MANUAL OF PACK TEANSPORTATION. 39 



aparejo bends at the middle of the front edge. It is important that 

 the body course remain undisturbed during dressing, and that the 

 instructions given be carefully followed to avoid sore withers and 

 tails and body and belly bunches. 



4. To attach the crupper. — Stand the aparejo on its boots in its 

 normal position; secure a lace thong to the front hole on the upper 

 facing of the crupper on each side and fasten the crupper with short 

 thongs to the center holes of the carrier pieces on the rear of the 

 aparejo; pass the crupper lace thong through the second hole from 

 the top of the front facing of the aparejo, through the second hole 

 of the crupper, through the fourth hole of the aparejo facing, through 

 the fourth hole of the crupper, and so on, finishing through the 

 bottom holes of the facing and crupper and tying to the crupper hole. 



Note. — In lacing the crupper to the aparejo, the thong must be 

 passed through the holes from the outside and must not be twisted, 

 the lacing must not cross, and it is important that the tie be made on 

 the last hole of the crupper instead of the aparejo. 



Note. — Guayava, willow, dogwood, hickory or any other wood 

 combining the qualities of permanent elasticity and strength may be 

 used to replace broken ribs. 



When the set up aparejo is to be filled, no soaking is necessary; in- 

 stead make the belly pieces pliable by rubbing with a wet sponge. 



Mules weighing 850 to 900 pounds require a 58-inch aparejo; 1,000 

 pounds, 60-inch; 1,100 pounds, 62-inch; for heavier mules requisition 

 should be made for larger sizes. 



When the mule is loaded the cincha, in travel, should free the 

 elbow by about 1 inch; more than this will prevent a proper grip 

 on the belly. 



If the boots ride high on the body of the mule, or if they reach 

 under the helly, even though they ride horizontally and parallel to 

 the center of the mule, the aparejo will be likely to turn easily. This 

 fault encourages injuriously tight cinching and sore tails. 



If one or both boots flare out or turn in toward the mule, cinch 

 sores and sore tails result, or belly bunches are caused. 



The width of the collar arch clearance should be at least 6 inches. 

 If it is too narrow or too wide, or if the saddle bars slope downward 

 toward the front, there will be sores on the withers; if they slope to 

 the rear there will be injuries over the loins, called kidney sores. 



If the lacing of the crupper is drawn too tight at the bottom the 

 lower edge of the crupper will rub the buttocks and cause abrasions. 



The object to be attained is the uniform distribution of the weight 

 of a load over the portion of the mule's body anatomically suited 

 to carrying a burden; so that the saddle will ride with little motion 

 and without friction of the bearing surface on the body. The con- 

 tact of the bearing surface of the saddle must be close at all points. 

 As the mule's body swells from front to rear, the more or less cylin- 

 drically shaped aparejo after the body course is laid must be modified 

 by facing up so as to provide a concave surface to fit over a convex 

 surface. But, as the barrel of the properly conformed mule is nearly 

 cylindrical through the rear half or more of the contact surface, no 

 facing is necessary, as a rule, in the rear part of the aparejo, although 

 conformation may require it exceptionally. 



