17-9-26 Garand Pictue of the Day

[us019255]

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 ?

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.