The Old Folks Home

[pennyJo1960]

They are all very striking animals I had a nice riding horse and we had 4 others but
Dad had a tractor and only hitched horses to pull him
out of the mud every now and then

 

[Bunnylady]

Quote:
None of the above - a team of draft mules would probably beat them all . . . .

 

[drumstick diva]

Mules really ? How many mules in a team?

 

[miss heny]

Two, the biggest problem though is that they need special train due to their personalities.

 

[pennyJo1960]

@Latestarter Yes I was not born mostly blind but graves has left with me tunnel vision in my left
a narrow field the right eye is blind but for bright light but I live with my best friend and his
34 year old son who treat me like gold

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:

Mules really ? How many mules in a team?

Two, the biggest problem though is that they need special train due to their personalities.

a Team starts at two... Mules work harder on less feed and wont work themselves to death. a good thing. They used mules exclusively to haul Borax. Twenty to Forty mules at a time on a single Jerk line. IN order to make the switch back turns on the road they were taught to jump the traces chain to allow for more control of the direction of the pull.

It takes special team work to become a mule skinner.... Because mules are more intelligent (that hybrid vigor) you have to let them do some thinking... But when they trust you they are pretty much kick a.... um Butt.

View from the Box or drivers seat
Jumping the Chain

By the way I am just a history buff I have only ever driven a single. But I had a roommate who swore by mules and had one that passed at the ripe old age of 45. She went to all the Mule days events... Her specialty was Period dress.

Mules take special gear because while they look like horses with big ears they have a different shaped back and neck their center of balance is different too. Bridles buckle at the top to avoid crushing sensitive ears.

Oh and feet are different you should have a horse shoer that knows how to trim and fit a mule properly.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

for working the farm or logging another choice are Oxen. Takes some time you have to start when they are still bucket babies...
And Oxen are not a special breed. Any breed of cattle over the age of four who have been trained for draft work are called Oxen.

team of oxen total weight 3100 pounds pulling almost 10000 pounds

deb

 

[microchick]

I love mules.

We have a BP pipeline running diagonally across our property. 2 years ago we noticed one of their lines was exposed in our ravine so we called the company. They sent a tech down within 12 hours to check it out and when we showed him the exposed pipe, he told us that we had a piece of history in our back pasture. He proceeded to tell us that the pipeline that was exposed was an abandoned line that was laid in the very early 1900s. The line was laid from Kansas City to Chicago entirely by hand, men digging the trenches and the hauling being done by teams of mules. I can almost imagine how it must have been. Can you imagine how many miles that was and how long it took? Backbreaking toil for both man and beasts. He said they could remove the line but it would probably do little more than dribble some oil residue. DH and I insisted they leave it be. Not often you have a piece of history in your pasture.

I've owned some truly great horses in my youth but if I had a back that would stand the work, I'd have a mule so fast it would make your head spin.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Wow ya know we learned our house was from a gentleman that was
the first to be repatriated he came home married his sweetheart became postmaster
but built our home in the 30's he did 2 major remodels before he passed his wife followed a year later
both of their children had moved away and now passed on also

 

[pennyJo1960]

Deb what great videos of magnificent animals and the bond with the owners