Mule
Information
Mules
have been bred and used for centuries as draft, pack and
riding animals.
Mules are mentioned in the bible, as
well as appearing in Assyrian bas-relief. On the Iberian
Peninsula, Catalonia and Andalucia each developed a large
breed of ass, putting Spain in the forefront of the
mule-breeding industry. Exportation of Spanish jacks was
prohibited until 1813. However, the King of Spain presented
George Washington with a large black jack in 1785. This animal, "Royal
Gift," is considered the father of the mule industry
in the United States. General Washington had 58 mules working
his Mt. Vernon farm at one time.
The main mule-breeding
centers in the United States developed in Tennessee,
Kentucky and Missouri to provide work animals for the cotton
fields
of the Old South. After the American Civil War and the
development of tenant farming throughout the South, the
mule continued
as the major draft animal in American agriculture. The
importance of the mule declined rapidly in the 1940s and
1950s, however,
as gasoline-driven tractors became widespread,
and mules all but disappeared from the American scene. By
the mid 1960's, the species had become all but
extinct. Since then, thanks to the dedication of some
very special people, the mule's popularity has steadily
grown, and today they are common sights at fairs, shows,
rodeos, and trailrides. In the Southeast mules are
used for nighttime raccoon hunting, and the mules'
ability to jump over fallen
trees or fences is exploited in a jumping competition called
the Coon
Hunter's Jump. Pulling contests using heavy draft mules have
created a new
demand
for large mules. Particularly popular are large red mules
produced by crossing American Mammoth Jackstock with Belgian
mares.
Mule Trivia:
Breeding
a male donkey to a female horse results in a mule; breeding
a male horse to a female donkey produces a hinny.
"40
acres and a mule" is the term for compensation that
was to be awarded
to freed American slaves after the
Civil War—40 acres of land to farm, and a mule with
which to drag a plow.
Mules can smell water from more than
a mile away.
The
United State Military Academy at West Point, New York
has kept mules as the official mascot since the late 19th
century. "Big White" was the first of the mule
mascots, and at his first appearance at the Army vs. Navy
football, kicked Navy's mascot goat nearly into bleachers.
Mules only 50 inches tall at the withers have been known
to clear jumps of up to 72 inches.
A mule
has more stamina and can carry more weight than a horse
of equal size. October
26th is National Mule Day (not to be confused with National
Mole Day on October 23rd).
Mules
come in every size, with Miniature mules under 36" all
the way up to 17 hand Mammoth Jack Mules. Mules
can be any of the colors that either horses or donkeys
come in, along with some unique variations of their own,
except true horse pinto. |
