"DEMOBBING" THE HORSES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 228, 20 June 1919, Page 7

"DEMOBBING" THE HORSES

The "demobbing-" of horses (writes "P." in the "Manchester Guardian") is going on in' France side by side with the return of men to civil life. We have in-' deed had one train of demobilised soldiers through our station in the last .three days —and two of demobilised horses. The horses, with here and there an inquiring nose stuck out of a truck, appear only mildly interested in the proceedings. If they only knew it, the drafts that are en route for 'England have had better luck than some of their four-legged friends. A number of "demobbed" cattle are <being sold in France. Yesterday 1 . watched a big sale of them in our market town. A..French auctioneer sold the animals with the. assistance of our A.V.C., and there were any number of bidders. The "northern 'farmer" of France is quite as hard-headed as his British counterpart; but the prices were very good; There was a useful reserve, prico on all the animals, but only two wero 'withdrawn. The great attraction was the draught animals, and I fancy the'excellent prices are due to the fact that horses are needed at once for the land. There as less interest in the riders. It seemed a pity'to see two excellent saddle horses go, one for just under 500 francs and the other for 575. I hope they won't spond the rest of their days being villainously over-driven in a French market cart. But these French farmers were all out. for the mules. Seven, eight, nine, and even a thousand francs were given for mules—animals that were bought by the British Government for eight to ten pounds in the Argentine. The French nave got no doubt about the valuo for farm work of theso long-eared, happy-go-luokyrelative of'the horse. One wonders if the prejudice against them in England will disappear. : The mule, in spite of the humorists, has many points to recommend him. "Strong as a mule" is a proverb with more truth in it.than many. And the mule can keep up his strength on any sort of fodder apparently—even sandbags and sawdust. Ho needs no grooming—a good roll in 6omo sand is all the toilet ho requires. In fact, they say that a vigorous roll is as good- as an eight-hour rest to a mule. Leave a tiretl mulo alone for two hours, and it will have rolled itself capable (if not ready) for nioro work at the end of them,