Feed well: that, in the first place, will give him strength to stand upon his feet firmly, and be able to support his rider; and, should he still stumble, ride him with a Spanish bridle, and hold the reins rather short, and check him whenever he stumbles. This is, perhaps, the most efficacious remedy known. Some horses are so constructed that they are natural stumblers. It is very difficult to cure such a one of this defect, though by using him some time to the Spanish bit, he will stumble less.
HOW TO BREAK A MULE BY THE SECRET: AND THE DIFFERENCE THERE IS TO BE OBSERVED BETWEEN A MULE AND A HORSE.
A mule seems to belong to all three classes of horses, as to vices: it will run at a man, bite, and strike at him, like a horse of the first class; it will again fly from him, like one of the second class; and kick, and appear to be afraid of every thing, like a horse of the third class: and yet I have broken two or three in a day; and one day, I broke four in ten hours and a half, so that a man might handle their feet, and take them up with the greatest ease; saddle and bridle them, and put two or three boys upon them, and ride them through the streets of a populous town. This I did, in the city of Jalapa, seventy-five miles above the city of Vera Cruz, on the road to Mexico. But this may be looked upon as a rare case; for it generally takes from six to eight hours to break a mule, so as to ride him with safety. Now, a man may know how to break a horse, according to the rules I have here laid down, and completely fail in his first attempts upon a mule. In the first place, it is absolutely necessary to have a halter upon the mule, of that kind called a jaguima, in the Spanish language. Now, when I draw nigh them, as is indicated in the manner which I follow in coming up to a wild horse, for the first time, I always take up the rope, which is tied to the head-stall of the halter, and then approach with much precaution, but without any signs of fear, &c., &c. Now, as I write for the timid, as well as for the courageous and intrepid, and as I look upon a mule as a most treacherous animal, I will here state, that all these precautions may be rendered unnecessary, by making a pen just big enough to put the mule in, and so high that it cannot jump over it; and let the bars be far enough apart to pass your hand between them and handle the mule. The pen must be made in such a manner that you can go around it on each side, as well behind as before, and be able to get upon it so as to saddle the mule, when you find it sufficiently gentle to proceed thus far. Then continue the operation as with a horse, but with this difference: you ought always to load the mule with bags of sand, or the like, and exercise it before you ride it. A weight of about two hundred pounds is not too much for the first time. As for any thing further, do as you would with a horse, &c.
The same pen you make for one mule, may serve for others which are of about the same size; and thus you may break, in a very few days, a great many mules, so as to go immediately to work with them, without laming them by blows and rough usage, which is often the cause of their being refractory the rest of their lives. I have broken a sufficient number of them to bear witness of the truth of this assertion. All those persons who may have learnt any part of my secret of breaking horses in a few hours, have remained perfectly silent with regard to mules, though they have undoubtedly tried their skill upon them, but in vain.
HOW THALES, ONE OF THE SEVEN WISE MEN OF GREECE, CORRECTED A MULE OF THE HABIT OF LYING DOWN EVERY TIME IT PASSED A CERTAIN RIVER.
Thales, one of the seven wise men of Greece, had a mule which used to carry loads of salt from one place to another, in consequence of which, it had to cross a very wide, but rather shallow river. It so happened one day, that whilst it was crossing the river, being heavily loaded, it stumbled and fell down, and remained some time in the middle of the water, which soon melted and washed away the salt that was in the bags. The animal, finding itself thus alleviated and discharged of its load, was able to jump up and pursue its journey without fatigue: from thence it concluded that the said fall and immersion in the river had been favorable and beneficial to it; therefore, when it had to cross the river a second time with a load of salt, it stopped in the midst of the river, and plunged in such a manner that its load soon melted away; and this happened every time it passed the stream; nor was it possible to break it of this trick, either by words or blows, though vigorously and well-applied. At last, the wise Thales bethought himself of this stratagem: He loaded the beast with a very bulky load of sponge; the mule, according to custom, plunged into the water, and remained some time; but, when it got up, it could hardly stagger under the weight of its load, and, instead of relief, found itself oppressed to such a degree, that it ever after crossed the river with the greatest care, so as not to fall in the water and increase the weight of its load.