Friday, March 17, 2017

Custer Scouts Riding Mules or Horses?

March 17, 2017
   Got a debate going on here regarding mules or horses. This is a wonderful photo of Custer's scouts, including California Joe, on the right. The caption on the photo (from the original archives) says they are on "mules," but that paint, at left doesn't look like a mule to Deb Kidwell (our mule expert) and even the second one is debatable. What do you think?


Custer's Scouts, 1867

12 comments:

  1. 2 horses and 2 mules!

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  2. The paint is a horse next to him a horse the other two are mules

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  3. Two on left are horses....two on right are mules.

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  4. From the left, horse, horse, mule, mule. Using ears and hybrid vigor for that ASSessment.

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    Replies
    1. Old Jack5:12 PM

      I say, from my left to right, Horse, mule, mule, mule. Judging by their feet.

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  5. I'm not an equine expert, but the two on the right definitely seem mule-ish. Ears are a giveaway, longer heads, and compare the hooves to the two on the left. I contend that mules' hooves are more compact and upright, not as broadly splayed as the average horse's hoof.

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  6. Looks like the two on the right are mules. The two on the left look like horses. Ushally you can tell by how long the ears are.
    But I am not an expert.
    Could be the first case of fake news reporting.

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  7. I agree, two horses on the left two mules together on the right

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  8. Anonymous7:28 PM

    I agree...horse, horse, mule, mule.

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  9. Anonymous9:29 PM

    Horse,horse,mule,mule

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  10. Anonymous4:17 AM

    From what I've seen in my research most civilian scouts preferred mules

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