202 JUDGING JACKS, JENNETS, AND MULES 



should be brisk, free, smooth, even, and balanced. The 

 various phases of action should be judged on the same basis 

 as in the horse. 



Structural Form and Qualifications. The detailed struct- 

 ural form of the mule is the same as in the horse. Ordinarily 

 the mule does not attain the same size, although it is higher 

 in proportion to weight than in the latter animal. The 

 head should be broad, deep, and have length in proportion. 

 The facial outlines should be clear cut, the eyes large and 

 prominent, and the ears large, erect and pointed. The neck 

 should be long and deep and blend evenly into the shoulders, 

 which should have sufficient obliquity to give a reasonably 

 high carriage of head and neck and a short, strong back. 

 The body should be long, closely coupled, deep ribbed, and 

 symmetrical. The chest should be broad and deep and the 

 forelegs set well apart, thus giving good support. 



The hindquarters should be long, the croup level, the 

 thighs smooth and symmetrical. It is in the hindquar- 

 ters, however, that the greatest and most noticeable faults 

 are found in the mule. The croup is often too steep, the 

 hips sloping, and the thighs narrow. This condition should 

 be avoided as much as possible. The hindlegs should be 

 straight, strong and square in bone and well muscled in 

 the thighs and gaskins. The feet should be large and the 

 horn fine and dense in quality. These qualifications should 

 be closely observed, as the feet of the mule are frequently 

 narrow and contracted. The pasterns should be strong and 

 have a sufficient slope to give ease and balance of move- 

 ment. Other than these considerations, the points of the 

 horse should form the basis of comparison. 



The following points on judging the mule were furnished 

 by J. W. Jones, Jack and Mule Judge, Nashville, Tenn. 



The mule should be of some good solid color. White 

 points are desirable, although they add fancy and not utility. 



The mule should have quality, as the expert buyers term 

 it. This is an all-around fineness that portrays good blood 

 and breeding with conformation that indicates the best 

 development of the nervous system, together with stamina 

 and ability to withstand much work. 



