42 MANUAL OF PACK TRANSPORTATION. 



For similar reason, the aparejo when too shallow, the boots stand 

 too high on the body of the animal, and consequently the aparejo, 

 having no grip on the body of the mule, slij^s forward and the dock 

 of the crupper cuts the tail. Therefore the object to be attained is 

 to provide an aparejo that will properly lit the animal, and take 

 sufficient grip on the body of the animal so that the aparejo will 

 hold its place when "set up" and cinched on the pack mule. 



Third. Next in importance is to "set up" the aparejo by a grad- 

 ual tapering in diameter of the sticks hom front to rear, and a gradual 

 tapering in the filling of hay hom. front to rear, in such manner so that 

 when tiie aparejo is cinched on the animal the ends or boots of the 

 aparejo will carry horizontally and parallel to the center of the mule 

 and give free action to the mule's elbows. In similar manner in form- 

 ing the saddle on each side of the center stitch line, the center or top 

 of the aparejo will carry horizontally and parallel with the center of 

 the mule. 



As a further aid to avoid sore tails, all aparejos should be not less 

 than 24 inches wide, as the greater the width of surface of the animal's 

 body that is covered by the aparejo, the better retaining grip it has 

 on the barrel of the mule. 



Mules supplied with newly "set up rigging" should be loaded (250 

 pounds) and exercised each day until the aparejos show they have 

 assumed the shape, or as may be termed, a plaster cast of the animal's 

 body, and for this reason changing of aparejos is j^ositively forhidden. 

 When in such condition the aparejos are fit for satisfactory service. 



Should the aparejo cause the dock of the crupper to cut the animal's 

 tail, it is evident there is too much filling of hay at the rear corners 

 of the aparejo, as well as too much filling above the boots at rear, 

 thus preventing a suitable grip of the aparejo over the swell of the 

 animal's ribs (to hold the aparejo to its place), always bearing in 

 mind that the aparejo is sufficiently deep to grip the body of the mule 

 properly. This latter feature is the fundamental cause of sore tails, 

 that is, the first and necessary requisite to avoid sore tails is to pro- 

 vide an aparejo that is deep enough to grip the body of the pack mule. 

 A shallow rigging will always cause sore tails, from the fact that it has 

 no grip on the animal's body and consequently works itself ahead by 

 travel action of the animal, the weight of the load giving the dock of 

 the crupper impact against the animal's dock or tail; continued action, 

 or a day's travel, develops a sore tail. 



First. Sore withers: There are two causes for this trouble; the first 

 is in setting up the aparejo too weak; that is, in providing sticks that 

 are too small in diameter to hold up a 250-pound load ; the second is 

 in not having sufficient hay or padding under or below the collar to 

 hold the aparejo away from the withers of the pack mule. 



Second. Sore loins or kidney sores: The same causes operate for 

 this trouble as for sore withers. 



Third. It should be remembered that aparejos "set up" with sticks 

 of too large diameter are injurious to the pack animal; they are too 

 hard to "break in," that is, they will not compress or shape to the 

 body of the pack mule. They are apt to cause chafes along the shoul- 

 der blades, body bunches, and belly bunches; however, such rigging, 

 to properly break them in, should be loaded with not less than 300 

 or 350 pounds on the pack mule, and exercised each day for at least 

 ten days, average distance 10 miles per day. 



