The Mule :The Beast of Burden
A mule is a cross between two species of equine: the horse or pony (Equus caballus) and the domestic donkey (Equus asinus). The word ‘mule’ is used for either the cross of male donkey on female horse or female donkey on male horse, although the latter cross is more correctly known as a ‘hinny’.
Despite the fact that both mules and hinnies each have one horse and one donkey parent, the two crosses generally differ from each other in appearance and stature and to some extent in temperament – a fact which has been recognised since they were first bred.
What do mules look like?
The mule proper is said to have the body of a horse with the extremities of a donkey. The most noticeable points are its long ears, short thin mane, which may stand upright like a donkey’s or be a little longer and flop over, and a tail which has shortish hairs on the dock a little longer than the donkey’s but also has long hairs like the horse’s, and is much fuller than the donkey’s. The withers are low or non-existent, the back flat with a goose rump, the body flat-sided with weaker quarters than the horse, and also narrower and less deep-shouldered. The legs are, like the donkey’s, straight, with small, hard, dense, upright, straight-sided hooves. The head is a little narrower than the donkey’s, but otherwise very similar, except for the eyes, which are specifically mule – but difficult to describe.
The hinny generally has the body of a donkey with the extremities of the horse. The ears are shorter than a mule’s, the mane and tail longer and thicker, the legs stronger with hooves which are rounder and less upright, the body rounder and deeper, and the head shorter and narrower. The most common coat colour is blue-grey roan. However, it is noticeable that hinnies differ far more from each other than do mules, with every imaginable variation, from being almost indistinguishable from a horse, through being mule-like, to being almost indistinguishable from a donkey.
Advantages of mules
Mules, having hybrid vigour, can grow taller than both parents. Weight for weight they are stronger than horses, and are much longer-lived with much longer working lives, although maturing slightly later. They rarely become ill or lame or suffer wounds, can withstand extremes of temperature, can live on frugal rations, have tremendous stamina and resilience and are exceptionally sure-footed.
Hinnies are said to lack hybrid vigour, and it has always been recognised that they are smaller than mules (although this may partly be due to their being carried in a smaller womb), less strong and with less stamina and hardiness.
Mules’ temperament
Mules have a reputation for being obstinate and bad-tempered, but as with donkeys, the mule’s legendary stubbornness is in fact a manifestation of its talent for self-preservation. There are times when a human finds this ‘talent’ annoying, when he is disobeyed by a mule, but there are many other times when it can be a great advantage: if a mule takes care of itself, then it follows that it is also taking great care of its cargo, human or otherwise. It is not for nothing that mules are chosen rather than horses to take tourists down the Grand Canyon! By intelligent handling, it is quite possible to foresee occasions on which a mule is likely to be ‘stubborn’ and to avoid them.
The undeserved reputation for bad temper is, I believe, due to the mule’s unexpectedly sensitive and untrusting nature. Until he has learnt to trust a person, he is worried that the person may do him harm, and will take defensive action (never offensive) by kicking them, should he feel the occasion merits it. And mules are splendid kickers – they kick fast and accurately, and if a mule misses, it is because he intended to. Unfortunately many of the people who have worked with mules over the centuries have not appreciated this sensitivity, and have not understood another characteristic of the mule: that you cannot force him to do anything, but must persuade him, or organise his work so that he is only asked to do those things which he will want to do. Failure to appreciate this has led to many a battle between man and mule, and to the mule’s bad reputation.
Mules are highly intelligent – mule devotees would say more intelligent than horses – and are very quick to learn, with a grasp of a situation which often seems little short of miraculous. This means that their handlers need to be quick-witted to stay one jump ahead of them. A well-trained and handled mule is obliging, kind, patient, persevering, calm, tolerant, sensible, loyal, affectionate, playful – and also proud, jealous and calculating. Being so intelligent, a badly trained and handled mule can be a problem.
Hinnies tend to be more donkey-like in temperament, which may be partly due to the fact that they were reared by donkeys, although this is unlikely to be the whole of the story. They are generally quieter, more compliant, less curious, less adventurous and less independent than mules. Being less sensitive and untrusting, they are less likely to kick, preferring to avoid trouble rather than confront it. Despite their reputation for being less useful than mules, there are many examples of their being much appreciated.
Mule power on battleground
From horses and dogs to carrier pigeons, animals and birds have for long been assistants to humans in the theatre of war. What is most remarkable is their loyalty and dedication, combined with their unique physical qualities, which they exhibit in the most adverse conditions.
Thousands of horses were used to carry guns and ammunition in World War I, and a great statue of ‘War Horse’ has been built at the National Memorial at Staffordshire in England. The military historian Graham Winton said: ‘Animals served in the wars and didn’t have a choice. We tend to forget they existed.’ But they are remembered by their human companions, the soldiers fighting the war.
Such are the stories of the humble mules of the Indian Army. Col Rathee of the Mountain Regiment narrates that in the war in December 1971, new guns were received at Pathankot to be transported to a remote area in J&K, the Tangdhar sector, where a conflict was going on.
Motorised transport was not possible there, so animal transport (AT) was needed. Mule Artillery (MA) was the name given to the indomitable force specially assigned the task of carrying the heavy guns on their backs to the positions where they were required. Ammunition and other equipment were carried by the Mule General Service (MS).
The bond between the men and the mules could be seen in the course of the battle. The howitzer guns had to be dismantled into nine pieces, each piece loaded on to a mule, for which even the saddles had to be modified.
A critical battle took place at a feature called Sheshaldi, ‘where the mules played an extremely valuable role’ in changing the course of the battle. Since direct artillery fire was needed to thwart the enemy, two of the older guns were loaded, along with ammunition, and a 35-40 mule caravan was pressed into service. The mountain paths were strewn with landmines, and there were sounds of firing from all around, but the mules did not panic.
Pedongi was the name of a heroic mule known for an exceptional feat she performed in the 1971 war. She was unfazed by bullets, airstrikes and trenches, but most remarkable was the incident when an AT column, including Pedongi, was captured by the Pakistan army. A fortnight later, Pedongi escaped from across the border and returned to an Indian post, along with boxes of Pakistani ammunition on her back. She was honoured by the Indian Army with a citation for bravery, and a ceremonial blue velvet rug, and continued in service for many years, even at an altitude of 17,000 ft, entering the Guinness Book of Records as the longest serving mule.
Later warfare in Drass and Kargil also saw the AT units back in action. Deservedly, there is a Mule War Memorial at the Army Service Corps Centre and College in recognition of the contribution of the AT units of the Indian Army.
Unsung heroes of Indian Army: Mules that carry supplies to forward posts on unmotorable terrain
The forward posts of the Indian Army on the Line of Control in North Kashmir are on the peaks of the Himalayan mountains. And not all these posts are connected by road. Some also get disconnected from the rest of the valley in winter due to snowfall.
Have you ever thought about how the supplies like rations, arms and ammunition and construction material are sent to these posts? It is the Indian Army’s Mules that carry all the material for months to these forward posts on top of the mountains.
The process of sending material to these forward posts is started in the months of April- May. If these mules had not been there, it would have been very difficult for the Indian Army to carry supplies and material to the posts in the higher reaches.
”The Border Posts of ours near the line of control are at a very high altitude and there are no roads to reach to some of them, there has been a lot of improvement in the road connectivity from the last few years. When the mountains are fully covered with several feet of snow, without these mules it’s very difficult to live. These mules are the lifeline for the Indian Army as they carry all the supplies, arms and ammunition, construction and food material to these posts. We maintain these mules and we send them to different posts and areas depending on what is required where. We start the process in the months of April-May as the snow starts to melt, we carry on these tasks till the first snowfall in October-November. Any other movement during snowfall is impossible and there is only movement by helicopter services,” said Rajesh Kumar, CO Military Field Veterinary Hospital.
These mules have been kept in the Indian Army to help carry material in areas which have no access to roads. The breeding of these mules is done in an army school and they are trained before being sent to the higher reaches. Some in the Army call these mules the unsung heroes of the Army. Special food is given to these mules so that they stay healthy and can easily carry out the given tasks. These supplies of around 5 months are carried by these mules to these forward posts.
‘ These mules have been kept by the Indian Army to reach places which have no roads. The supplies are carried till the area where there is road connectivity and then it is with the help of these mules that we carry supplies to the forward posts on the peaks of mountains. We train these mules in the Pattan area. We carry supplies for the next six months in these areas as they get cut off due to the snowfall. We have a ration scale for these mules exactly like the soldiers. We give them 2.55 kg barley, 1 kg chana, 75 gm linseed per day. We feed them thrice a day. There is always a nursing staff with them when they go from one place to another,” G P Singh, Subedar, Indian Army.
There are more than 6000 mules with the Indian Army for carrying out tasks on difficult and unmotorable terrain on the higher reaches. During the Kargil war, these mules carried supplies to posts at a height of over 19000 ft from sea level. Each mule carries a load of 100 kg and can cover a distance of 40km in a day.
Left.Col.RS MADAN,RVC
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