TtlE DIFFERENT BREEDS. 25 



A good riding horse should have a long neck and carry its 

 head high. The rider wants to see some horse ahead of him. 



THE GOOD MULE. 



" It is a poor mule that won't work both ways." 

 Having made a business of rearing mules for market, I 

 have learned many things concerning the breeding and use- 

 fulness of this animal that those persons should have who 

 are convinced he is a vicious and untrustworthy brute. 



To breed anything like the ideal mule, greater care must 

 be exercised in the selection of sire and dam than is neces- 

 sary in producing a model horse. How many ill-shaped,, 

 ugly mules we see, each the result of careless breeding ! I 

 have been taught by observation that more depends upon the 

 sire than upon the dam in getting an ideal mule foal. Good 

 points, however, come readily from both sides. Some men, 

 in selecting a Jack, look to his height, and, for such, the 

 more daylight found under him the better. What foolish 

 men ! The Jack must be low and heavily quartered, with 

 large bone and a neat head. This sire will bring good 

 mules nearly every time. Some men who own curby, heavy- 

 crooked mares say, " They '11 do to raise mules." This 

 carelessness, coupled with ignorance, accounts for the great 

 number of degenerated hybrids. 



A mule possesses keener instinct than a horse, and for this 

 reason is easily trained. He should be handled from the 

 very beginning of his life. A small leather halter should 

 be worn about the stable for the purpose of holding him 

 while being patted and rubbed about the head. This kind 

 treatment will win respect for the owner of the most stubborn 

 little hybrid for all future time. I have never found an ex- 

 ception to this rule. I have found, however, that by tickling 

 and teasing, it is easy to get an all-round kicker. The young 



