and
Belgium horse mares. Mollies generally have a gentler disposition than johns.
Intelligence, agility, and stamina are all characteristics of mules. These
qualities make mules excellent pack animals. Unlike horses, which carry
about 65 percent of their weight on their front legs, mules carry 55 percent on
their front legs. This trait makes them very well balanced and surefooted in
rugged terrain.

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Originally Posted by us019255

These are usually followed by another tale that starts like "remember the time George's mule shyed and fell to its death over the cliff

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Seems these stories are not limited to Mules

Mare Dies in Accident at Tevis Cup Endurance Ride

Posted by theandbetween on August 7, 2009 · 7 Comments

A mare named Ice Joy fell to her death at the Tevis Cup Endurance Ride in Northern California. The horse was being led in hand by owner Skip Kemerer of Maryland when she apparently stumbled and fell down a slope. A report at the Tevis Cup website’s Google group states that she suffered a fatal skull injury and died on impact.


Penryn horse dies in Tevis Cup race


Animal had to be euthanized after fall
By: Joyia Emard and Matthew Kimel, Gold Country News Service

A Penryn woman is mourning the loss of her horse that had to be euthanized after a fall during the Tevis Cup 100-mile race last weekend.
“The horse fell, not far off of Cougar Rock and sustained a serious neck injury. The rider was not injured. A veterinarian attended to the horse. The horse’s injuries left no option but to euthanize. The Tevis regrets this unfortunate accident; however, it was just that – an accident.”

During the days of mule trains the Army actually had soldiers trained as muleskinners that were responsible for packing and transporting supplies when the unit was on the march. When the muleskinners got new, untrained mules into the unit they very seldom had time to train them properly to be effective members of the mule team. So the new mules were interspersed with the trained mules during the march with the muleskinners watching their new stubborn charges closely. Because of one untrained, stubborn, do your own thing mule could ruin the entire train the muleskinners would shave off the hair around the tail area so the new unruly mules could be spotted from behind and possible trouble could be averted.
Because of their resemblance to the new, untrained. stubborn mules who would do their own thing, brand new 2nd Lieutenants were referred to as "shavetails".

BEAR (BDY)

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Originally Posted by BEAR

During the days of mule trains the Army actually had soldiers trained as muleskinners that were responsible for packing and transporting supplies when the unit was on the march. When the muleskinners got new, untrained mules into the unit they very seldom had time to train them properly to be effective members of the mule team. So the new mules were interspersed with the trained mules during the march with the muleskinners watching their new stubborn charges closely. Because of one untrained, stubborn, do your own thing mule could ruin the entire train the muleskinners would shave off the hair around the tail area so the new unruly mules could be spotted from behind and possible trouble could be averted.
Because of their resemblance to the new, untrained. stubborn mules who would do their own thing, brand new 2nd Lieutenants were referred to as "shavetails".

BEAR (BDY)

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