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VAQUERO SEVEN
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MULA • The long-eared hero of the
Old Spanish Trail
When a tough job needs to be done, the mule is the animal of choice. He's a survivor, can go further on less food and water and carry more weight than a horse. Mules are used in the rugged Sierra Nevada mountains. Recreational riders in the rocky deserts of the southwest love their ability to handle the toughest terrain. And big draft mules drag out logs in the South. This is the story of the mule from when he first arrived in the Americas with Columbus. 98 minutes BUY NOW
The Chaguanosos. (Thieves)
California had plenty of mules. Ute Indians, trappers, and Mexican thieves raided the ranchos and missions from 1830 to 1850s. They drove the animals up the Old Spanish Trail and the Santa Fe Trail, making a fortune selling them to settlers moving west.
John Hauer on the Old Spanish Trail Colorada River Crossing. A big obstacle on the Old Spanish Trail was the mighty Colorado. The Spaniards discovered a crossing near Moab, Utah. Mule man John Hauer who runs a mule operation here shows how mules crossed the river.
Saddle historian Bill Mann.
Hundreds of mule caravans carried goods on the Old Spanish Trail from Santa Fe to Los Angeles. Bill Mann's collection of saddles from this period gives you an idea what it was like on that torturous twelve-hundred mile trail.
Graham Goodfield.The mule saddle orginated from the "aparejo" centuries ago. The modern pack saddle evolved from it. Graham packs up his mules for a trek into California's Los Padres Wilderness using Sawbuck and Decker saddles.