THE POITOU MULE. 87 



is quite true that they are not to the same extent ; but 

 specimens of spavins^ ring-bones_, side-bones, and splints, 

 as well as curbs, may occasionally be seen in mules. The 

 peculiarity is that, although these exostoses are in many 

 cases well developed, the animals, owing to a singular 

 want of sensitiveness, rarely go lame with them. 



We now come to the distiaguishing characteristic of the 

 Poitou mule, viz., limbs and feet. The legs are short and 

 stout, with plenty of bone, and the pasterns short, as becomes 

 a draught animal, and there is sometimes a good deal of 

 hair about the legs. By the limbs being stout it should 

 not be understood that they are round and gummy ; 

 on the contrary, they are flat and hard, whilst the feet are 

 larger and more expanded than those of any other breed 

 of mules. The heels are in many cases somewhat con- 

 tracted ; but in breeding this can be obviated to a great 

 extent by selecting a good open-footed jack as a sire. 



It is in the matter of feet and limbs that the Poitou 

 differs essentially from the Spanish mule. It is well-known 

 to mule-breeders that, in crossing jacks and mares, the 

 resulting mule will take after the ass, its sire, in all its 

 extremities — that is, m ears, legs, feet, and tail. Thus in 

 Spain, where the asses are much finer in their limbs than 

 they are in Poitou, it is no uncommon sight to see mules 

 which may be aptly described as animals having a horse's 

 body on a donkey's legs and feet. The result is, that 

 animals of this conformation are utterly incapable of 

 steadying a heavy load on a bad road when placed in the 

 shafts, and, being swayed about by their load on account 

 of their barrels being too large for their limbs, their legs 

 and feet " give out" as the Americans term it. The value 

 of a good-sized foot for travelling over deep, heavy land 

 must also be taken into considevatiou. 



