The Mule Alternative: The Saddle Mule in the American West

Rating:
Summary: A Well-Balanced Discussion Based on Evidence
Review: Stamm is as willing to decry the school of mule fanciers who can see no faults in the animal as horse people who ignore the mule's existence. The book was put together to help a rider decide which animal best suits his or her individual usage, but it has a more important historical result. With his vast collection of quotes from all first-person journals and reports, he demolishes our usually distorted view of the mule in the West as an animal only for the poor or eccentric -- the beasts normally cost 50% more than horses, and was usually in short supply! I recommend this book to anyone researching the West, researching equid use, or looking for a mount surefooted enough to follow the worst deer tracks in the high mountains and tough enough to do it all day for a week.

Rating:
Summary: A Well-Balanced Discussion Based on Evidence
Review: Stamm is as willing to decry the school of mule fanciers who can see no faults in the animal as horse people who ignore the mule's existence. The book was put together to help a rider decide which animal best suits his or her individual usage, but it has a more important historical result. With his vast collection of quotes from all first-person journals and reports, he demolishes our usually distorted view of the mule in the West as an animal only for the poor or eccentric -- the beasts normally cost 50% more than horses, and was usually in short supply! I recommend this book to anyone researching the West, researching equid use, or looking for a mount surefooted enough to follow the worst deer tracks in the high mountains and tough enough to do it all day for a week.

Rating:
Summary: First Rate
Review: This book will become a classic of livestock use in the West. Highly readable and entertaining, The Mule Alternative documents the little-known reality that mules were used extensively as saddle animals in western exploration. Beyond historical documentation though, the author affords the reader powerful insights for understanding why many early westerners preferred mules, why mules survived hard service better than horses, why mules can be difficult to manage, and about mule usefulness for modern "explorers".

Rating:
Summary: First Rate
Review: This book will become a classic of livestock use in the West. Highly readable and entertaining, The Mule Alternative documents the little-known reality that mules were used extensively as saddle animals in western exploration. Beyond historical documentation though, the author affords the reader powerful insights for understanding why many early westerners preferred mules, why mules survived hard service better than horses, why mules can be difficult to manage, and about mule usefulness for modern "explorers".