BREAKING, GENTLING, AND TRAINING. 523 



nearly as large at the ankle as they are next the body ; the joints 

 are too small and flat, and the ankles too straight, while the 

 foot is round and " clumped." Horses no better limbed than 

 this can possess no endurance on the road, and are very apt 

 to be stumblers. 



The friendly-looking old customer opposite has 'evidently 

 seen a considerable share of hard service in his day, but is 

 still quite willing to do his part again whenever called upon. 

 He is one of the stoutest built animals of his class. 



MULE BREAKING, TRAINING, ETC. ^V^*^ 



On these heads not much need be said. The mule requires 

 but little breaking or training, taking to work almost as 

 though it was natural to him. He should be handled while 

 a colt, and broken to the halter, and also to the* saddle, if 

 desired. Further than this not much is required until he is 

 three years old, which is the proper age for the mule colt to 

 begin to work. Then, if already halter-broken, he may at 

 once be hitched up in the plow or wagon, by the side of 

 another steady mule or horse, and at the end of the first day 

 he will be as well broken as many a horse-colt will be at the 

 end of a fortnight or a month. 



There are two classes of mules — the large and the small. 

 The former are safest and most gentle. They are excellent 

 for draught, while some of them make very fine matches for 

 the carriage, in which they work well. In the buggy, also, 

 they look finely. We hardly think a finer span can be turned 

 out anywhere thai! a pair of large, well-formed black mules, 

 with tail-hairs clipped and mane roached, well caparisoned, 

 and before a nice carriage. In such capacities they are much 

 in use in many parts of the South, where ihej are great fa- 

 vorites. They are much 'safer than horses. Some of them 

 make splendid animals under the saddle ; and, in fact, the 

 finest pacer we ever saw was a large, light bay mule, in Gib- 

 son County, Tennessee. 



Small mules are more hardy than large ones, but not so 

 reliable, and sometimes they are a little vicious and in- 



