Mules have been around since early Egyptian times-- there are paintings in tombs of them in harness! George Washington bred mules at a time in this country when mules were not used. He advocated for them saying they were more trainable than donkeys and more surefooted than horses. At one time long caravans of mules- as many as 20 in one team- were used to haul loads of borax from Death Valley-- 10 tons a load! That's a lot of soap!!
Mules do not usually produce offspring-- most are sterile. Rarely though, a female mule will have offspring. In 2007 a mule in Colorado produced a live foal, and DNA testing proved that yes, she was a mule and yes, that foal was hers. So we expect Molly to be the only mule at The Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary at least for the foreseeable future!
Molly has a tremendous personality! Sunday morning I saw her tugging the tail of an older gelding- she showed how quick and sure-footed she was dodging his kick as she slid in the mud!! Honestly if it had been me, I'd have gone head over tea kettle and worn mud all day- she didn't miss a step!
The horses here eat at least 15 large round bales of hay every single day. Purchasing hay is our single largest recurring expense! Please donate any amount you can to help us purchase hay to keep the horses fed.
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