To get a handle on its mule deficit, Cuba is undertaking a national census of the long-eared equids, their daily newspaper reported. "The paper reports the country might be some 8,000 [mules] in the red (pardon the pun)," said the Miami New Times . Mules are crucial for the transport of coffee, cocoa, and other agricultural staples in the country's mountainous areas. The hardy hybrids are generally...
I keep finding mules in unexpected places. Like the 40-year anniversary of the Apollo moon landing. Did you know that Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong piloted a mule through the Grand Canyon in March 1964? I didn't either, until I saw it on the U.S. Geological Survey Web site . Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were trained in astrogeology in order to learn about the geology of potential lunar landing...
Elmer Bandit, the 38-year-old competitive trail horse who broke the record for lifetime mileage last year , is one of our favorite examples of a geriatric horse. But a horse now on display at the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre in Whitehorse, Canada, has him beat by more than a nose. (Although definitely not a live nose.) The fossilized Yukon horse ( Equus lambei ) is estimated to be 26,000 years...
I'm currently in New Orleans for the annual seminar of American Horse Publications , an industry group for horse magazine people (it's sort of like AAEP for equine publishing). As usual, I'm making note of all the equine activity. Between the carriage mules, fiberglass horses at the Mardi Gras World parade float wonderland, and the gorgeous steeds of the NOPD gracing Bourbon Street, there's...
Historical reenactment is a ripe subject for an odd news-ter such as myself--horses, actors, noisy, spook-inducing exploding things. It's a veritable recipe for blog topics. But this one's a bit different. Because, really, we're all affected. Now--don't panic--but a mule barge is threatening national security. It seems the staff at Hugh Moore Historical Park in Pennsylvania have run...
